Countryman back in business
A pub located in what's widely regarded as one of the prettiest villages in West Devon has been sold. Christie & Co handled the sale of the Countryman Inn, at Sampford Courtenay, near Okehampton, on behalf of Stanley and Joyce Simpson. The new owners are John and Mary Bastin from Bodmin, Cornwall. Sampford Courtenay, which lies just to the north of Okehampton and Dartmoor, is well known for its picturesque thatched cottages, fine church and quaint country lanes. It secured its place in history in 1549 as the place where the Prayer Book Rebellion broke out. This was triggered by the abolition of the Latin mass and the introduction of Archbishop Cranmer's English prayer book something which the villagers refused to accept resulting in a march on Exeter and a bloody battle. The Countryman Inn stands alongside the Okehampton to Crediton road and is set in extensive grounds approaching three acres, with a large trade garden, car park and paddock. It has a spacious bar and restaurant, commercial kitchen and three-bedroom owner's accommodation. The freehouse was not trading at the time of the sale, due to the owners being resident in America. Stanley and Joyce Simpson originally ran the inn some 15 years ago and subsequently leased it out when they moved to the United States.
