The Palk Arms History

The following has been taken from the book ‘Hennock: A Village History’ Available at The Palk Arms priced £4.95 or from…

Iain Fraser on 01626 830077 email: frasers@hennock.freeserve.co.uk

"Situated on land once owned by the wealthy Palk family, and possibly sited on what was, a very long time ago, the village green.

Early records from 1642 show that five gentlemen were licensed to sell alcohol in Hennock; Robert Pethybridge, Samuel Elliot, John Creale, John Potter and a Mr Pawlye.

In 1760 a Mr William Medland was the sole licensee for the village, but no mention is made of the name of his inn or establishment. The early records usually only recorded the name of the licensee and not the house.

John and Samuel Loveys, who were also carpenters by trade, ran the New Inn in Hennock from 1825 - 1828. This pub was situated next to Weavers Cottage, opposite the Church.

Stipulations in the licence of 1824 state that the landlord ‘ shall not fraudulently dilute the beer, ale and other liquors in the house, shall not permit drunkenness or tippling, nor suffer any gaming with cards, draughts, dice or bagatelle, nor permit or suffer any bull, bear or badger baiting, cock-fighting in any part of his premises, nor to permit men or women of notoriously bad fame, or dissolute girls and boys to assemble in his house’.

I did not come across any more licences in the DRO so I have to assume that the Palk Arms only became a Public House sometime between 1828 and 1838. That is not to say that it wasn’t an established inn from a much earlier time, but it was more likely a hostelry rather than solely a drinking establishment.

Christow, just a few miles away in the Teign Valley used to have a pub called the Palk Arms, also owned by the Heavitree Brewery in the early 1900’s. In Kenn, on the way to Exeter, the current Ley Arms pub used to be called the Palk Arms.

There was a Palk Arms in Torquay and one on the Teignmouth Road in St. Marychurch. The Palks who lived at Haldon House and Torquay, were instrumental in establishing Torquay from a small fishing village in 1767, to a thriving port and township.

Also in St. Marychurch, next to the pub, there used to be a Palk Arms Hotel and also the Palk Arms Brewery. In his book about Torquay, John Pike mentions the old brewery, which for a time was called the ‘Mortimer Brothers old-established Palk Arms Brewery’. The pale ale bitter was sold for1/8d (eighth of a penny) for a gallon.

In Newton Abbot in 1843, there was a Palk and Pinsent Brewery on the corner of Halcyon Road (formerly Mill Lane).

In 1749, records of the village show that a Mr J Tapper paid 16 shillings (80p) for a hogshead of cyder. A hogshead was about 50 gallons!

The 1861 census shows that William Sanderson, a baker by trade, resided in the Palk Arms and the 1891 census also shows another baker, Thomas Loveys in residence. By the entrance to the Ladies Room downstairs is a large bread oven, eight foot in depth and twenty inches in height internally.

In 1891, the Palk Arms had a family of ten living in the house and the adjacent Union Inn, a Cider House was home to family of nine.

The main door has been moved since the early photographs were taken and at one time there used to be a doorway leading directly from the Palk into the Union next door.

The layout inside the pub has been changed over the years. When you walked in the old entrance, the bar & drinking areas were on the left and the large fireplace on your right was actually in the owner’s front room. A smaller fireplace was by the bar and it was here that the ale drinkers congregated.

Just past the bar were two semi-circular settles placed opposite each other forming a circle, where the village elders would sit with their pints. To the back of the pub, where the dartboard was situated, you would find the gaming & sporting types. There was sawdust on the floor and spittoons, as you would imagine.

New barrels of beer would be brought up from the cellar in the alleyway and rolled into the bar then lifted on to the wooden rack for serving. The toilets were downstairs, but you had to go out of the pub and around the side to reach them. The stables were situated where the kitchens are downstairs at the back of the building.

From L to R: Renee, May Martin (nanny), Marjorie, Frank, Doris on the horse, unknown boy, Mrs Evans,

baby Ken Tucker being held by his Aunt, Audrey Tucker.

Frank Evans, the publican in the photo, was a very keen footballer. He eventually left Hennock and went to manage the Union Hotel in Torquay near the Plainmoor football ground. Both his daughters married successful football players.

Large teams of up to 50 players of all ages often played football in the area outside the pub and Lakes Cottage. The daily routine for most men used to be, go to work, come home and have some supper, spend an hour working on the allotments then off to the pub for a quick pint before bed.

In the earlier part of the 1900’s the pub was open from 6.00am until 10.00pm. Petrol was sold from here after it was wisely moved out of the forge nearby. Cigarettes in olden days, i.e. Woodbines, were 5 for a penny (an old penny). Not so long ago, you used to be able to buy your fly fishing hooks from the pub.

 In days gone by, the pub had live music and singing on a Saturday night and the square outside was also used for dance & merriment during the ‘Hennock Revel’. Recently, the Revel has been revived, following in the old tradition.

During WW2, Cecilia Simmonds played the piano in the pub. Her son Les remembers seeing a collection of stuffed foxes, owls and birds in glass cabinets on top of the piano.

 The Palk Arms was the popular haunt of American G.I.s who were billeted in and around Stover and Chudleigh Knighton. Apparently the vicar was known to come out of the vicarage by the old steps and shout at the late drinkers falling out of the Palk.

There is a wonderful story in the book ‘A New Look at Old Newton Abbot’ by Harry Unsworth. It is about the time during WW2, when a two and a half ton truck, full of American uniforms and supplies, disappeared from outside the Palk Arms whilst the driver, Private Earnest G. Voight, U.S. Army, was inside having a few drinks. Momentarily paralysed when he came out and saw that his precious truck had gone, he quickly phoned for help and the local Police, U.S. Military Police and several truckloads of troops immediately besieged the village. They never did find the truck or its valuable contents, but some months later, a cider drinking local was seen by some G.I.s leaving the pub, smiling as he hitched up his new U.S. Army trousers.

Being so remote, and in times of national shortage during the war, the pub would often have a sign up saying ‘No Beer’. But cider was always readily available, produced on many of the local farms.

A formidable lady called Aunt Maud, who lived in Bakery Cottage, was often called upon to come over to the pub and sort out any trouble that had started. It seems that she relished a fight, and being so strongly built, terrified most of the men.

When the old houses in Bell Lane (opposite the pub) were demolished, the plot was left as rubble for quite some time. It seems that the Heavitree Brewery who owned the pub for a time, were offered, but declined this parcel of land to use as a car park for the pub.

The Heavitree brewery did buy the Union Inn next door, but did not renew the licence when it came up for renewal, so thereby ending the local competition.

The pub, now a Free House, has had many owners and landlords over the years and has had its share of busy and quiet times. It is an essential part of community life up here and along with the village hall, many events take place. In the pub there are fun quiz nights, held every two weeks as well as a team that takes part in the local league, a darts team and Morris Dancers performing outside in the summer. Live music is now very popular again and there is the annual Beer Festival at the pub. They are all enjoyable times, bringing villagers & visitors together."