Torquay – Devon Arms
And yet again apologies for the poor photos, they’re from my old phone and matters have since improved….. Anyway, this pub is located next to the Hole in the Wall (visible to the rear of the photo) which is a potential challenge (and opportunity) for the Devon Arms as its neighbour is the oldest in Torquay, it’s Good Beer Guide listed and seems a genuinely brilliant pub. We visited it, so more on that pub soon.
Not easily readable as it’s a bit blurry…. Luckily Google AI is here to help.
“The Devon Arms
Torquay’s original and oldest liquor selling establishment, historically a Gin house/Beer House/Public House.
The Bird in the Hand was the oldest pub in Torquay.
Since its closure Devon Arms can lay claim to that title.
The has been visited by:
Mary Shelley (Frankenstein)
Edward Bulwer-Lytton (The Hunters & the Hunted)
Charles Dickens (Christmas Carol)
Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes)
Richard King (Tales of Horror)
Trevor Ravenscroft (The Spear of Destiny)
Robert Louis Stevenson (Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde)
T.S. Eliot (The Waste Land)
Oscar Wilde (Dorian Gray)
Brian Lumley (Necroscope)
Donovan (Singer)
Ruby Murray (Singer)
Henry (Our resident Ghost)
Torquay’s Weirdest Resident of the 19th century – Lord Lytton
First major building in Torquay – 1196 Torre Abbey
Torbay’s 1st mayor: H.D.F. Splatt 1892
1915 – King George & Queen Mary visited
1939 – Evacuees arrive at Torquay Station
Sept 4th 1942 – 31 killed. FW198 shot down on the beach by anti-
aircraft gunfire from the shore. Targets included part of Chelston
near Torre Abbey, the Regal Cinema & Tor Hill Road.
Last air raid during WWII – May 29th 1944.
23000 men left from Torquay. The 4th Infantry left for Utah beach.
The US troops who left for Utah Beach drank in the Devon Arms
3 days before departure.
1948 – Water sports for the Olympics held in Torquay
Scrumpy Bums – Was the real Torquay underground of the 1960’s.”
As can be noted, the Devon Arms is disputing that their neighbour is the town’s oldest pub, although I’m not sure that anyone actually knows. It was a gin house in the nineteenth century and it’s thought to date to around the 1740s.
I’m slightly puzzled by this as the Devon Arms isn’t that near Fleet Street (although a later advert corrects it to Victoria Parade), but this 1901 advert came as the venue had fallen into disrepair and become dilapidated. An attempt was made in 1902 to convert the premises into a temperance hotel and cafe after it was reconstructed. And below is an article from that summer:
“With Miss Toseland, a prominent member of the Torquay Women’s Total Abstinence Union, originated the idea of the Sailors’ Night Rest and refreshment rooms, which have been opened for the use of the men of the Fleet at the old Devon Arms, and 33, Victoria Parade. The former has been turned into a high-class “doss” house, containing about 75 beds. Each bed consists of a comfortable mattress laid on the floor with a good pillow and rug. In the large room there are forty-five of these mattresses stretched side by side, whilst in the smaller rooms there are three four or even half-a-dozen. Jack is inclined to imbibe rather freely when he gets ashore, and he frequently oversteps the mark. For such as indulge to excess, provision has been made in other rooms with straw beds. At 33, Victoria Parade, there are another 25 beds. All the mattresses have been purchased at a cost of 8s. each, and the sailors will be expected to pay 6d. per night for their bed. At Victoria Parade they will be enabled to get the very best of refreshments at most reasonable prices, and at the Devon Arms tea and coffee will be ready when the sailors come in, and by the time they wish to leave again in the morning. Mr. Hosking is catering for the whole of the refreshments. The Devon Arms Night Rest will be open from nine o’clock until midnight, and the Victoria Parade refreshment room practically all day and night. At the latter place a tea will be given to the sailors on Sunday afternoon, and there will be on the premises a small library of books, a bagatelle board, games of other descriptions, a piano, periodicals, and daily papers. At both places, rooms have been set aside in which Jack can make his ablutions.”
Certainly a noble idea, but there were substantial arguments within the temperance movement within months (perhaps sailors wanted more than coffee) and in the following year, it returned to being a pub.
I went for a pint of Guinness which tasted as it should and Ross was pleased with whatever generic lager he went for. As can sort of be seen in the background, there’s a pool table to excite and delight the locals.
The interior decoration. The service was polite, although I was nearly over-charged (two pints is really not going to be nearly £13), but this was corrected when I queried it to back down to around £8, but the mistake did appear to be entirely genuine. The atmosphere in the pub itself was, er, very lively. I will say no more.
The zoom on my old phone was a bit worn out, but the food options were toasted ciabattas (£4.50), hot Cornish pasties (£4.50) and soup (£4.00).
It’s very much a sports bar, but it’s well reviewed and clearly has a loyal clientele. The pub had rather a lived-in feel to it and it was rustic in numerous senses of the word, but it provided something of a contrast to their neighbouring pub. It’s got an interesting history and I suspect it has something of a different character and atmosphere in the summer when the tourists come flocking in.
