About Us

THE HISTORY OF STATION HOUSE

Station House has stood on this site since around 1830. There are a few versions of the story of how and why it came to be. I will now tell you all the versions and you decide which is the real one.

It has been suggested that Mr Cranch next door (the undertaker and builder) became fed up with the local temperance society buying up the drinking houses in the village and then shutting them down. So, he decided to build this building on land he owned, and opened it as a hotel and pub, naming it The Royal Oak Hotel.

Another version of the story (which I was told by old Mrs Cranch, a descendant of the original) is that Mr Cranch sold the parcel of land to a Mr Lawson so that he could build on it. Mr Lawson did build a similar looking property to next door as agreed, but extended the frontage out some 8 ft into the road so as to get a side window, thereby upsetting Mr Cranch and falling out with him.

The third version of the story is that the land was sold to a brewer and that the original use of the building was as a brewery. The cottages to the other side of Station House were added at a later date to accommodate the workers in the brewery. There is some evidence of this as the stairs leading to the second floor appear to continue into upstairs of the cottage next door.

It is not known how long this building was a brewery, but it is known that the houses opposite were originally the stables and yard for the building and would have housed the drays and horses. The rear function room was not incorporated originally and was we think an open yard where we assume the beer was stored and loaded.

In around 1860, the railway came to South Brent as part of the Brunel line to Plymouth. It is thought at this point the building became a hotel and pub and took the name The Royal Oak. There were many pubs named so, and it is generally accepted that these were named after Charles 2nd .The story goes that he hid in an oak tree to avoid the soldiers who were after him.

We know that the railway came after the Royal Oak was established because the pavement outside continues along outside the cottages quite flat, whereas the road goes up quite sharply to enable it to go over the railway bridge which was built when the railway arrived . I understand that the bridge has always been there as is , since it was built , even though the metal would have been useful in the war effort to make tanks in world war 2.

We do know that Station House then had a close relationship with the railway. Mail sacks for the surrounding area were offloaded at the Station and bought into the hotel where they were sorted ready to go on to Kingsbridge and other outlying areas.
The wooden chair built into the wall near the fireplace we are told was put there for the local circuit judge that came on the train once a month. His job involved settling disputes and quarrels and he would have sat in that chair in the room within the main bar. This was once a much smaller room. Once he had finished he would then board the train and carry on to Kingsbridge to work there.

As the village grew due mainly to the railway ,many wealthy merchants came from Plymouth to buy the grand houses along Hillside and visitors to Dartmoor would have stayed here in the hotel just like they are still doing now, There have been a few landlords running the business and I have had the pleasure of meeting some of the early ones who are now of course quite old but still remember various things about their time here.

For example, one lady who ran the pub many years ago remembers the function room being incorporated into the building and it becoming a dance hall. Another recalled to me when it became a great long skittle alley and much used and also doubled as the village disco. In more recent years the function room has served as a restaurant serving quality food to the locality. Sadly in 2018 the then owners who had been here around 15 years went bust and the business shut and the building became empty and started to fall into disrepair.

The owners had sold off all the items that could be sold and the receivers then stripped the rest , including light fittings .It was stripped bare save for the carpets and radiators. The villagers were obviously concerned that it should not remain empty and when it was put up for sale many worried it would be turned into flats or some use other than a pub.Fortunately my daughter , sons and I came up with the idea of buying it as a family business and reopening it as a cafe bar and rooms to serve the village , cyclists ,walkers and holiday makers once again. A spur of the moment decision and very exciting.

It was not an easy task as every item needed to reopen and run it had to be purchased and transported back to the pub. Many things came from facebook, second hand shops, auctions and word of mouth. All the old china came from older people who had collected some and heard of our venture. Some people bought in railway related items when they heard we were to rename as Station House . Gradually, after a lot of hard work, painting , repairing refurnishing and restocking, the place started to fill again and looked more like you see it today.

Once the cafe and bar were finished and ready we concentrated on all the rooms. They really are lovely rooms and so comfortable. We named them after stations on the primrose line which was the branch line and closed in 1958. What you now see are the results of our labours and we are still continually improving all the facilities and welcome your feedback and of course your positive reviews on booking platforms, facebook and trip advisor.