Pubs, Hotels and Restaurants - 4

Also see
Historic Pubs - A to D
Historic Pubs - E to L
Historic Pubs - M to R
Historic Pubs - S to Z

West Quarter Pubs
Sidwell Street Pubs

About Pub Signs
The 1830 Beer House Act

Page 1
Admiral (Vernon) Inn *
Amber Rooms *
Artful Dodger 
Bear Inn *
Bishop Blaize *
Black Horse Inn *
Bowling Green
Bridge Inn
Bude Hotel / Old London *
Cavern Club
Chevalier Inn
City Gate Hotel *
Coachmakers Arms
Cowick Barton
Deller's Cafe *
Devonport Arms
Drakes *
Dolphin Inn/Tap & Barrel *
Double Locks Hotel *
Duke of York
Eagle Tavern *
Fat Pig
George's Meeting House *
Ginos Restaurant
Globe Inn - Clifton Road
Globe Hotel - Topsham
Globe Hotel - Cathedral Yard
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Golden Lion
Great Western Hotel
Green Gables Inn
Hansons Tea Rooms
Half Moon Hotel *
Harry's *
Heavitree *
Hog's Head *
Honiton Inn
Horse and Dray
Horse and Groom *
Hotel Barcelona *
Hotel Windsor/Bonhay House
Hour Glass Inn

The Salutation Hotel - Exe Street, Topsham

Dating from the year 1720 when it opened as a coaching inn, some sources state that before that time it was a granary. The first Freemasons Lodge in Topsham was formed at the Salutation in 1764. In 1768 it was rebuilt by a Mr Baker who became a wealthy man after a poor childhood. At one time, a James Moore kept the Salutation which was described as a hotel and posting-house. It retains a side entrance, through an arch, from the street. The room projecting over the pavement was once an Assembly Room, and also a billiard room.

For a short time, when England was afraid of a French invasion, the inn was the Headquarters for Colonel Robert Hall's, Devon and Cornwall Fencibles. They were raised in 1794 to patrol the coast and protect the citizens from an incursion during the Napoleonic emergency.
Topsham comes out against slavery

Just two years before the Devon and Cornwall Fencibles, Trewman's Exeter Flying Post reported a meeting of the inhabitants of Topsham at the Salutation Inn, when almost unanimously, they agreed and signed a -

"Petition to Parliament for the Abolition of the AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE"

The petition went on to say:

"That your Petitioners cannot know that very considerable Numbers of their Fellow Creatures are trepanned or forced from their native Country and tenderest Connections, and subjected to a capricious, rigorous, and involuntary Servitude, without feeling a Conviction that the Exercise of the African Slave Trade is injurious to the natural and inherent Rights and Privileges of Mankind". 6 March 1792.

Wrestling also used to take place here - a serious and tough version of the sport that attracted large crowds. One Abraham Cann who came from Colebrooke, near Crediton, was a great favourite with the betting clientele - he is believed to have been the champion of England in 1827.

In the first two decades of the 20th century the Salutation Inn had a bowling green at the rear, a skittle alley and a ballroom. The bowling green was in existence from at least 1687 until its' last remembered use in 1917. The rear of the inn has a limestone building that was once a malt-house.

There was a second Salutation in Exeter which was situated in rooms over the arch and in the towers of the Eastgate.

The Ship (& Pelican), Fore Street, Heavitree

Along with the Horse and Groom on the opposite corner, the Ship & Pelican is the oldest public house in Heavitree, dating back to at least 1740. The 1870 Education Act brought about many new schools, which were used for public functions. Before this date, the Ship was used for public functions. The annual distribution of cloth to the poor from the Ship, lasted until the 1820's. Also, until the 1820's an allowance of 3 shillings (15 pence) was paid out of public funds for refreshments after a paupers funeral.

In 1821, the parish dinner for the poor was held to celebrate the Coronation of King George IV. The coroner also used a room in the building for inquests, and in 1836, a prisoner was locked up overnight. Some trade directory listings are:

Skittles is a popular game in Devon public houses, and the Horse and Groom has an alley that dates back to the turn of the 20th century. The Ship Inn issued 1½d copper tokens from 1890 when it was part of Algar and Crowson's Windsor Brewery Group. The name was changed to Ship and Pelican in the 1980's and it is a Grade II listed building. It is a wireless hotspot for the internet.

The Showman, Cowick Street

This pub, next to St Thomas Church goes back to at least 1805 when the Lamb and Lion is mentioned specifically "as near the church". It was also listed in 1810 according to A E Richardson, the last editor of the Flying Post in 1917. The last listing as the Lamb and Lion was in Pigot's, 1830 edition.There is some evidence that it became the Lamb and Flag in 1834 and then the Prince Albert after 1840 , the year Queen Victoria married Prince Albert. It was definitely listed in 1844, as the Prince Albert. It was leased to Harding and Richards, the precursors of St Anne's Well Brewery from at least 1844.

From 1889, through the First War to 1928, the publican was John Frost Dodd. In 1928, a deed of conveyance stated that the pub came "...together with the Brewhouse, Cellars, Skittle Alley,Stable and premmises..."

In 1955 the skittle alley was rebuilt and in 1961 the bars underwent modernisation. After a 150 years as the Prince Albert, the pub was put up for sale in 1994. In July 1996, the new owners, a Satan's Slave chapter, renamed the Prince Albert, the Road House. Under the new management it sported a smart new sign that showed a biker riding across a red and orange sky.

In October 2005 the public house came under new management, a brother and sister team who had previously run the Village Inn in Exwick. They changed the name to the Showman. They also courted a certain amount of publicity by opposing the forthcoming smoking ban in pubs.

Steam Packet, Topsham Quay

Situated just behind the Lighter Inn, the Steam Packet has a rather attractive sign painted on the side wall. The pub is Topsham's second oldest hostelry and was originally called the Red Lion. Indeed, Amity Court, which lies behind the building was called Red Lion Court. At one time, this pub was also a brewery and boasted two skittle alleys.

It was renamed the Steam Packet after the 1850 Steam Packet Zephyr, that sailed every Saturday from Topsham, for a three day journey to London, calling at Cowes and Portsmouth, with the return trip sailing on the Wednesday, at a cost of 10 shillings on deck and a Guinea in a cabin.

A 19th-century owner but not innkeeper of the Steam Packet was Charlie Gale, who ran the London and South Western, now Drakes. His wife was Tryphena Sparks, who was a cousin and close friend of Thomas Hardy.

Some trade directory entries for the Steam Packet:

The Southgate Hotel, South Street/Southernhay

Plans for this hotel, on the old Trinity Green were submitted in 1987. This new hotel was constructed in 1989 in a neo-Georgian style. The building occupies a 2.6 acre plot that formerly was the home of a coachworks and a carpark.

The site was surveyed by an archeological field unit that found evidence of a defensive ditch dating to the Danish attack of 1001, and jars and phials that were probably those of a 17th century doctor on the site. The area also played host to Exeter's annual 3 day Lammas Fair.

The main find related to the Civil War, was a 60ft wide defensive ditch that was 8/9ft deep. There was also evidence of a battle involving 2,000 Royalists and 400 Parliamentarians, that stretched from Trinity Green to Wynards.

The Hotel

Originally called the Forté Crest Hotel, the hotel has 110 rooms, two restaurants, a fitness centre and swimming pool. The roof girders for the swimming pool roof are 90 ft long and are believed to be the longest beams to be transported into Exeter by road. They were constructed at Chard in Somerset. The hotel was renamed the Southgate Hotel in 1996.

The hotel is right next to the city wall, and yards from the position of the 'Great Gate' or Southgate, which was removed in 1819. A short walk along the wall will take the visitor along the line of the old 'croldiche' or Southernhay and through to Cathedral Close. Cross over South Street, in the opposite direction and you can follow the wall down to Quay Street and Exeter Quay. Just opposite the hotel, in Southernhay, is Dean Clarke House, the former Georgian Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

The Turf Locks Hotel

This hotel is not actually in Exeter, but its position at the mouth of the Exeter Ship Canal gives it some importance to the city. By the early 19th century, the decline of wool exports along the canal was replaced by imports of coal, timber, salt cod and other goods.

James Green was given the task of improving the canal, so he extended it beyond the Topsham lock and created the Turf Lock which was opened, along with the extension on 14th September 1827. Green employed 300 labourers to excavate the canal through very difficult ground - it ran close to the shore of the Exe as local land owners would not let him take a direct route. The bank between the river and the canal proved to be a problem, and had to be continually raised and strengthened in intervening years. The canal is 15 ft deep, built parallel with the estuary, had raised banks and was lined to prevent water loss. The lock itself  is 131 feet long and 30 ft inches wide with a sill 2ft below the bar at Exmouth.

James Green's improvement to the canal and building of Turf Lock increased the size of vessel that could reach the Port of Exeter. However, within a few short years, sea going vessels outgrew the canal, limiting trade. Even the approach to the canal along the Exe estuary was too shallow for many ships of more than 200 tons. The channel that led to the Turf Lock was prone to silting, and every spring 1,000 tons of silt had to be dredged to keep it clear.

During the reign of Edward III, the Alice was recorded as discharging her cargo at Le Torffe. Torf in German is the word for peat, indicating the root of the name. Because of the shifting channels in the estuary, even in the Middle Ages ships often could not reach the port of Topsham and had to unload at Turf.

Turf Locks Hotel

The Turf Locks Hotel was built to service the lock and shipping. The hotel was built on marshy ground, without adequate foundations and suffers from subsidence, giving uneven floors. It was originally built with only a single toilet. There is no access for cars, so the hotel is only open in the summer months. However, cars can be parked about a mile up the canal, along a road near Exminster. The fifteen minute walk will work up a thirst and the views are stunning.

In its heyday, the hotel would not only see the passage of many ships up the canal, but the entrance was also busy, as shipping too large for the canal would unload into lighters that would then enter the canal. The basin by the hotel would often be full of ships waiting to be hauled by horse, up the canal to the Canal Basin at Haven Banks, or be waiting for the tide, to pass through the lock into the estuary.

Some trade directory entries for the Turf Locks:

Turks Head, High Street

There has been a tavern on this site for more than 700 years. In 1289, the City Authorities granted to the owners of the land the right to lean a beam against the wall of the Guildhall for the sum of one penny per year. By the time of Charles II, inflation meant that a penny was not sufficient and the rent was increased to two pennies per year, which is the amount payable today.

In 1569, the Turks Head Tavern was put up for sale and sold for four score pounds (£80) while the yearly rental for the site was assessed at £4 10 shillings with a further sum of 10 shillings to be paid to Her Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth. Documents confirming the above are held by the museum. The inn has a very narrow frontage (13 ft) but is 130 ft deep and five stories high. When it was refurbished in the 20th century, five medieval fireplaces were found.

There are several possibilities to the origin of the name. It is said that the name of the Turks Head refers to a Turkish prisoner who was held here when the inn was used as a prison. He met his end with the executioners axe. Wonder if he was called with the refrain 'time gentlemen please.... '. Richard Pring wrote that there was a jousting ground at the rear of the establishment where a Saracens Head was used as a target, hence the name.

Charles Dickens used to sit in what is known as Dicken's Corner. He observed the character who became Fat Boy in Pickwick Papers. Dickens was a frequent visitor to Exeter and he rented Mile End Cottage in Alphington for his parents.

Elsewhere, the name probably goes back as far as the Crusades. It originally referred to members of the Tartars who settled in Turkey. Turks Head is also used to refer to a particular knot which is similar in shape to a turban, again indicating its link with the Crusades.

The scourge of the 16th and 17th centuries, the Pirates of Algiers are said to have kidnapped into slavery people along the coast of Cornwall and were also connected with Turks Heads.

Some landlords listed in the trade directories are:

1816 - W Richards
1871 - William Kellaway
1878 - Rowland Chown
1897 - William Henry Morton
1923 - Richard Blunden
1956 - G W Abell and N Hall.

Valiant Soldier

One of the saddest parts of Exeter, regarding redevelopment, is the large roundabout at the bottom of South Street and top of Western Way. This was an important area of Exeter in former times as it was where the road from Topsham and the road from Honiton converged just in front of the great South Gate. All that is roundabout, was once a thriving community of shops and public houses.

The Romans

The corner of Holloway Street and Magdalen Street that the Valiant Soldier occupied was once the site of a Roman cemetery. Coins from the rule of three emperors have been excavated from about 73-5 AD - graved goods such as figurines and glassware have also been found. In addition, the archaeologists also excavated a system of trenches that were dug by the Roman army to support the timbers of at least three rectangular buildings around a courtyard.

The Civil War

A hostel named the Goat existed on the site, probably from medieval times, on ground belonging to the Vicars Choral. A lease of 1623 shows the name as the Golden Lion - an inn on this site would have offered a safe haven to travellers who were locked out of the city after the gates were closed at night. The Golden Lion was demolished in 1645, along with many other properties close to the city wall, to make a clear field of view for the Royalist defenders, during the Civil War.

Named to commemorate the defenders of the city during the war, the Valiant Soldier was built in 1651, at a time when Exeter was recovering from the conflict. The Valiant Soldier would have been a useful place for business passing into and from the city towards Topsham, especially as the canal at this time was proving to be unreliable. The inn had a large stable yard to cater for the passing traffic, but as the woollen trade declined at the start of the 19th century, so did the use of the yard.

In the 19th century, the growth of industrialisation created a need for the workers to band together in trade unions. In the late part of the century, the Valiant Soldier was host to the Exeter Lodge of the Operative Bricklayers' Society. The bricklayers and masons had attempted to form a union as early as 1834 in Exeter, but were prevented by the authorities after the Flying Post had stirred up the middle classes against such a union.

Demolition

The decision to create a new bypass from the bottom of Paris Street, past the old South Gate and down to the Exe Bridge in the 1960's spelt the end for the Valiant Soldier and other properties, including the Acorn Inn between the corner and the old Exeter Eye Hospital. It was closed in March 1962 and demolished later in the same year - the resultant roundabout replaced a thriving and ancient part of the city.

Some past landlords from the trade directories:

1796 - J Hayman
1822 - John Harrison
1844 - Edward Leach Herbert
1856 - S Horsford
1878 - Mrs Mary Horsford
1889 - Thos Haydon
1894 - Mrs Margaret Haydon
1912 - Edwin Glade
1956 - Mrs K M Harrison

The name, Valian t Soldier did not die - a new Valiant Soldier was built in the St Thomas precinct, redevelopment of the 1960's . It has since been renamed the Longbrook.

Quay Clubs, Commercial Road

These buildings are two clubs and a restaurant on the quay, called Tiffany's and Mambo. They have a reputation as having a lively atmosphere and are better left to the young! Tiffany's gained some publicity for being Exeter's first 'pole dancing' club, although it is described as adult entertainment, with many writing to the local paper in protest.

John Portley, an Exeter born accountant, was responsible for opening the derelict warehouse as clubs. It was in 1964 or '65 that he acquired the lease of the empty premises in Commercial Road. He opened the Quay Club Disco in one half of the building, with the intention of sub-letting the other half to subsidise the rent. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a suitable tenant so he turned it into a more upmarket, Tiffany's. The dress code prohibited jeans and t-shirts and long hair - some girls would carry scissors to trim their boyfriends hair at the entrance, if they were refused entry.

Boxes and Boogies on the quay

The two clubs were so successful that he opened branches of Tiffany's in Torquay and Plymouth. Tiffany's was the top nightspot in Exeter in the late 1960's and 70's and was voted the second best nightclub in Britain for good behaviour.

David Bowie performed there on 17th October, 1969 while during the 70's, Mud performed their hits Dyna-Mite, Tiger Feet, Lonely This Christmas and KC and the Sunshine Band performed That's The Way I like It and Please Don't Go. Top DJs like Dave Lee Travis also appeared alongside the Tiffany's in-house band, Big T with local, Tony Osborne on vocals.

The warehouse was originally opened by Samuel Jones on 4th February 1878, as storage for his wine importing business. Jones went on to be Mayor in 1883.

A foundation stone reads:

THIS BONDED CELLAR WAS ERECTED BY SAMUEL JONES OF THIS CITY, WINE MERCHANT, AND ONE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES IN THE TOWN COUNCIL, FOR ST DAVID'S WARD, AND THIS CORNER STONE WAS LAID BY EMILY, HIS WIFE, ON THE 4TH FEBRUARY 1878
SHERIFF OF EXETER NOVEMBER 1889 MAYOR 1883

In 1897 the buildings housed the following businesses from the left:

Jones W. L. & Son, bonded stores
James (Edward), Rowe & Co. lead merchants
Kennaway & Co. Limited, bonded stores (the red brick building housing Havana)

Kennaway's were still listed at the warehouse in 1919. In 1975 they sold off their main building in Palace Gate and seemed to have ceased trading. In the late 1990's, the redbrick warehouse was used as a restaurant and bar, called Mud Dock, then Henry's Bar and now the Latino influenced Havana which offers jazz and comedy nights. The clubs and bar are located in Commercial Road, the main commercial area of Shilhay in the 19th and early 20th century. The river runs on the other side of the buildings.

The Wellhouse - Cathedral Close

This pub belongs to, and is run by the Royal Clarence Hotel, to which it is adjacent. It is a popular public house, situated in the heart of the Cathedral Close. Michael Caine, the celebrity chef is responsible for the bar food that is served at lunch time.

The Well House is in fact two premises, 16 and 17 Cathedral Yard. In 1861 no. 16 contained a retired tailor while no. 17 was a bootseller. As was common then, and now, premises would change use quite frequently. In Kelly's 1897 Directory Charles William Priston as a tailor in no 16. In 1901 Sarah Buttishill is established as a dressmaker while no 17 is a bookshop. Kelly's 1914 Directory lists Haynes Ltd boot and shoe makers and dealers and in 1919 Babbage Gilbert & Co Solicitors.

Up to the 1980's, the two buildings housed Robert Veitch and Son Ltd, seedsmen and then, it was briefly an estate agent and again, a bookshop. It was in August 1984 that the Well House was opened by the Mayor, Jim Pollitt. The building dates back to the 15th century, with the three top floors added in the 17th century. The wall that defined Cathedral Yard runs through part of the building. There is a stone stairway leading to a cellar beneath, where can be found the remains of an alleged victim of the Black Death, in a glass case, in an alcove. However, experts think the bones belong to a teenage, Anglo-Saxon. The cellar also contains the remains of an ancient well, the source of the name, Well House. Some think it of Roman origin, although the consensus is that it dates back to Norman times.

The White Hart Hotel

There is reason to believe that the White Hart was the house of the recorder (1418-1442) of Exeter, William Wynard. He endowed the property to Wynard's Hospital to be a source of funds and it became the Blue Boar Inn. The Blue Boar was the heraldic badge of Richard, Duke of York (1411-1460), father of Edward IV (reigned 1471-1483).

After Wynard, it became the White Hart Inn. The inn is located at the bottom of South Street, just inside the city wall and close to the position of the South Gate, which was demolished in 1819. The South Gate was for many hundreds of years the main route in and out of the city, so the White Hart was well placed to stable pack animals and horses along with their carriages. The name represents Richard II's (reigned 1377-1399) heraldic symbol. A white hart was very rare and reserved for only the king to hunt. Additionally, it has been speculated that it was also a pun on his name - Rich Hart. In 1393, King Richard passed an act making it compulsory for inns and taverns to have a sign hanging outside so that the official 'ale taster' could easily locate them. Probably checking to make sure they have paid the right duty on the ale!

Richard Izacke documented an accident at the White Hart in 1648. The inn had an old well that had long been neglected. The White Hart's owner Roger Cheek employed Paul Penrose to climb down the well to repair it. At the bottom, Penrose suddenly fell dead - a second workman named William Johnson was called to go down and investigate. After also descending the well, Johnson too fell dead. The burial records of St Sidwell's Church record that William Will was buried on 28th June 1649 having died of a damp of the well, at the sign of the "White Hart" in South Gate Street. Allowing for errors with the name, and the Julian and Gregorian calendars, he is probably one of the victims.

A friend of the men, wishing to help his workmates, also descended the well and almost died himself. Those on the surface pulled the man back up, and he rolled around in agony, to be revived with water and oil. When he came round, he said that there was a strong smell that hindered his breathing. Some said that it was a Cockatrice that caused the deaths, but most agreed that it was the Damp or some sort of gas. Note - a Cockatrice is a legendary creature that is part lizard, part rooster.
 
Some of the landlords and proprietors of the White Hart in the 19th and 20th-centuries can be listed as:

The modern inn has 60 bedrooms and has welcomed such luminaries as the exciting Monty Pythons Flying Circus team when they were filming in Exeter and Steve 'Interesting' Davis the snooker player.

Windmill Inn - Holloway Street

The closest public house to the Port Royal in Larkbeare, in the 19th-century was the Windmill Inn, where Bull Meadow Road meets Holloway Street. The earliest record of the Windmill is November 1810, when it was mentioned in the sale of a field called Bull Meadow. The landlord was William Bending in 1816.

In 1852, the landlord, William Southcott was declared insolvent. The inn had been the centre, in the early 19th century, of the annual celebrations of the tuckers (fullers) and shearmen. On the last Thursday in August, known as Nutting Day, a good lunch was given in the Windmill followed by a ramble through the local woods around Larkbeare, gathering nuts. They then returned to the Windmill, in the evening for dinner.

In 1864 the Windmill was up for sale and in 1869, all the household utensils were for sale. An inquest was held in 1873 at the Windmill, into a young woman who had died as the result of taking 'an irritant to prevent her from becoming a mother'. 

It was a noted hostelry favoured by the actor Edmund Keane when he was in Exeter, and the fishermen and women from Topsham, who would call in on their way home from the city, when half a dozen carts would be parked outside the premises. The Windmill was one of those inns that issued tokens or coins in the 19th Century. They were issued while James Gill was the landlord - the brass tokens, made by Seage of Exeter were used as change and as a local currency valid in the pub.

The Windmill's licence lapsed in 1885. I have never seen a photograph of the building, and doubt that one exists.

The list of known landlords from the directories are:

1816 - William Bending - Trewman
1830 - Thomas Field - Pigot
1850/56 - W Southcott - White and Besley
1859/67 - James Gill - Besley
1878 - William Viner - White.