August, 2017

Yarcombe Village Pub Save – Press Release:

‘YARKY THE HORSE’ EMERGES ASSAVIOUR

FOR HISTORIC LANDMARK PUB....

A small stone horse, over 1,000 years old, has become the unlikely key figure in a Devon village’s fight to save one of the most historic and archaeologically important pubs in East Devon and the South West.

Nicknamed ‘Yarky’ by locals, the horse is the hitherto hidden archaeological treasure which distinguishes The Yarcombe Inn, on the A30 between Honiton and Chard, as a landmark in medieval construction and a building of national heritage status.

So cherished is the little horse, which was found embedded in ancient stone foundations beneath the pub, that campaigners have vowed to return Yarky to his ‘home’ should they be successful in winning back the ancient inn.

‘He has become the symbol of our campaign, he’s such a charismatic and endearing figure. None of will rest until we’ve returned him in some way to the pub and put him back behind the bar where he belongs,’ declares Nick Randle, chair of Yarcombe’s parish council and head of the drive to save the ancient hostelry.

Supporting them in this plan is no less an establishment than Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum, where Yarky is on display because of his historical importance and great archaeological significance.

He is not only the first ever recorded use in medieval Devon of Ham stone from Somerset but is also a rare depiction of a Norman horse halter and bridle, providing a whole new perspective on the true heritage and origins of the ancient pub building.

Says Tom Cadbury, Curator of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter: ‘Yarky may be small but we can see how and why he is so important to everyone in Yarcombe. He is a rare survival and a fascinating symbol the village’s history.

‘We want to do all we can to help the campaigners in their endeavours. ‘

Known officially as The Yarcombe Horse, Yarky was discovered beneath the pub’s deep cellarin the 1990s as part of a carved and sculptured decorative corbel stone which would have been part of the interior of a much earlier building.

Because of the corbel’s ornamentation and flat surface from which Yarky’s head gazed downwards, experts from the Royal Albert Memorial Museum conclusively dated it to the Norman era as the last remaining vestige of an ancient church and religious settlement on the historic pilgrim path from Cornwall to Canterbury.

‘Yarky is an absolute treasure as far as Yarcombe is concerned and his importance to us is huge and cannot be overstated. The pub is both his original home and a crucial link to a significant part of the village’s heritage. That is why we are striving so hard to save it,’points out Nick Randle.

To this end, the village has formed an action group and launched its own dedicated crowdfunding campaign (via to be able to buy the pub before a November deadline when it will go on the open market after lying empty and dormant for the past 18 months.

An attempt was made earlier this year to get planning permission for the ancient building to be converted into housing but this move was rejected by East Devon District Council after the village successfully applied for it to be formally nominated as an Asset of Community Value.

Now, estate agents have been engaged and they have put it on the market with a £385,000 price tag. Under Asset of Community Value rules, the village is allowed a six month period in which no other bids can be accepted whilst it tries to raise the cash to try and buy the pub.

‘We are going all out to galvanise the entire community of Yarcombe, the Blackdown Hills, Devon and South Somerset to get behind us and contribute to our fund raising campaign It doesn’t matter if people can manage only £1 or £20, every penny counts,’ points out Nick Randle.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: For further info/additional quotes/interviews etc please contact Merv Edgecombe 01404-861818/07831-240626 or at