Thatched House - Foxhayes

Situated in Exwick Road, on the west side of the river, this pub dates from the 1600's and was originally a farmhouse for Foxhay(e)'s Farm.

The 1839 tithe map shows the farm buildings and fields around about. The owner was James Wentworth Buller MP, General Buller's father, and the tenant was Henry Patch who farmed a little over 25 acres at a yearly rent of £10 10s 6d. The fields attached to the farm were listed as, Orchard, Higher Marsh, Merry Field, Long Marsh and Foxhay's Marsh. They were all used as pasture, probably for mixed beef and dairy.
Thatched House, Foxhayes The Thatched House was repainted and re-thatched in 2005.

By 1881 Foxhay's Farm had expanded to 100 acres. The farmer was John Robins who employed 5 labourers to run his farm.

The 1893 Post Office directory has the entry Exwick Road - Kerslake, John, farmer, Foxhayes Farm. The road layout around the building has changed - the Exwick Road towards St Thomas used to run in front of the farmhouse towards the river from the traffic lights along Ennerdale Way, and then bend right to run parallel with the modern Exwick Road, in front of the houses. An end gable was demolished to allow the road to run straight, past the end of the farmhouse.

In 1916, Besley's list Albert Henry Guy as a farmer and haulage contractor of Foxhays - Guy's Road near by is named after him. In 1922, the long time owners, the Buller's sold the farm, with Albert Guy continuing as tenant.
The Farmhouse becomes a Public House

By 1932 the farmhouse had been divided into two cottages belonging to Mr Eastmond. Ivor Trivett who was a baby at the time explains:

"In about 1932 my father Wilfred Trivett met Reg Lobb in a pub where else, one Friday night and Reg said that he was going to see about a job next morning, Father decided to go along with him.

They agreed to meet in the morning, when Reg did not arrive, Father went to get him only to find that Reg was still in bed, they finally arrived at Eastmond's yard in Exwick and Mr Eastmond gave Reg a job as a lorry driver, Father ask if there was another job available Mr Eastmond told him that he could have a job working in the yard which was accepted but he lived at Upton Pyne and wanted to move, so Mr Eastmond offered one of the farm cottages and he had a choice of two, Reg asked if he could have the other one but he was not married and was refused, (he) asked that if he got married by next Saturday could he have one which was agreed, Reg married Lou and moved in next door to Father, I was a baby at the time, we become long lasting family friends.

I believe that Mr Eastmond brought the land and the three cottages because he built Exwick Villas when the last pair of semi-detach was near completion. Father and Reg had to move out of the cottages and move there because Mr Eastmond had sold the cottages."

Eastmonds Yard

The year 1937 saw the building vacated and converted into a public house with E W Shire running the pub. Ivor Trivett also reminisced about the pub:

"The Thatched House Inn became Father and Reg's favourite Pub and when I was growing up before the war knew the Squires family, late 1940 me and my Mother had to move away and it was not until I was 18 that I met up with Mrs M Squire, I was staying with Reg and Lou Lobb for the weekend, me and Reg went on the town before going to see Exeter City football match, afterwards we called into a few Pubs before arriving at The Thatch which had just closed at 10pm, Reg knock on the door and Mrs Squire came and told him to go home, they was closed, then she noticed me cried out you must be Ginger Trivett's son, come on in, it was gone 12-O-Clock before we left."

In 1946 the pub suffered a fire, sustaining some damage, but was soon trading again. Mrs M Shire was still running the place, in 1956.

It has recently been refurbished and the outside painted cream and a new thatched roof installed. The interior is very cottagey with little side rooms and inglenook fireplaces. They have a good menu, if you are feeling hungry and also offer wireless internet access.

In 1086 Exwick was known as Essoic, and then in 1244 Exewyke. 'Ex' is from the river while 'wick' is Anglo-Saxon for farm. Exwick was recorded as the Sherrif of Devon's Manor in the Norman, Domesday book. Foxhayes is a small hamlet on the edge of Exwick.   

Source: Personal reminisces of Wilfred Ivor Trivett, including the photo of Eastmans Yard, Two Thousand Years in Exeter by W G Hoskins, West of the River by Hazel Harvey.