lottery boost for the community hall in its - Charmouth

The Coach And Horses
This interesting photograph taken by Cyril Hider of
Bridport in the 1930’s shows the imposing Coach and
Horses which still stands, though long since ceasing
to be run as a business and now divided into
apartments. Alongside it is an open top vehicle being
driven by Billy Gear who briefly ran his Garage at the rear
of the Hotel, before moving to a more permanent site in the
centre of The Street. Two young boys can be seen posing
outside Marsh’s the Butcher, which is now The Garden Party.
If the layers of paint were removed from the buildings they
would be seen to have changed little over the years.
Though in the past the Coach and Horses was the focus of
the important coaching trade that passed through
Charmouth, the building we see today replaced a much
earlier Inn that stood on the same site until 1882 when it
was destroyed in a fire. It was one of a number of fine
thatched buildings that went the same way towards the end
of the 19th Century in the village.
It was originally called the Three Crowns when it was
owned by William Edwards in 1809 and occupied by James
Bradbeer, who was also the postmaster. The earliest
directory for Charmouth shows that in 1840 there were four
coaches leaving and returning each day to the Inn from
Exeter, London and Southampton. William Foss is shown as
the Inn Keeper and the Census of the following year reveal
him living with his wife and seven children at the property.
In the same year, Charmouth was to have its Tithe Map
produced which is very detailed and shows the building
being owned by Bowden Gundry & Co.(Bridport Brewers)
with a garden and outbuildings extending a considerable
distance back from the Street.
Records for Charmouth show that in 1760 a Mail coach
killed a man and in 1805 a Balloon coach overturned killing
Ann Pitt. The Inn had a number of owners and tenants over
the years, but the most famous was George Holly whose
sign can be seen in the earlier photograph. He was to
change the name to the present day Coach and Horses and
in 1849 was presented with a silver coffee pot for paying for
the funeral of a visitor who accidentally drowned in the sea.
With the opening of the Bridport Railway in 1858 there was
to be a horse omnibus running from Lyme through
Charmouth each day. In 1882, The Old Inn was rebuilt but
Holly did not return as he was unhappy with the owners
about its replacement and instead he continued to live in
Charmouth House at the junction of The Street and Higher
Sea Lane, which he was already running as a hotel.
The landlords who followed were Ingram and then Pagan,
who married Ingram's daughter. At Pagan's death his
widow married Morgan, who kept the grocer's shop opposite
and took over the licence. He also bought the Axminster
bus from William, the son of George Holly and started the
first motor 'bus’. The stables that used to extend as far as
the lawn tennis courts were pulled down and modern
garages and an annex to the hotel were built. In time it was
to be the buses that were to replace the coaches and to this
day still stop off near to the former Coach and Horses. It is
fascinating looking through old Charmouth Guides that are
full of adverts for Hotels and Guesthouses that have long
since disappeared. Sadly, The Coach and Horses was to be
one of those lost when it was no longer viable and was
converted into apartments.
Neil Mattingly (The Pavey Group)
The Coach And
Horses
Pre 1882
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