Jamaica Inn facts for kids
| Jamaica Inn | |
Quick facts for kids  Jamaica Inn |
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| Hotel facts and statistics | |
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| Location | Bolventor, Cornwall, England, UK |
| Coordinates | 50°33′44″N 4°34′01″W / 50.56222°N 4.56694°W |
| Opening date | 1750 |
The Jamaica Inn is a famous old inn located on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, UK. It was built way back in 1750 as a coaching inn, a place for travelers to rest and change horses. It's especially known for its exciting history linked to smuggling. You can find it near the small village of Bolventor, right in the middle of the moor, just off the A30 road. A hill called "Tuber" or "Two Barrows," which is about 1,122 feet high, is also nearby.
The inn became super famous because of Daphne du Maurier's 1936 novel, Jamaica Inn. The book tells a thrilling story about a secret group of smugglers. In the novel, the inn becomes a hidden place where smugglers store their goods. The book has been made into movies and TV shows, including a famous 1939 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. However, the real inn was never used for filming.
The Jamaica Inn is also mentioned in a song by Tori Amos. Her song, also called "Jamaica Inn," is on her 2005 album The Beekeeper. She wrote it after hearing stories about the inn while driving along the Cornwall cliffs.
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Where is the Jamaica Inn?
The Jamaica Inn is located on Bodmin Moor, close to Bolventor. Famous hills like Brown Willy (about 4 miles north) and Rough Tor are nearby. You can also find Dozmary Pool about 1.5 miles south of the inn. A small part of the River Fowey estuary is half a mile to the west.
The Jamaica Inn sits on about 0.75 acres of land. Today, it has been updated and works as a special bed and breakfast. It also has a pub, a museum, and a gift shop. The area is full of history, with old landmarks like the Four-hole Cross and the ruins of a Knights Templar church at Temple.
A Look at the Inn's History
Even though an inn has been on this main road since 1547, the building you see today was built in 1750. More parts were added in 1778, like a coach house, stables, and a tack room.
Many people think the inn got its name because smugglers brought rum from Jamaica and stored it there. But the name actually comes from the important Trelawney family. Two members of this family were governors of Jamaica in the 1700s.
The inn was a secret meeting spot for smugglers. They used about 100 hidden paths to move their illegal goods. The inn was once the only building in this part of the moor. Later, a church, a parsonage (a house for a priest), and a school were built nearby.
Long ago, in the early 1800s, groups of "wreckers" were active on the coast of Cornwall. Cornwall was known as a "haven of smugglers" because of its many rocky coves and hidden bays. These wreckers sometimes used false lights to trick ships into crashing on the rocky coast. Once a ship was wrecked, they would steal its cargo.
In 1847, Francis Rodd, a local landowner, built a chapel in Bolventor for the people living near the Jamaica Inn. The inn was owned for a time by the famous novelist Alistair MacLean. On November 23, 1988, the Jamaica Inn was officially recognized as a Grade II listed building, meaning it's an important historical building.
What the Inn Looks Like
The Jamaica Inn is a two-story building. It was built in the mid-1700s. Its roof is made of slate and has sloped ends. Over the years, more rooms were added. The outside of the building is made of dark slate and stone. It has a cobbled (stone paved) courtyard. In the courtyard, you can see an old anchor and a classic red telephone box.
Inside, the inn has sloping floors and many of its original wooden beams. The Smuggler's Bar still feels like it did in the 1700s. It has a large fireplace made of granite and dark wooden beams. The walls of the bar are covered with old banknotes and various old items like brass kettles.
Museums at the Inn
Mr Potter's Museum of Curiosities
Between 1984 and 2003, the inn was home to a strange and wonderful collection. It was called "Mr Potter's Museum of Curiosities." This museum had many stuffed animals arranged in funny scenes, like an animal courtroom or a school classroom with baby squirrels. These exhibits were made by Walter Potter in the 1850s. The collection was sold off in 2003.
The Museum of Smuggling
Today, the inn has "The Museum of Smuggling." It's located on the western side of the inn. A sign outside says it shows "classical examples in the arts of concealment and evasion." The museum focuses on the history of smuggling and the inn's role in it.
The Cornish coast was a very popular place for smugglers to bring in illegal goods like silks, tea, tobacco, and brandy. This coastline was not well watched by the police back then. Many smugglers stored their hidden goods at the isolated Jamaica Inn. It's even said that judges were often easy on smugglers, perhaps because they also received some of the smuggled items!
The museum has many interesting things. You can see old "Wanted" posters, one from 1798. There's also a poster celebrating Lord Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. You'll find pottery figures of smugglers and old books. There's even a special display in the room where author Daphne du Maurier once lived. It shows some of her personal items, like her writing desk and typewriter.
Images for kids
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Museum exterior
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Exterior plaque
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Historical posters
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Smuggler's Bar exterior
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Interior
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Granite fireplace
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Bar area, with currency on the walls
