Coombe Cellars Inn is a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

on the south bank of the estuary of the River Teign in south

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, England. It is in the parish of

Haccombe with Combe Haccombe with Combe is a civil parish in the Teignbridge local government district of Devon, England. The parish lies immediately to the east of the town of Newton Abbot, and south of the estuary of the River Teign. Across the estuary are the p ...

, near the village of Combeinteignhead. The pub was owned by

Brewers Fayre Brewers Fayre is a licensed pub restaurant chain, with 161 locations across the UK as of August 2018. Owned by Whitbread, Brewers Fayre restaurants are known for serving traditional British pub food and for their Sunday Carvery. History The f ...

until 2006. As of 2016 it is owned by

Mitchells & Butlers Mitchells & Butlers plc (also referred to as "M&B") runs circa 1,784 managed pubs, bars and restaurants throughout the United Kingdom. The company's headquarters are in Birmingham, England. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange an ...

History

A guide by William Hyett published in 1800 extolled the inn as "standing in a most picturesque situation" and "advancing into the tide", with the tower of Combeinteignhead church gleaming through the hedgerow

elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of North ...

s above it. Writing at the beginning of the twentieth century, a local tourist guide stated "Coombe Cellars can also be approached by a delightful row up the river. But keep your eye on the tide. The inn makes a charming spot for afternoon tea, which can be enjoyed in the gardens, or indoors." Other tourist guides of Devon mention the inn, including Charles George Harper's ''The South Devon Coast'', published in 1907. Earlier in its history, the romantic poet John Keats also wrote about the inn, mentioning enjoying

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

spread on barley bread. At that time, the establishment was known as the Ferry Boat Inn, the word "cellars" referring to the fish cellars. These were huts in which fishermen who did not live on the coast could store their boats, nets and other fishing equipment. Some people had manorial obligations to provide fish to landowners while others were freeholders acting independently. Sea fishing was usually a part-time activity. The location has a long history, being an early base for the local fishing industry, when it had storage facilities. It was also used as a drop off point for smugglers.

References

{{Reflist Pubs in Devon