The claim
Beneath the ruined tower of Slapton's medieval chantry college, the Tower Inn traces itself to 1347, when cottages were built for the men working on the college. Flagstones, stone walls and log fires survive, and a walled garden looks up at the ruin. After a kitchen fire in 2021 it reopened in 2022, with rooms.
What the records show
The pub says it began in 1347 as cottages for workmen building the adjacent chantry college tower. Historic England dates that tower to about 1372 or 1373 and records Sir Guy de Brian, Edward III's standard-bearer at Crecy and lord of the manor, founding the collegiate chantry in 1373 with six priests, a rector, five fellows and four clerks; the tower is listed Grade I and is all that stands of the chantry church. So the building work the inn attaches itself to began a quarter of a century after the year it gives. The inn itself is not on the National Heritage List, though thirty-nine buildings and monuments in the village around it are, and no licensing record was found.
What to look for inside
- Beside the ruined tower of Slapton's chantry college
- Reopened in 2022 after a 2021 fire
Visiting
The Tower Inn is in Slapton, England, at Slapton, Kingsbridge TQ7 2PN. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- camra.org.uk/pubs/tower-inn-slapton-148638
- www.thetowerinnslapton.com/
- www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=1317950&resourceID=5
- historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1317950
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/1428829
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
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