Prince Of Wales, Ilfracombe

Described well below.... you'll find the well, when stooping your neck to avoid banging you head on the low roof. Timothy Taylor Landlord and unexpected find in these parts. Good condition.

Next door to The George and Dragon is The Prince of Wales. It looks somewhat uninteresting at first glance, but a plaque on the wall tells us that it dates back to 1280. We learn that a well and some exposed brickwork were uncovered during renovations in the 19th Century and we are invited to come inside and make a wish. It was previously called The Swan Inn. Inside, at the very front of the pub alongside the front wall, is a skittles alley and, on my recent visit, a group of boisterous women were competing against a rival pub. With the skittles positioned at the opposite end to the door, players waiting their turn congregate in the door area, which makes reaching the bar a test of both patience and dexterity. It’s an L shaped bar but, when the skittles alley is in use, the narrowness at the front means that service can only be obtained from one half of the L. The interior features flagstoned floors, black beams and whitewashed walls. The aforementioned 700 year old well occupies a position near the centre of the room and restricting movement around the pub somewhat. At the far end, there’s an area with scrubbed tables and candles which is meant to appeal to diners, but, somewhat illogically, this is also where the pub TV is housed which was showing the Benfica v Man Utd game at a reasonably subdued level. Space appears to be at a premium when a skittles match is on with diners and sports fans largely having to share the same area. For reasons which weren’t immediately obvious, the walls feature a collection of saws. 2 handpumps were serving Doom Bar and Otter Bitter, the latter being in good form - £ 3.00p. This is a perfectly reasonable pub and, along with The Ship and Pilot and The George and Dragon, form a good trio of pubs all within about a hundred yards of each other