The Real Smoky House

A visit to Ye Olde Smokey House & Inn, Marldon, UK

The real Smokey House in Marldon, UK this April!

"Stay in Faraway always," pleaded the Squire. "You shall play at our weddings, and we shall dance like the waves of the sea. You shall play at our funerals and our grief will dissolve in the ease of tears. You shall keep our little children's feet a-patter and the hearts of us all for ever singing…”

🌿 Elizabeth Goudge, Smoky House

Traveling to Marldon…

On April 3rd, earlier this month, I was very fortunate to be able to visit Marldon, the little village where Goudge lived during WWII. All in one afternoon after a long morning garden visit, my friend and I drove over Dartmoor, saw the real “Castle on the Hill,” the real “Moonacre Manor,” the Devon home of the Goudges called “Providence Cottage,” and the village church featured in The Little White Horse.

During all the time we were running place to place, it was raining and getting colder by the minute. I was still euphoric, of course, running on the sheer joy of being in these spaces where Goudge had once trod. Oh, how amazing to see where she dreamed so many dreams! Took so many long walks! But oh, how very wet and cold. Also, I was getting hungry and very tired.

Fortunately, we still had one more place to stop in Marldon before we needed to rush back to our cottage for a night’s rest and another early morning on the road.

Join me today for a look at the real Smoky House in Marldon, UK which inspired Goudge’s fairytale, and to hear my sweet story of their welcome for a weary traveler!

This old inn was originally named the “Ship Inn,” as you can read on this photo.

How did it get the name Smoky House?