Dartmoor village braces for months of disruption as landmark fire restoration begins
A major restoration project is now under way in a well-known Dartmoor village following a devastating fire, with residents preparing for significant changes over the months ahead
Work has begun to restore a row of historic thatched cottages in a picturesque Dartmoor village, but it could mean disruption to the local community for 18 months.
Contractors have been on site at the Glebe Cottages, Drewsteignton, since early May, with the focus so far on making the building safe and salvaging materials and residents' belongings.
More visible repairs, including restoring the roofs, will take place over the coming months, owners the National Trust said on Tuesday.
A fire in March 2025 quickly ripped through the terrace of four Grade II-listed cottages. At its peak, 25 fire stations from across the region had crews at the scene.
No one was hurt in the fire, which was later found to have been accidental. The community was devastated by the incident.
The properties were covered in scaffolding and tarpaulin and left over the winter to dry out before restoration began. The necessary approvals have now been given and a specialist team appointed to carry out the work.
A spokesperson for the National Trust said the making-safe and salvaging operation was being carried out in phases, one cottage at a time.
“We’ve also been keeping the local community updated, including through a well-attended meeting at the end of April,” they said.
“As the project progresses, work will begin to move into more visible repairs, including restoring the roofs over the coming months.”
Glyn Martin, one of 600 people who own shares in the Drewe Arms next door and run it as a community pub, said the cottages looked “pretty ghastly, all boarded up with tarpaulin flapping in the wind”.
He said that once the work started outside, there would be “quite a bit of disruption”.
“They have got to do it, but it will impact the community and parking will be difficult. We want it to be done as soon as possible, but it could take 18 months. It’s not the pretty village it once was, but we hope it will be again.”
Built in the 17th century, the Drewe Arms reopened in 2024 after being closed two years earlier by its then brewery owners as a result of Covid.
It was under threat of permanent closure until a group of locals came together to launch a crowdfunding campaign to reopen it, raising £550,000 in just six weeks.
Mr Martin said it was “a very special place” which had been unchanged for 120 years, with no bar but hatches into the tap room where customers order their drinks.
He said the pub project had brought people together. The fire had been “a real disaster” for the village, but the community had rallied around all those involved.