When I first moved to Devon to join my parents, my father had established himself as a regular in the Bell Inn Brixham. A small pub – with 3 others within 200 yards – in St Mary’s Square. The Bell certainly had its characters – something missing from the modern pub. Most pubs had one seat ‘belonging’ to a regular and woe betide you if you sat in it!.
But our house was equidistant between that part of Brixham and the riverside village of Kingswear. where in those days there were 3 pubs and the yacht club though at the moment one of the pubs is closed.
We became regulars at the in 1968 and I still drink there occasionally nowadays. In 40 odd years I have seen many landlords come and go – one or 2 we were glad to say farewell to, but mostly very good. And how the pub has changed – for the better!
The Ship Inn
It is a common view that all good village pubs are next to the church and this is no exception. Probably the original was built to house those building or working on the church, some of the walls are feet thick. In 1968 it was an ordinary 2 bar pub with limited facilities but selling Draught Bass – rare for real ales to be sold pre CAMRA days. Les and Dot were the landlords then. Over the years the pub has expanded on the ground floor to take in next door – now the restaurant and the kitchen is upstairs in what was called ‘ The Buff Room’. This stems from the fact that it was the meeting room for the local Branch of the RAOB – the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes. My recollection is that there were only 3 members.
View from the terrace
Latterly the pub has the benefit of a terrace overlooking the River Dart – it helps because part of the view from the pub is obscured by a very large village hall. Wonderful place to watch Dartmouth Regatta Fireworks. The 2 bars are now one in a horseshoe shape and much more spacious.
The current landlord – Colin ( and his family) has now been there for many years and you can guarantee to get good food and a range of Real Ales from a pub regularly in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and has been a local CAMRA Pub of the Year
Beer, Steam and Toasted Tea-cakes 