Countess Wear Inn, Countess Wear Moat-House, Countess Wear Lodge, The Countess Wear

The Countess Wear Inn was located as shown on the map below (1890), closer to Countess Wear Bridge than the pub / motel known today as "The Countess Wear". The earliest listing I've seen is from 1844, however the EFP carried a "to let" notice on 19th January 1804.

The old inn was destroyed by fire according to the EFP on 12th August 1847 and later re-built.

The red "X" marks the current location of the "Countess Wear" on the old map.

Exeter by-pass was built in 1938 so pesumably the original Countess Wear Inn was demolished when the new was constructed.

This was not the first time the inn had to be re-built. On 18th August 1847, the Exeter Flying Post reported that the inn was destroyed by fire, it was up for sale on 25th April 1866.

The current hotel / motel/ restaurant / pub Re-opened in May 2004 after extensive alterations. It had also previously had a major make-over in the mid 1980's.

Known originally as the Countess Wear Moat-house and in 1970 (kelly) was listed as the Countess Wear Motel. Adverts from the 1970's are of the Countess Wear Lodge.

During the later eighties it was known as the Countess Wear, as it is today. Currently owned by Travel Inn. The bar area in the original version consisted of a lounge bar and public bar over the entire ground floor, this was sectioned off in the early eighties into a bar and restaurant much like today. The eighties version of the restaurant had a maritime theme with ropes, fish and even a boat. This all went in 2004.