Warren House Inn

Warren House Inn is a remote public house in the heart of Dartmoor, Devon, England. It stands beside an historic route across the moor approximately two miles north-east of Postbridge and is associated with the old road between Postbridge and Moreton. At an elevation of about 1,425 feet (434 metres) above sea level, it is described as the highest pub in southern England and the second-highest pub in England. Its isolated setting, exposure to Dartmoor weather, and links with packhorse travel have made it a distinctive hospitality landmark rather than a conventional town-centre pub. The inn's origins lie in the middle of the eighteenth century, when an earlier building known as New House served travellers using the ancient packhorse way. The route predates the turnpike road established in 1792, and the inn's existence reflects the importance of packhorse and foot traffic across the moor before modern road transport. A nearby rabbit warren is believed to have contributed to the establishment's later identity and to the traditional association of the inn with rabbit pie and cider. William Tapper is the earliest recorded landlord, in 1786. The original building was destroyed by fire. The present structure was rebuilt in 1845 by J. Wills on the opposite side of the road, occupying the site of the older packhorse route. It was initially known as the Moreton Inn. In 1850, the property was owned by William Honey of Tavistock and was operated by host William Warne. The inn was subsequently associated with Jonas Coaker, a Postbridge-born figure who styled himself the Dartmoor Poet. Coaker is commonly credited with giving the establishment the Warren House Inn name, although the precise timing and circumstances of the change are not fully documented. During the nineteenth century, the inn served people connected with nearby Dartmoor tin-mining works, including the Vitifer and Golden Dagger mines. Accounts connected with Coaker describe the rough social conditions of the period, including disputes involving miners and episodes in which large groups of visitors took advantage of the isolated premises. These stories, together with the inn's distance from settlements and the severe winter conditions on the moor, helped create a substantial body of local folklore. The inn is particularly associated with stories about its hearth, which is said to have been kept continuously alight. One version holds that when the 1845 building was constructed, embers were carried across the road from the old building to establish the fire in the new hearth. This tradition is part of the inn's cultural identity, although it is presented as folklore rather than as a verifiable uninterrupted historical record. Other tales involve travellers, concealed bodies, cider-fuelled visitors, and the prehistoric stone circles known as the Grey Wethers. These narratives have contributed to the Warren House Inn's reputation as a place where Dartmoor history, working life, and storytelling overlap. Today, the Warren House Inn is best understood as a heritage-oriented rural pub and stopping place. Its significance rests on the combination of an isolated moorland location, a building dating from 1845, historic associations with packhorse routes and tin mining, and a continuing reputation embedded in Dartmoor tourism and local tradition. Publicly available reference material does not establish the current ownership, management structure, financial performance, or exact present-day operating status, so those details remain unspecified here.

The Warren House Inn developed from a stopping place on an ancient route across Dartmoor, near the modern settlement of Postbridge. The earliest building was probably erected in the middle of the eighteenth century, before the route became a turnpike road in 1792. It was known as New House and served people travelling by packhorse or on foot between communities on and around the moor. A nearby rabbit warren may have helped sustain the inn's early trade and is associated with the traditional serving of rabbit pie and cider. William Tapper is the earliest landlord identified in the available historical account, recorded in 1786. The first building was later destroyed by fire. In 1845, J. Wills rebuilt the inn on the opposite side of the road, on or near the line of the earlier packhorse way. The new establishment was initially called the Moreton Inn. In 1850, it belonged to William Honey of Tavistock and was hosted by William Warne. The inn later became associated with Jonas Coaker, who was born in Postbridge in 1801 and was known as the Dartmoor Poet. He is believed to have renamed the Moreton Inn as the Warren House Inn, although the surviving account does not provide a precise date for the change. Coaker's tenure coincided with the activity of miners from the nearby Vitifer and Golden Dagger tin mines. His recollections describe the inn as a sometimes unruly meeting place, including incidents involving miners, alcohol, violence, and the difficulties of maintaining a business in an isolated environment. The establishment's reputation was amplified by Dartmoor folklore. The best-known tradition concerns the fire in the inn's hearth, which is said never to have been extinguished. According to the story, embers were transported from the old building to the rebuilt one when the inn changed sides of the road in 1845. Other tales describe a traveller discovering a body stored in a chest during severe snow, and a visitor being persuaded after drinking cider that the Grey Wethers stone circles were a flock of sheep. These stories have been repeated as elements of local tradition and should not be treated as documented factual events. The Warren House Inn's historical importance therefore comes from several overlapping functions: it was a practical halt on a difficult moorland route; a social venue for workers associated with Dartmoor's tin-mining economy; and a setting for stories that express the isolation, weather, and cultural character of the moor. The present building's 1845 date, its elevation of approximately 1,425 feet, and its position near Postbridge have supported its later identity as a distinctive heritage pub and visitor destination. Public references supplied for this entry do not identify a founder in the modern corporate sense, a current owner, a parent group, or a confirmed current management team.

• 1850

  Recorded ownership and operating name

  [1]Warren House Innen.wikipedia.org

  The rebuilt establishment was known as the Moreton Inn; William Honey of Tavistock was recorded as owner and William Warne as host.

• 1845

  Present building constructed

  [1]Warren House Innen.wikipedia.org

  After the original inn burned down, J. Wills rebuilt the establishment on the opposite side of the road. The current building dates from this reconstruction.

• 1801

  Birth of Jonas Coaker

  [1]Warren House Innen.wikipedia.org

  Jonas Coaker, later associated with the inn as landlord and known as the Dartmoor Poet, was born in Postbridge. The date predates his documented association with the establishment.

• 1792

  Turnpike road established

  [1]Warren House Innen.wikipedia.org

  The road across the moor became a turnpike route, formalising a road that had previously served packhorse and foot traffic.

• 1786

  Earliest recorded landlord

  [1]Warren House Innen.wikipedia.org

  William Tapper is identified as the earliest landlord recorded in the available historical account.

• 1750

  Probable establishment of the original inn

  [1]Warren House Innen.wikipedia.org

  An earlier building known as New House was probably established in the middle of the eighteenth century beside an ancient packhorse route across Dartmoor.

A historic, remote Dartmoor public house positioned around rural hospitality, travel heritage, local folklore, and the experience of stopping at a high-altitude moorland inn.

• Hospitality

  Pub services

  The Warren House Inn's core offering is the traditional public-house experience: a place for travellers, local visitors, and people crossing Dartmoor to stop for hospitality. Its appeal is closely tied to the historic building, isolated setting, high elevation, and associations with the old moorland road. The supplied reference material does not specify a current menu, drinks list, rooms, or service format.

• Food and beverage

  Food and refreshments

  Historical accounts associate the inn with food and drink for people travelling across Dartmoor, including rabbit pie and cider in connection with the nearby rabbit warren. Modern food and beverage details are not established by the supplied sources, so this entry describes the historic and general hospitality function rather than a confirmed current menu.

• Cultural tourism

  Heritage visitor experience

  The inn functions as a heritage setting as much as a place of refreshment. Visitors encounter a building dating from 1845, a location on an ancient route, links with Dartmoor tin mining, and stories surrounding the hearth and local folklore. These elements form the establishment's distinctive experiential proposition, although the sources do not identify a separately marketed visitor product.

1. 1Warren House Innen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Warren House Inn websitewarrenhouseinn.co.uk