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The Elm Tree

When i am any where near Weymouth i have to visit the The Elm Tree Inn at Langton Herring, the building is said to be about four hundred years old. This pub has a beam made from a ship’s mast which is apparently kept as a reminder to locals about a fisherman who had been hanged from it. One story goes that this fisherman deceived his fellow fishermen over the size of his catch and was then ruthlessly dragged through the village and subsequently hung from a beam in the Elm Tree Inn in 1780.

The 16th century Elm Tree Inn lies in the picturesque village of Langton Herring, only 4 miles from Weymouth and less than half an hour’s drive along the Jurassic Coast road from Bridport, although you may want to take longer to look at the spectacular views.

Smugglers secret tunnels link The Elm Tree Inn to the pretty church next door and tales of terrible shipwrecks and storms are told around the fire.

In the 1960’s treachery was afoot at Portland Naval Base – sensitive naval secrets sold to the Russians. It was at The Elm Tree Inn that Harry Houghton and Ethel Gee came to exchange secrets and meet their Soviet masters.

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