English harbor towns are noted for their inns and taverns, and Dartmouth is no exception. The Cherub Inn on Higher Street occupies a fine example of Tudor architecture from the 15th century and includes old ships' timbers in its structure. The pub serves a selection of traditional ales and has a restaurant. The George and Dragon on Mayors Avenue has been a pub since at least the early 19th century. It serves traditionally brewed ales as well as genuine West Country cider. The pub menu serves a full English breakfast throughout the day.
Dartmouth Museum occupies a former merchant's house built around 1640 on the Butterwalk in the town center. It's small, but packed with paintings and artifacts including everything from a set of stocks to period costumes as worn by Dartmothians in days gone by. Note the old ship's mast that supports the spiral staircase, which leads to rooms on the second floor, including the King's Room. Charles II spent the night here when his ship was forced into port by an English Channel storm. Next door, the Henley Room is authentically fitted out as a Victorian gentlemen's study. The museum is open daily, with restricted hours in winter.
Once the holiday home of Agatha Christie, Greenway is now a National Trust property open to the public from March to October. An attractive three-story Georgian villa, the interiors and gardens have been preserved as they were in Christie's time. The house is 5 miles from the center of Dartmouth in the village of Galmpton. Coleton Fishacre House also belongs to the National Trust and is 4 miles from Dartmouth. Once the country home of the D'Oyly Carte family, the house is decorated throughout in the Art Deco style of the 1920s. The gardens have an outstanding collection of plants from the Mediterranean and the New World, happily acclimatized to the microclimate of the sheltered valley that the house nestles in.
Dartmouth Castle has been dramatically perched on rocks overlooking the mouth of the River Dart for more than six centuries, in an ideal position for defense of the harbor. The castle has a program of family events through the summer and there's a tearoom serving traditional Devonshire cream teas. Dartmouth Castle is open from March to September. Naval personnel have trained at the Britannia Royal Naval College since 1863, although the current palatial building was opened in 1905. The architect was Sir Aston Webb, who later designed the current façade of Buckingham Palace. Guided tours are available, with booking essential.
