Really delighted to find two stones at this pub. I photographed the information signs on the wall and have transcribed there here for anyone else who is interested. These were specifically about the menhir in the snug. I am still trying to find out more about the stone in the restaurant, if anyone can help?
The Prehistoric South Zeal Menhir
Total height of this stone is at least 25ft. 1930 excavation uncovered 14ft undergound; 7ft in the snug on the ground floor; 4ft in the Bovey Room on the first floor.
Carved by Neolithic Prehistoric Man around 5000 years ago, 1000 years before Stonehenge. Please feel free to touch the stone. Many say it gives off a warm energy.
It is enormous stone in total at least 25ft in height.
The section you can see and touch is the section shown between the two red dotted lines in the Snug Bar at the Oxenham Arms. Archaeological digs in the 1930s dug down another 14ft and did not reach the bottom of the stone.
The stone was embedded in shale rock. Most likely carved for ceremonial purposes.
The stone rises another 4ft into the wall of the 1st floor Bovey Room.
Notice in the passageway leading from the front door of the pub to the restaurant:
The South Zeal Menhir Standing Stone
Behind this wall, in the snug at The Oxenham Arms is the South Zeal Menhir. Carved by humans from solid granite over 5000 years ago before the wheel or metal tools were invented then placed by those people here in what came to be known as the village of South Zeal. This enormous stone which wold have been split out of the side of a hill then shaped by hand napping with granite tool, stood here when in the late 1100’s Benedictine Monks came to the village and built a nine roomed granite and oak monastery around the Menhir; encasing a pagan religious monument forever within a Christian religious monastery. Turning to your left, the beautiful curved arch topped oak door and frame is the original front door of the monastery. All of the walls around you, above you and surrounding the Menhir are the original monastery building from the late 1100’s and form the Oxenham Arms as you find it now with 5 acres of gardens and grounds of this Heritage England Grade II Star listed building.
In the mid 1300’s the beautiful manor house frontage was added by the Burgoyne family who purchased the monastery estate and this became the Burgoyne Manor for around 100 years. In the mid 144’s the Earls of Oxenham purchased the estate and this then became the Oxenham Manor. This manor house gained a licence in 1477 to become and Inn and Tavern. The grandson of the family John Oxenham was born here in the early 1500’s and he went on to become the famous Captain John Oxenham, who serving directly under Sir Francis Drake then became 1st Navigator for The English Sailing Fleet and also a famous pirate as described well in the 1st chapter of Charles Kingsley’s book “Westward Ho” along with English and Spanish naval archives.
The most notable of the many famous people who stayed here was Charles Dickens who spent much time in Devon whilst a young freelance journalist and whilst stranded here in a two week snow storm spent his time writing the first three of what eventually became to be known as “The Pickwick Papers”. Today we have 7 lovely four poster hotel rooms, wonderful foods, ales and wines, a lovely team of staff and our wonderful customers and guests. By visiting us you are helping us to maintain this unique and incredible building we hope for another thousand years. Thanks for visiting us. Lyn & Simon Powell (The owners and caretakers of the Oxenham Arms in our lifetime!)
Something is not right. This message is just to keep things from messing up down the road