From Victorian Hunting Lodge to Moorland Inn: The Evolution of The Burrator Inn

The Sporting Estate Era

The story of The Burrator Inn begins in the mid-Victorian era when Dartmoor represented the ultimate wilderness playground for Britain’s sporting elite. The original building that would become The Burrator Inn was established as a hunting lodge in the 1850s, strategically positioned at the junction of ancient moorland tracks that had served tin miners, peat cutters, and farmers for centuries. This was the golden age of moorland sport, when wealthy industrialists and aristocrats sought refuge from the smoke and grime of Britain’s rapidly expanding cities.

The lodge’s location was carefully chosen, offering easy access to the moor’s best hunting grounds while remaining close enough to Plymouth for Victorian gentlemen to reach by carriage. The building served as a base for deer stalking, grouse shooting, and fox hunting – pursuits that defined social status in Victorian society. Original architectural features from this period, including the substantial fireplaces and thick granite walls, were designed to provide comfort after long days on the moor, while the building’s robust construction could withstand Dartmoor’s notorious weather.

During this era, the lodge would have been staffed by a small army of servants: gamekeepers, grooms, cooks, and maids who maintained the establishment for visiting hunting parties. The cellars were stocked with fine wines and spirits, while the larders held game from the moor and delicacies brought from Plymouth and beyond. Guest books from the period, though now lost, would likely have contained the names of Devon’s most prominent Victorian families, military officers from Plymouth’s naval base, and visiting dignitaries drawn to Dartmoor’s wild beauty.

The Great Transformation: Burrator Reservoir

The 1890s brought dramatic change to this corner of Dartmoor with the construction of Burrator Reservoir. Plymouth’s rapid growth during the Industrial Revolution had created an urgent need for clean water, and the valleys around Burrator were identified as the ideal location for a major reservoir. Between 1893 and 1898, hundreds of workers descended on the area, transforming the peaceful moorland into one of Victorian Britain’s great engineering projects.

The hunting lodge found itself at the epicentre of this transformation. No longer merely a sporting retreat, it evolved to meet the needs of the growing community of engineers, navvies, and craftsmen building the dam. The building expanded its role, offering accommodation and refreshment to workers and officials overseeing the project. This period saw the first transformation from exclusive hunting lodge to public house, as the practical needs of the construction project override the leisure pursuits of the wealthy.

The reservoir’s construction brought unprecedented infrastructure to the area. New roads were cut across the moor to transport materials, a railway line was extended from Yelverton, and temporary settlements sprang up to house workers. The inn became a social hub where engineers discussed technical challenges over pints of ale, where workers spent their wages on Saturday nights, and where officials from Plymouth Corporation held meetings about the project’s progress. This was when the building truly became embedded in the local community, serving not just the elite but working people from all walks of life.

Post Office and Community Centre

As the new century dawned and the reservoir was completed, The Burrator Inn adapted again to serve the changed landscape. The dispersed moorland communities, the remaining dam workers who had settled in the area, and the growing number of visitors drawn to see the engineering marvel of Burrator Reservoir all needed services. It was during this period that part of the inn was converted to serve as the local post office.

This dual function as inn and post office was common in rural Devon, where buildings often served multiple community needs. The post office would have been run by a postmistress – likely the wife of the inn’s landlord – who managed mail distribution for the scattered farms and hamlets across this part of the moor. In an era before telephones were common and when many rural residents were barely literate, the postmistress held a position of considerable responsibility and trust. She would read letters for those who couldn’t, write responses for them, and handle money orders and official documents.

The post office era, roughly from the early 1900s to the mid-20th century, coincided with significant social changes. The First World War saw young men from the surrounding farms and villages pass through the inn on their way to enlistment, many never to return. The postmistress would have handled the dreaded War Office telegrams bringing news of casualties, as well as precious letters from the Front. During the Second World War, the inn served evacuees from Plymouth’s bombing, offering refuge to city children experiencing rural life for the first time.

The Motor Age and Tourism

The arrival of the motor car in the early 20th century began another transformation for The Burrator Inn. The B3212 road from Plymouth to Princetown, passing directly by the inn, became increasingly important as private car ownership grew. What had been a remote moorland outpost became a convenient stopping point for motorists exploring Dartmoor, perfectly positioned for those visiting the reservoir or venturing deeper into the moor.

The 1920s and 1930s saw the birth of Dartmoor tourism as we know it today. The Burrator Inn adapted to serve cream teas to day-trippers, provide overnight accommodation for touring motorists, and offer local knowledge to walkers discovering the moor’s ancient landscapes. The inn’s visitors’ book from this period would have recorded a fascinating cross-section of inter-war society: local farmers still arriving by horse and cart, Plymouth families on Sunday outings in their new motor cars, and serious hikers following the newly established walking routes across the moor.

Post-war prosperity in the 1950s and 1960s brought coach parties and the democratisation of travel. The Burrator Inn became a regular stop on coach tours of Devon, with the reservoir’s scenic beauty and the inn’s moorland hospitality proving irresistible draws. This was also when the inn’s reputation for paranormal activity began to spread beyond local folklore, as visitors from further afield shared stories of strange encounters with friends back home.

Preservation and Modernisation

The late 20th century brought challenges as rural pubs across Britain struggled with changing social habits and economic pressures. The Burrator Inn, however, maintained its relevance by balancing preservation of its historic character with careful modernisation. The building’s listed status ensured that renovations respected its architectural heritage, while improvements to accommodation and facilities met modern expectations.

The extensive renovation completed in 2021 represents the latest chapter in the inn’s evolution. This careful restoration preserved the building’s historic features – the open fireplaces, exposed beams, and cosy corners that speak to its hunting lodge origins – while adding seven en-suite bedrooms and modern amenities. The work revealed hidden architectural details from various periods of the building’s history: Victorian servants’ bells, Edwardian postal equipment, and mid-century modifications that tell the story of the inn’s adaptation over time.

Architecture and Atmosphere

The Burrator Inn’s architecture reflects its layered history. The original hunting lodge core, built from local granite with walls nearly three feet thick in places, provides the building’s solid bones. Victorian additions created the rambling layout that gives the inn its character, with unexpected corners and changes in level that speak to organic growth over time rather than planned design.

The main bar area retains its original proportions, designed to accommodate hunting parties gathering around the massive fireplace. Here, centuries of smoke have blackened the beams, and the flagstone floor shows wear patterns from generations of boots. The former post office area, now incorporated into the dining space, retains subtle clues to its official past: a different ceiling height, windows positioned for serving customers, and what locals claim are marks from the postmistress’s counter.

Modern archaeological building analysis has revealed that the inn incorporates even older elements than previously thought. Some stones in the lower walls show tool marks consistent with medieval masonry techniques, suggesting that the Victorian hunting lodge may have been built on the foundations of a much older structure – perhaps a drovers’ inn or even a monastic grange serving medieval tin miners.

The Inn in Literature and Legend

The Burrator Inn has featured in various works documenting Dartmoor life. Victorian sporting journals mentioned it as a recommended base for moorland pursuits, while Edwardian guidebooks praised its hospitality and strategic location. During the reservoir’s construction, engineering journals documented the role of local establishments in supporting this massive undertaking, with the inn frequently mentioned as a meeting place for project leaders.

Local historians have used the inn as a lens through which to examine broader social changes in rural Devon. The transition from exclusive hunting lodge to community pub mirrors the democratisation of the British countryside in the 20th century. The building’s various incarnations – sporting lodge, construction workers’ rest, post office, tourist destination – provide a microcosm of rural adaptation and survival.

The Living Building

Today’s Burrator Inn continues to evolve while honouring its past. The building serves multiple communities: local residents who see it as their village pub, tourists drawn to Dartmoor’s natural beauty, paranormal enthusiasts investigating its ghostly reputation, and historians interested in its role in the area’s development. This multiplicity of functions echoes the inn’s historical ability to adapt and serve changing needs.

The inn’s position remains as strategic today as when Victorian sportsmen chose the site. It offers access to some of Dartmoor’s most spectacular walking, from gentle reservoir circuits to challenging moorland hikes. The proximity to Bronze Age sites, medieval settlements, and industrial archaeology makes it an ideal base for historical exploration. And for those interested in the paranormal, the combination of the inn’s own ghostly postmistress and the surrounding landscape’s rich supernatural folklore provides endless fascination.

Future Heritage

As The Burrator Inn moves forward, it faces the challenge of all historic buildings: balancing preservation with adaptation. Climate change brings new weather patterns to Dartmoor, potentially more extreme than even this robust building has previously weathered. Changing tourism patterns, accelerated by global events, require flexibility in how the inn serves its visitors. Yet the building’s 170-year history of successful adaptation suggests it will continue to evolve while maintaining its essential character.

The inn stands as a testament to the endurance of moorland hospitality, a tradition stretching back centuries before the current building existed. Whether serving Victorian huntsmen, Edwardian engineers, wartime evacuees, or modern tourists, The Burrator Inn has remained constant in its provision of shelter, sustenance, and stories at the edge of one of Britain’s last wild places. Long may it continue to do so, with its phantom postmistress maintaining her eternal vigil, ensuring that standards never slip in this remarkable moorland institution.