Bay Horse

We have noticed the absence of pubs in Ashburton, a place which, as a country market town, should have had lots. So we were interested to learn yesterday evening, in the course of a visit to the 'Bay Horse' in North Street, that there used to be 23 in the sixties of the last century, now down to 3 or 4.

A pleasant place, with furnishings and ambience which used to be normal in pubs in country towns. Staff from up north, so regional if not local accents. We even used, many years ago, to visit one like it in the margins of outings to Dorking Halls. Rare now. Sufficiently old style that they had barely heard of wine, but carried instead an interesting collection of drinks in small bottles, such collections having been a feature of public houses in Devon for as long as I can remember. I did not think to check, but they may even have run to Babycham. I ran, for the second drink of the evening, to Famous Grouse, my usual Jameson being absent.