Stunning free-of-tie thatched inn in East Devon Sold to first time operators

The Exeter Office of leading licensed property agents, Christie + Co, is delighted to announce the sale of a 15th Century inn, in a delightful village, just five miles north-west of Honiton.

The Drewe Arms is prominently positioned in the east Devon village of Broadhembury, which lies in the foothills of the Blackdown Hills, an area of outstanding natural beauty. Broadhembury has changed very little in outward appearance during the last century with many of the thatched and cob cottages having been there since the 16th Century. The pub is named after Julius Drewe, who purchased the freehold of the inn, and half the village, at the turn of the 20th Century, with much of it remaining in the Drewe Estate today.

The property is a stunning detached and part-thatched inn reputed to date back to the 15th Century. Having a wealth of character including Tudor linenfold paneling, Tudor beamed ceilings, oak floors and a substantial inglenook fireplace, the property briefly comprises a lounge bar, restaurant, dining room, commercial kitchen and numerous ancillary storage areas on the ground floor with substantial, four double-bedroom owner’s accommodation on the first. Externally, there are numerous storage sheds, a vegetable garden, private garden and beer garden, the latter of which is in the shadows of Broadhembury Church.

Jon Clyne, Associate Director at Christie + Co’s Exeter Office, commented: “The property has undergone a substantial refurbishment programme over the past couple of years and represented a real turnkey opportunity. Our clients were looking to relocate abroad and, as such, sold the business with an improving reputation, it having featured recently in the 2011 Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide, The Good Pub Guide 2011 and Alistair Sawday’s Pubs & Inns Guide 2011. The new owners intend to refresh the menu whilst immersing themselves in local life in order to achieve a more prominent local profile.”

The Drewe Arms was sold off a guide price of £80,000 for the free-of-tie leasehold.