MEM23968 - 19th Century Hunter's Inn (Monument)

Hunter's Inn was a thatched cottage until the 1860s. At that time, fox shooting parties would walk over the cliffs from Combe Martin as it wasn't possible to hunt the cliffs with horses and hounds. The owner of the cottage would keep a barrel of ale to refresh them before their long walk back. The cottage was then enlarged sideways, called an inn and began to rent rooms. As tourists began to visit the area, the inn was considerably enlarged with a two storey extension to the rear. In 1895, the whole was burned to the ground, apparently with only a barrel of beer being saved. [1] The Inn was originally in Martinhoe Parish. The Tithe Map shows a small rectangular building with a small extension to the rear, facing south at the intersection of a crossroads by the River Heddon at SS 6549 4816. A further rectangular building within the same land parcel but on the opposite corner of the intersection is recorded at SS 6551 4814. [2] Hunter's Inn is shown on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of the area, orientated so that the frontage of the property faced due south. An Ordnance Survey benchmark is depicted on its southern face, on the western end (presumably on a quoin of the building). [3]