Then and Now . . .

Chittlehamholt, originally a clearing in the wood, became a logging station to which the people of Chittlehampton came to cut timber, and eventually grew into a separate hamlet. Throughout the Middle Ages and up to the reign of Henry VIII, it was a park belonging to the earls of Devon, and until 1885 it was a part of Chittlehampton known as the South Quarter of the village; the name appears in old parish records as Chittlehamholt.

The Exeter Inn is a sixteenth century coaching inn. The road through Chittlehamholt at the time was the main Barnstaple to Exeter road, so the Inn is appropriately named. It must have been quite a sight, all the coaches arriving in the village, with perhaps a sound on the coaching horn as they approached the Exeter Inn, and then changing horses before proceeding on to Exeter. At Cobbaton there is a house called 'Travellers Rest' which was once a pub. No doubt this provided a welcome rest for the horses after climbing Codden Hill.

In 1850 John Jenkins was the landlord of the Exeter Inn alongside his wife, Elizabeth. By 1893, William Clarke bacame landlord with his wife, also Elizabeth. A case reported in the North Devon Journal states that in 1893 a carpenter called John Smith was summoned for having been drunk and that William Clarke, landlord of the inn, was summoned for permitting drunkenness. The outcome of the case was that John Smith was fined 5s. plus costs, while William Clarke was fined £1 plus costs. It was hoped that this would serve as a caution to the young publican!

The Exeter Inn was part of the manor estate at one time and when it came on the market during 1918 it included 20 different lots. The Exeter Inn was not included in the main catalogue, but was sold at the conclusion of the sale and, according to the Journal of the time, was secured by Mr B.T. James for £550.

For the past 25 years The Exeter Inn has been run by the Glenister family, firstly Norman with wife Margaret, and now David with his wife Debbie. It is still the traditional character village meeting point it always was - still frequented by very interesting local characters and an extremely warm welcome can be assured!