This house was the Woodhaven Inn. Because there was a thriving ferry service here at Woodhaven until the 1820s, there was a need for an inn. The inn received their supplies of beer from the brewery at Woodhaven farm opposite.
Like other buildings round about, the inn belonged to the Stewart family of St Fort estate. The inn also offered a horse-hiring service: the horses would be used by the coaches and also by individual travellers.
Mr Grant, the tenant in the 1860s, was most distressed when asked to vacate the premises in 1873 in favour of officers from the Mars training ship. This would create great hardship for his family of seven children which included a boy with a recently amputated leg!
His beseeching letter and pleas were to no avail, and the building was occupied by the Mars captain and his family until the ship’s departure in 1929. During that time it became known as Mars Cottage. From 1878 until 1920 it was occupied by Captain Scott, and from 1920 until after the Mars left in 1929 by Captain Heathcote.
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Blown away by hearing the background to these local properties after passing by them for so many years. So interesting.
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