The origins of the name Sportsman’s Arms presumably comes from the association with field sports such as hunting and shooting rather than any modern interpretation. Such activities were of course popular in the rural South Hams with many hunting and harrier organisations frequenting the establishment.

 

In 1904 there was a new publican when George Francis Packer along with his wife Sarah took on the tenancy of the Sportsman’s Arms. The establishment itself belonged to Samuel Luscombe, a substantial property owner and public servant of Ivybridge. George Packer had previously been steward at the Royal Yacht Club in Plymouth so brought the necessary experience.

Before very long a sign bearing the words ‘Packer’s Sportmans Arms’ was fixed to the front whilst the same wording was painted on the sides of the building to catch the eye of travellers from both directions. Newspapers at the time advertised that at The Sportsman’s Arms catered for char-a-banc parties, Mr Packer obviously capitalising on this popular mode of transport which was the forerunner of our modern coach.

The word ‘char-a-banc’ translates to carriage with wooden benches in the French language and describes a vehicle which originated in France in the early 19th century. In colloquial British English the word is often pronounced ‘sharra-bang’.

Before the First World War these vehicles were a popular among day trippers. Normally open topped, they incorporated a large canvas folding hood which was stowed in the back in case of rain. They were not the most comfortable of vehicles and as a consequence were not suitable for longer journeys. Locally they were used for trips to the seaside and on to Dartmoor, perhaps taking in tea and refreshments.

 

As time went on, increasing prosperity and eventually holiday entitlement, gave families the opportunity to take separate holidays rather than group days out and this coupled with the development of buses ended the char-a-banc’s appeal.

Amongst the ranks of American servicemen were the soldiers of Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division. These would later come to be known as the Bedford Boys.

The influx of troops almost doubled the population of Ivybridge and businesses were booming, not least the pubs. There were a total of eight different establishments to choose from, The Sportsmans Inn, The King’s Arms, the London Hotel with its tap room and main bar, the Bridge Inn, The White Horse, the Duke of Cornwall, the Imperial Inn and the Julian Arms on the outskirts.

 

For many of the young men from Bedford, in rural Virginia, the Sportsmans Inn was one of the places to go when they had a bit of free time, and it provided relaxation after rigorous training exercises. They would often play darts, card games and use the snooker table which was particularly popular.

This public house was established around 1830 and was initially called the Grocer’s Arms. Many public houses, taverns and alehouses began to appear in towns and villages at this time as a result of the Beerhouse Act which abolished the beer tax and extended opening hours for licensed premises. The government at the time was keen to promote the consumption of beer instead of spirits, particularly gin in order to improve the drunkenness and unsociable behaviour which often prevailed. For a relatively small fee of 2 guineas, a proprietor could obtain a licence to trade which was controlled by the local justice of the peace.

The Grocer’s Arms was described as a coach-house, with garden, stables and offices and was located on the eastern end of the village but within the parish boundaries of Ugborough. It derived its name from the patronage bestowed upon St Peter’s Church at Ugborough by the Grocers’ Company under the trust of Dame Margaret Slaney. The patronage of the Grocers’ Company covered the upkeep of the church buildings and the support of the incumbent.

The Grocers’ Company was originally known as the Guild of Pepperers who were recognised as general traders, buying and selling spices, gold and other luxury goods from Byzantium and the Mediterranean and often using pepper as a form of currency. In 1345 the Guild became the ‘Fraternity of Pepperers’ and 3 years later they officially adopted a new name becoming the ‘The Company of Grossers of London’, derived from a new word in the English vocabulary ‘grosser’, a wholesale dealer buying and selling in gross. The first reference to ‘The Grocers’ Company’ was made in 1376.

Whether the establishment traded under the sign of the Grocers’ Company Arms would simply be speculation. The Arms consisted of an image of a laden camel, a number of cloves and two griffins with the motto ‘God grant Grace’. The image of a camel was a symbol of the spice trade whilst cloves showed the link with the spices from the Far East. Cloves were one of the most expensive of spices which were used extensively in medicine and  symbolised wealth and sophistication.

One of the earliest proprietors of the Grocer’s Arms, if not the first, was Richard Lethbridge. He was a landowner at nearby Filham. Judging by the number of advertisements in the newspapers, he chose not to run the public house himself but seek able tenants to look after it on his behalf. Gentlemen of the names of Richard Rowe and William Atwill both took up such a tenancy.

The Grocer’s Arms was located on what had become a busy thoroughfare between Plymouth and Exeter. In 1758  the Plymouth Eastern Turnpike Trust had completed the last stretch of this major road. Turnpike Trusts were established to help build a network of well-maintained highways that allowed road transport to move both efficiently and reliably. However, turnpiking involved a new principle, that all travellers, apart from pedestrians, had to make a payment proportional to their use of the road. Toll houses were established along the routes to collect the payments and just a short distance along the Exeter road from the Grocer’s Arms, a fairly substantial property was established for the toll collector and his family. Carriages had to pass through toll gates and pay the relevant fee before continuing with their journey.

Better roads led to more road users and stage coaches clattering along at speeds up to 10 miles an hour. By 1785 the route was adopted by the Royal Mail. The guards aboard the brightly painted mail coaches bearing the striking red and black livery would blow their horns to warn the tollgate owners to open the gate to His Majesty’s mail. The Devonport to London Royal Mail coach, the Quicksilver, became known as the fastest coach in the country as it travelled its regular route from London to Falmouth in Cornwall.

In 1833, the Plymouth Eastern Turnpike Trust provided ‘a very much-improved and entirely New Bridge at Ivybridge, at a part before most awkward if not dangerous for the traveller.’ The new bridge allowed stage coaches to avoid the previous narrow Ivy Bridge and the difficult double turn manoeuvre it entailed. Unfortunately for the proprietor of the London Inn it deprived him of passing traffic and must have had an impact upon trade probably to the benefit of the Grocer’s Arms which was located beside the roadside.

On 6 Oct 1882, Mr Lethbridge died and the property came under the tenure of Mark Baker. He had previous experience in the trade having been the proprietor of The White Horse public house in the centre of Ivybridge. It is possible that this gentleman, who was a horse trainer and livery stable keeper at Erme Mews in Park Street, is the reason for the name of that public house. His occupancy at The Grocer’s Arms did not last very long as the trade directories soon record him as being the proprietor of the near-by Bridge Inn. He ran this latter public house with his wife Jane until his death in 1920 whilst his son Richard carried on with the horse business, the third generation of the family to do so.

From 1891, according to the trade directories, The Grocer’s Arms was known as The Sportsman’s Arms although it is not clear exactly what prompted the change. At this time is was under the tenure of John Sherrell and his wife Annie. Their two sons, John and Bertrum, both served King and country in the Great War and are listed on the Ivybridge Roll of Honour.

The origins of the name Sportsman’s Arms presumably comes from the association with field sports such as hunting and shooting rather than any modern interpretation. Such activities were of course popular in the rural South Hams with many hunting and harrier organisations frequenting the establishment.

In 1904 there was a new publican when George Francis Packer along with his wife Sarah took on the tenancy of the Sportsman’s Arms. The establishment itself belonged to Samuel Luscombe, a substantial property owner and public servant of Ivybridge. George Packer had previously been steward at the Royal Yacht Club in Plymouth so brought the necessary experience.

Before very long a sign bearing the words ‘Packer’s Sportmans Arms’ was fixed to the front whilst the same wording was painted on the sides of the building to catch the eye of travellers from both directions. Newspapers at the time advertised that at The Sportsman’s Arms catered for char-a-banc parties, Mr Packer obviously capitalising on this popular mode of transport which was the forerunner of our modern coach.

In August 1913 Sarah Packer died. George went on to re-marry Elizabeth Mardon in 1915 but following his death in 1920 Elizabeth was left to run the Sportsman’s Arms on her own. George Packer had been the publican for 14 years and during this time in Ivybridge had established himself within the local community. He was one of the founding members of Ivybridge Constitutional Club which was registered with the Association of Conservative Clubs (London) in 1912.

However, events in 1929 would mean Elizabeth would leave the district. In this year Samuel Luscombe died and The Sportsman’s Arms was placed on the market. Mr Luscombe, similar to George Packer, had been a founder member of the Constitutional Club and served on the Urban District Council.

During the extreme economic difficulties of the 1930s it would appear that running a public house was an arduous task judging by the number of publicans which came and departed the Sportsman’s Arms during this period. However, with the arrival of navy veteran Alfred Luckham, together his wife Amelia, a period of stability prevailed. Having previous experience with The King’s Arms Hotel in Fore Street they seemed to possess the acumen to make a success of it. The public house was now owned by long established City Breweries of Exeter, which explains the words ‘City Ales’ emblazoned across the gable ends of the property during this period.