Jamaica Inn, near Bodmin, Cornwall, nestles in the centre of Bodmin Moor on the A30, is internationally known and was immortalised in Daphne du Maurier’s eponymous best-selling novel. It is now offered for sale by John and Wendy Watts, the owners for the last 40 years, who seek to retire.
Cornwall’s most famous 17-bedroom smuggling inn is being sold along with its sister hotel, the White Hart in Okehampton.
Jamaica Inn
Situated in the middle of ‘du Maurier country’, close to the author’s former homes — Menabilly and Ferryside — Jamaica Inn was built in 1750 as a coaching inn called on by weary travellers using the turnpike between Launceston and Bodmin. It is said that smugglers used the Inn to hide their contraband, and it is estimated that half of the brandy and a quarter of all tea being smuggled into the UK was landed along the Cornish and Devon coasts. It is also thought that the inn may have got its name because it did a considerable trade in rum!
In 1788 the inn was extended to include a coach house, stables and a tack room, creating the L-shaped main part of the building as it is today. Currently a variety of rooms are available, some reputedly haunted, including some with four-poster beds. The inn offers an excellent range of home-cooked meals throughout the day, starting with a traditional English breakfast.
It also caters for all the family, with a dedicated play area for children, and a Smuggling Museum — probably the finest genuine collection of smuggling artefacts in the country. The Museum also features the original writing desk used by Daphne du Maurier and a large number of other interesting items owned by her.
On entering Cornwall, Jamaica Inn is the first of the county’s major attractions and is set on a six-and-a-half acre site on Bodmin Moor — one of the most breathtaking locations in Cornwall. Allegedly haunted, it is popular with both locals and visitors — and some modern day travellers by helicopter. The inn is also an ideal stop-off point on the way to Cornwall’s many attractions, such as the Eden Project, Falmouth’s National Maritime Museum, the open-air Minnack Theatre and Lands’ End.
The inn is set to return to the national limelight again with the BBC recently announcing that a new, three-part adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s ‘Jamaica Inn’ is to be shown on TV around Easter 2014.
The White Hart Hotel, Okehampton
The White Hart Hotel (below) is renowned as one of the longest established hotels in Devon, offering excellent accommodation (19 rooms), dining and conference facilities and a venue for weddings. It is a popular watering hole for long-distance travellers on their way to Cornwall.
Set in the market town of Okehampton at the foothills of Dartmoor National Park, the White Hart Hotel is a fine example of a market town, 17th century coaching inn.
The White Hart was part of The Trafalgar Way — the historic route used to carry dispatches overland from Falmouth to the Admiralty in London, with the news of the Battle of Trafalgar. This is commemorated by a plaque on the wall outside the hotel.
Today, the White Hart remains popular with locals and visitors seeking to explore the beautiful natural surroundings and local attractions, such as Dartmoor, Okehampton Castle and the Eastcott Vineyard and Wine Estate
Strong interest anticipated
Matthew Smith, Director of Christie + Co in Exeter, says: “It’s rare when just one hotel of such local historical significance is brought to the market, but in Jamaica Inn and the White Hart Hotel we have two excellent opportunities with a renowned past, and which have traded well under the auspices of the current owners. The family which has owned Jamaica Inn since 1973, are now looking to retire, and given the history, the location and the trading records, we anticipate a great deal of interest, so would advise anyone who is interested to arrange a viewing as soon as possible.”
The freeholds to both hotels are for sale – Jamaica Inn at a guide price of £2 million and the White Hart Hotel at £900,000.
