Campaign for Real Ale

Pre WWII Plymouth

The following links list all those premises in the Three Towns of Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse fully-licensed to sell beer, wines and spirits; those licensed to sell beer and wine only; and those licensed to sell beer only, in 1939. Where the information states "Blitzed 1941", assume it was damaged between 1939 and 1945. Please also note that a number of pubs that were damaged during WWII were demolished and then rebuilt completely, the first of which was the Ford Inn on 12 August 1954.

We have attempted to show who we believe owned the pubs in 1939, which were mainly breweries at that time. The outcome indicates major happenings at that pub, including WWII damage, demolition and conversion to other use, with year dates where possible. The Status column provides a link to the pub today with its' current address.

Please remember that the city has undergone a lot of redevelopment, and some streets have been renumbered or changed names, or no longer exist. Every effort has been made to update addresses where the pub still exists today, but we cannot accept responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies.

Where a column is blank, please feel free to email ku.gro.armac.htuomylp@retsambew with any information in order to help us to fill the gaps.

Please note that "Tivvy" refers to Starkey, Knight and Ford, of Bridgewater, and Tiverton; "Pops" refers to Popplestone and Co, of Plymouth; "Ash & Son" refers to the Wine Merchants, of Devonport.

Licensed Public Houses in 1939

Please click on the link to view our lists of pubs in 1939, with their differing licenses.

Pubs Holding A Full Public House License In 1939

Pubs Licensed To Sell Beer And Wine Only In 1939

Pubs Licensed To Sell Beer Only In 1939

Brewery Archives

Please click on the links below to view details about defunct breweries of Devon and the South West of England - breweries that brewed and sold beer commercially at some point in the past.

Devon Brewery Archive

Lost Breweries Of The South West

Pub Name Archives

We have attempted to list every known pub name used in Plymouth CAMRA branch area. You MUST be signed in as a CAMRA member in order to view our Pub Name Archive below. The lists were fully updated on 9th September 2022.

Plymouth CAMRA Pub Name Archive

We would also like to express our gratitude to Mr Alex Mettler for invaluable assistance for his research in to the public houses in the Parish of Tavistock, from his book Devon Country Town Brewers and Public Houses - Tavistock 1752 - 2020 .