The Pack o' Cards Pub
Coombe Martin

This wonderfully curious pub can be found up in the Northern parts of Devon. Legend says that it was built in 1690 by the village squire using the winnings he had gathered during a recent card game. He dedicated the whole theme of the building on a pack of playing cards.

The plot of land that the building was built on measures 52x52ft square, the number of cards in a standard deck. It has four floors to represent the four suits in a pack, 13 doors on each floor and 13 fireplaces - the number of cards in each suit. Also, originally the number of panes of glass in all the windows added up to 52, the number of cards in a standard deck, but the 'Window Tax' (which caused a number of windows to be blocked up back in the day) and modernisation unfortunately means that this particular quirk has been lost.

Still, this is a wonderfully old, interesting location and is well worth a visit!

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