Last visit: August 2026

The Pelican is one of those pubs where its location is almost as important to its story as the building itself.

Step outside and look across South Parade. St Andrew's Church stands here with medieval origins stretching back to the 12th century; immediately beside it is Chew Court, surviving from the former palace of the Bishops of Bath and Wells. The Old School Room, completed around 1510 and probably built as a parish meeting room or church alehouse, completes one of the most remarkable historic clusters you'll find in a Somerset village.

And then there's The Pelican.

Records place an inn here in 1615, just as this ancient Somerset settlement was becoming known as Chew Magna rather than Bishop's Chew. The conservation history of the village records 17th-century settlement developing along Tunbridge Road to the side of the pub. The Pelican, therefore, appears at an intriguing point in the village's evolution: beyond the medieval church and Bishop's manor, but on the route towards the River Chew and Tun Bridge, where the village was beginning to expand.

What's in a name - why The Pelican?

There is an established explanation for the name. A 2004 account said that the inn was named after the ship in which Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe, later renamed the Golden Hind. The same source noted that the inn sign showed a golden galleon.

I thought this a little curious - was this really the origin of the pub's name? The evidence is not quite as conclusive as the story suggests.

The pub was recorded in 1615, more than three decades after Drake's circumnavigation. The name is perfectly possible in that context, but Chew Magna has no obvious maritime connection with Drake or his voyage.

So here's another possibility.

Look across the road.

For centuries, St Andrew's Church has stood at the centre of this community - the village developed around this spot. Chew Magna was the manor of the Bishops of Bath and Wells from 1062 until 1548, and the bishop's palace stood beside the church. The pelican was a familiar Christian symbol: the Pelican in her Piety, traditionally shown wounding her own breast to feed her young with her blood, representing Christ's sacrifice and the Eucharist.

Could that have been the inspiration for a pub standing directly opposite the church, in a village so closely associated with its Bishop?

We don't know.

The Drake story may be right. My alternative theory may be nothing more than an attractive coincidence.

You decide.

Either way, The Pelican's position gives the name an intriguing extra layer — and that's perhaps exactly what you want from a 400-year-old village pub.

Four hundred years of change

The Pelican has been described as a coaching inn, and its historic character has survived remarkably well. Timber beams, exposed stonework and the substantial fireplace remain part of its character, while the building has continued to adapt to changing expectations. The 2004 account confirmed the 1615 date and described the pub as a traditional-character village inn.

In 2016 the Pelican entered the Butcombe family. The brewery acquired the freehold and subsequently invested in the pub, with plans at the time including additional accommodation and improvements to the kitchen and events space. Parish Council minutes from that year record proposals for a glazed link between the main pub and the barn.

That investment at that time has aged well. The work Butcombe undertook remains an important part of the pub's present character, and when I visited, the restoration still looked remarkably fresh and sympathetic to the building.

Now The Pelican is entering another chapter.

A New Chapter

The current team brings together two pairs of siblings who grew up together in the Chew Valley and met at school here: Josh and Holly Eggleton, and Josh and Lottie Bryant.

The Eggleton name is already firmly established in the local food scene through The Pony at Chew Valley and Salt & Malt at Chew Valley Lake. But it would be easy to overlook the equally important contribution of the Bryants.

Josh and Lottie had already spent six years running The Prince of Waterloo at nearby Winford before joining the Pelican venture. They therefore bring their own experience of running a village pub, in the same Chew Valley community in which they have grown up.

It is an interesting combination, bringing together two pairs of siblings who have known the area — and each other — for most of their lives.

When I visited, the work already completed had given the pub a fresh feel while retaining its historic character. We received a warm welcome from the team, who were clearly enthusiastic about the changes made so far and happy to talk about what comes next, including further plans for the bar area.

Accommodation is also part of the longer-term vision, although no rooms are currently available to book yet.

The Pelican has already come a long way, but it doesn't feel finished. There is a sense that this is a pub with momentum — and that another chapter is still being written.

It is easy to look at Chew Magna today and see a particularly attractive Somerset village: old stone buildings lining the main village street, good pubs and restaurants, the River Chew nearby and the Mendip countryside beyond.

But Chew Magna was once much more important than its size suggests.

The story begins with the River Chew and the fertile land around it. There is evidence of settlement going back thousands of years, while the village itself can trace its importance to Saxon times. By the Middle Ages it had become a thriving woollen centre, with the river providing power for mills and the surrounding farmland supporting the community.

In 1062 the manor of Chew was granted to the Bishop of Wells. For almost 500 years, until 1548, it remained in the hands of the Bishops of Bath and Wells. The settlement became known as Chew Episcopi — Bishop's Chew — and the Bishops built their palace beside the church of St Andrew.

Part of that palace survives today as Chew Court, largely hidden behind the high stone walls running the length of the Church yard.

The church itself grew into an imposing building, with medieval origins and later additions reflecting the importance of the community. The Old School Room, completed around 1510, provides another remarkable survival from this period. It was probably built as a parish meeting room or church alehouse, and its great timber roof remains largely intact, one of the most impressive in the UK.

This was not a sleepy medieval village.

Chew Magna had market and borough status, and by the 16th century the wool trade had made it a substantial local centre. When John Leland passed through around 1540, he described Chew as a "pretty clothing town" with a fine church and the Bishop's manor beside it.

Then the Bishops left.

The manor passed out of episcopal hands in the mid-16th century, and around 1600 the settlement became known as Chew Magna — literally translated as the greater or more important of the several communities along the River Chew.

The timing is fascinating.

The medieval church and Bishop's manor remained at the heart of the village, but Chew Magna was beginning to grow beyond that old centre.

Tun Bridge, probably dating from the late 15th century, already carried the route across the River Chew. In 1615, an inn was recorded at The Pelican. The conservation history of the village then identifies further settlement along Tunbridge Road during that 17th century.

The village was expanding.

The old Bishop's Chew was becoming Chew Magna.

And the river remained central to its story.

A village beside the water

The River Chew may now appear as a gentle thread through an attractive village, but it shaped everyday life for centuries.

It powered mills, defined the valley and periodically demonstrated that it could be considerably less gentle.

Tun Bridge is an extraordinary survivor from this history. Probably built in the late 15th century, it spans about 20 metres with three pointed arches and substantial cutwaters. Today it is both Grade II listed and a Scheduled Monument.

The raised pavement leading back towards the village is another reminder of the relationship between Chew Magna and its river. The present raised pavement dates from the early 19th century and runs for around 200 metres, with sandstone walls approximately a metre high.

It is easy to walk along it without giving it a second thought.

But once you know why it is there, the landscape begins to look different.

A village that keeps evolving

The wool trade eventually declined, the mills changed or disappeared, and Chew Magna's role shifted. But the village remained the commercial and social centre of the Chew Valley, and its historic buildings have survived remarkably well.

There are 50 listed buildings and structures within the village's conservation area — ranging from the Grade I St Andrew's Church and the Grade II* Old School Room, Chew Court and Manor House, to more modest buildings such as The Sycamores, The Rookery and The Beeches. See how many you can find as you explore beyond our walking route. Look out too for Harford House, Dumper's Farmhouse and the medieval Tun Bridge.

Chew Magna was designated a conservation area in 1978, with the area subsequently extended and reviewed. The purpose isn't to freeze the village in time, but to preserve or enhance the character that makes it special.

And it is clearly a village that continues to evolve.

In 2025, the wider Chew Valley was named the Sunday Times' Best Place to Live in the South West, with judges praising its combination of landscape, community and forward-thinking rural businesses. Chew Magna was singled out as the valley's village with the greatest range of amenities.

Perhaps that is the most fitting conclusion to the story.

Chew Magna has moved from Bishop's Chew, through wool, mills, markets and farming, to become a thriving modern community. The buildings have survived because the village has continued to find new uses for them; the conservation designation helps ensure that the character of the place isn't lost as it changes.

So when you walk back towards The Pelican, take your time. Look up, look down the side streets and notice the buildings around you. They aren't simply an attractive backdrop to the walk — together, they are the record of Chew Magna's long evolution.

And hopefully, with the village's history now properly valued and protected, we'll still be able to walk through it and enjoy that story for generations to come.