In days gone by, in the dead of night, while the good folk of Beer slept peacefully in their beds, the shadowy figures of men would emerge from the secluded coves and beaches nearby. Laden with barrels, in the blink of an eye they’d disappear into the village’s winding lanes and alleyways. These were Devon’s notorious bootleggers and most infamous of them all was the swashbuckling adventurer Jack Rattenbury. It was in the cottage next door to The Water Shed, that Jack was rumoured to have hidden.

With the revenue men often hot on his heels, the ‘Rob Roy of the West’ would often conceal his contraband in Beer’s quarry caves or in the grounds of nearby Bovey House. Here, legend has it, the terrifying sight of the manor’s resident ghost made sure the prying eyes of the law would look no further for Jack and his liquid gold.