Copper Penny Inn

The Copper Penny Inn is a traditional English inn, restaurant and self-catering holiday-let business at Chipshop, on the B3362 about three and a half miles outside the historic market town of Tavistock in Devon, United Kingdom. It is run by husband-and-wife team Peter and Marion Baker, who had farmed in the area for decades before taking on the inn. Their stated belief is to offer great British pub food, expertly cooked from produce sourced locally in the region, complemented by a broad choice of beverages and served in a warm, friendly and relaxed manner. The inn operates as a family restaurant with a function room that includes a skittle alley, a large beer garden, and a car park just off the road. It is open for dinner seven days a week, offering lunch and evening menus plus a specials board that changes weekly, and a roast for Sunday lunch. The business also lets self-catering holiday accommodation with views of Dartmoor, and can provide short-notice bed and breakfast. Its setting near Dartmoor and Tavistock positions it as a destination for diners, celebrations, meetings and weddings, as well as for visitors taking breaks in the area. The name Copper Penny Inn is tied to local mining history. During the eighteenth century, miners in the area were paid with tokens or chips that could be exchanged at the local inn for goods and food — the origin of the hamlet name Chipshop. Private individuals, traders and councils produced these tokens, known as chips, for use only in local inns because they were not legal tender. At that time the mining industry was booming and Morwellham Quay was known as the greatest copper port in Queen Victoria's empire, while the world's largest copper strike was found at the Devon Great Consols Mine, once the richest source of copper in Europe. The Tavistock penny token of the period typically showed a local view of the Devon mines on one side and the prior on the reverse. The Copper Penny Inn is an independent, privately owned hospitality business rather than a chain or listed company. Its online presence includes a website with pages for the menu, events, functions, holiday lets, about and contact information, and links to social media. The inn markets itself on local sourcing, homemade food, a welcoming atmosphere and its picturesque Dartmoor setting.

The Copper Penny Inn is a family-run inn and restaurant at Chipshop, on the B3362 about three and a half miles outside Tavistock in Devon, United Kingdom. It is owned and run by husband-and-wife team Peter and Marion Baker, who had farmed in the area for decades — the official website states forty-five years on the homepage and over forty years on the About page — before taking on the inn. Their approach is to offer great British pub food expertly cooked from products locally sourced in the region, complemented by a choice of beverages and served in a warm, friendly and relaxed manner. The inn's name reflects the local mining history of the area. During the eighteenth century, miners around Tavistock were paid with tokens or chips that could be exchanged at the local inn for goods and food, which is why the hamlet is called Chipshop. Private individuals, traders and councils produced these tokens, known as chips, for use only in local inns because they were not legal tender. At that time the mining industry was booming: Morwellham Quay was known as the greatest copper port in Queen Victoria's empire, and the world's largest copper strike was found at the Devon Great Consols Mine, once the richest source of copper in Europe. The Tavistock penny token of the period typically showed a local view of the Devon mines on one side and the prior on the reverse. The business operates as a traditional English restaurant and inn. It is open for dinner seven days a week and offers lunch and evening menus as well as a specials board that changes weekly, plus a roast for Sunday lunch. A function room with a skittle alley can be booked for private functions with a choice of menus, and the large beer garden hosts special events such as spit-roasts, barbeques and other themed occasions. The car park is just off the road. The inn also offers self-catering holiday lets with picturesque views of Dartmoor for weekly breaks, and can provide short-notice bed and breakfast. As of the available official information, the Copper Penny Inn remains an independent, privately owned hospitality business. It maintains a website with pages for the menu, events, functions, holiday lets, about and contact information, and links to social media including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Skype, LinkedIn, Flickr and Google Plus. It markets itself on local sourcing, homemade food, a welcoming atmosphere and its Dartmoor setting, and welcomes large parties, couples, meetings, weddings and celebrations.

• Peter and Marion Baker farm in the area for decades before taking on the inn (official site states 45 years on homepage, over 40 years on About page).

• The inn is named after the eighteenth-century practice of paying local miners with tokens/chips exchangeable at local inns, which gave the hamlet its name Chipshop.

Traditional, family-run English inn and restaurant emphasising locally sourced, homemade British pub food, a warm and relaxed atmosphere, and a picturesque Dartmoor setting.

• Lunch and evening menus

• Weekly specials board

• Sunday roast

• Self-catering holiday lets

• Bed and breakfast (short notice)

• Function room with skittle alley

• Beer garden events (spit-roasts, barbeques, themed events)

1. 1The Copper Penny Inncopperpennyinn.co.uk
2. 2Aboutcopperpennyinn.co.uk
3. 3Copper Penny Innwikidata.org