However, unlike much of the property across the villages, the pub has never been owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. Its existence has always relied on the local community it supported so well. In living memory, The Bell Inn would have played host to British RAF pilots and US troops preparing for D-Day before departure from nearby Merryfield airfield. Never forget that for some poor souls, it could have been their last chance to socialise, relax and forget what lay ahead.

 

The legendary artist, gardener, gay-rights campaigner and film-maker, Derek Jarman, lived as a child in the neighbouring Manor House, considered his home ‘an image of an idyllic England’, and The Bell Inn was the literal backdrop to the garden that had made such a huge impression on him. There’s no evidence that the young Derek Jarman ever tried to secure a sneaky underage Cherry-Brandy for himself, but he wouldn’t have been the last bright young thing to try…