The Valiant Soldier
Buckfastleigh, Devon

The pub where time was never called…

Contacting the Valiant Soldier
telephone (01364) 644522       e-mail enquiries@valiantsoldier.org.uk

The Valiant Soldier is a community-owned and community-run attraction that relies on volunteers. Opening times may vary occasionally.

What is the Valiant Soldier?

The Valiant Soldier is a former inn that closed in the 1960s. Nothing unusual about that - except for the fact that after the pub shut, nothing was packed up or thrown away. The furniture, pub items, paperwork and even the money in the till - everything was left

The Valiant Soldier – 
The Pub Where Time Was Never Called

The Valiant Soldier was a public house for nearly 200 years.  It closed in the mid 1960’s and time stood still.  Furniture, pub artefacts and the day to day household items were simply left where they stood as the last customer walked out.  In the bar, the fixtures, fittings and furniture remained.  There were glasses on the shelves, darts in the board and coins in the wooden till.  Now the former inn has been turned into a fascinating place to visit.  The images, atmosphere and sounds of the time have been authentically re-created through careful restoration along with sensitive use of technology.

There are eleven rooms open to the public presenting a genuine time capsule of working class domestic life during the 1940’s and 1950’s.  The original attic was an “Aladdin’s Cave” of artefacts from the turn of the century to WWII.  For safety reasons access to this area is denied.  However, an attic filled with the original items has been re-created which visitors can find their way around with the help of torches.

Although the Valiant Soldier may never serve a pint again, the atmosphere and artefacts evoke the golden age of the pub, before juke boxes, restaurant meals and satellite television.

Situated in the town centre, the Valiant Soldier is open from Easter to the end of October and all year for large parties (by appointment).  For detailed opening times contact an information centre or ring the Valiant Soldier on (01364) 644522.

How did the Valiant Soldier come to be saved?

For over 30 years the place lay forgotten. Eventually it came onto the open market. That’s when local people realised that the Valiant Soldier was now a special and important place. It had become a time capsule, a window into the past. The local council stepped in and bought the property and the community started a project to save the Valiant and open it to the public.

Where is the Valiant Soldier?
Buckfastleigh is in South Devon, on the edge of Dartmoor. It’s half-way between Exeter and Plymouth on the main A38 Devon Expressway.

The Valiant Soldier is at 79 Fore Street, Buckfastleigh - at the bottom end of the main street.

What can we see?
Today the Valiant Soldier is an intriguing family attraction. This is the actual building and the genuine contents preserved in a time-warp. So many pubs of this age have been gutted and modernised. There’s probably nothing else quite like it anywhere in the country.
You can see period public and lounge bars and domestic rooms including kitchen, scullery, parlour and bed-rooms. There’s a re-creation of the attic as it looked when it was rediscovered by volunteers.
In addition, the site contains fascinating displays about the project, showing how local people saved the Valiant Soldier, and a lively exhibition telling the story of Buckfastleigh. While the old pub retains the atmosphere of the 1940s and 50s, there’s hi-tech video and computer presentations, plus interactive exhibits and old pub games.