Fingle Bridge Inn, Drewsteignton, Exeter, EX6 6PW

Location

History & Heritage

For the very first time in its history, the Fingle Bridge Inn is being offered for sale on the open market. This landmark riverside Inn, steeped in more than a century of hospitality,
represents a rare chance to acquire a thriving and very profitable business and substantial property in one of Dartmoor National Park’s most celebrated settings. Beautifully positioned beside the historic stone arches of Fingle Bridge on the River Teign, the Inn has long been a place of welcome for walkers, anglers, families and travellers. Its combination of heritage, natural beauty and trading success make it an offering of unique distinction – a property and business that simply cannot be replicated.

The story of Fingle Bridge Inn begins in 1897, when Jesse Ashplant first welcomed fishermen, grain carriers and early tourists to a simple tea shelter by the bridge. Over the years it grew into The Anglers Rest public house, before evolving into the Fingle Bridge Inn we know today. Although remaining in the original family ownership, the Inn underwent a total rebuild in 1957 resulting in the building that we see today. For more than 125 years, hospitality has been at the heart of the property, cherished by generations of visitors, with the current operators adding over 20 years of successful stewardship.

The Fingle Bridge Inn is a thriving food-led hospitality business, currently split approximately 70/30 in favour of food to wet sales. The atmospheric bar and restaurant
together seat over 130 covers, while the riverside terraces can accommodate a further 145 diners in what must be one of the South West’s most enchanting outdoor pub settings.
In addition to its daily trade the Inn has historically been a very sort-after wedding reception and events venue, with the restaurant able to seat 120 guests for formal occasions.
There is scope to extend these offerings alongside the potential to increase opening hours and further raise the profile of the Inn through destination marketing. The property’s generous living accommodation also adds significant commercial value.

The three-bedroom house and adjoining four-bedroom apartment make the Inn uniquely well-suited to a multi-generational family operation, offering the chance to live and work together in a private yet connected arrangement. Alternatively, the surplus accommodation could be developed into holiday lets, meeting the strong demand for high-quality visitor
accommodation in this part of Dartmoor. The ensuite layout of much of the apartment also lends itself naturally to letting rooms, whether catering for walkers, wedding parties
or longer-stay visitors.

The Fingle Bridge Inn is far more than a successful riverside Freehouse pub and restaurant. It is a piece of Dartmoor’s history, woven irretrievably into the landscape. Its exceptional setting on the River Teign in Devon, together with its generous living accommodation and versatile trading space, make it an offering without parallel. For the incoming owner, the Fingle Bridge Inn offers the rare flexibility to be whatever its next custodian wishes it to be a lifestyle purchase, a business venture, or both. It combines the chance to live in one of the South West’s most beautiful valleys with the opportunity to run a profitable enterprise supported by multiple income streams. With weddings, events, holiday letting and extended trading as all possible avenues, the Inn is perfectly placed for its next chapter.

Summer Trading hours
Monday and Tuesday: Open 11am-5pm Food: 11am-3pm
Wednesday -Saturday: Open 11am-9pm Food:11am-8pm
Sunday: Open 11am-5.30pm Food:11am-4.30pm
Winter opening hours may differ.
The pub is usually closed for two weeks in January.

Summary

Key points

• First time ever on the open market
• Over 125 years of continuous hospitality history
• Landmark riverside Inn in a unique Dartmoor National Park setting
• Highly successful, profitable business with scope for weddings, events and extended trading.
• Extensive inside and outside trading areas.
• Substantial owner’s accommodation, with flexible options for family use or letting.

Contact

Vickery Holman Limited
Tel: 07527 388045
Mike Easton
measton@vickeryholman.com

EPC