Army and Navy

Facing straight down the lane on the northern side of St Aubyn Chapel, in Devonport, looking out towards the site of Raglan Barracks, stood the Army and Navy pubic house.

Apparently opened in a former shop premises, shortly after the completion of the barracks, the Army and Navy succeeded a Navy and Army pub around the corner in the long lost Cherry Garden Street. Even more oddly, there were, at that time, three other Navy and Army pubs in the Three Towns – two in Stonehouse and one just up from the Barbican on Lambhay Hill. There were also a handful of Navy Inns around the Three Towns, but no Army Inn, indeed the name, like the Army and Navy, is an unusual one, but there are a few dotted around the country even today.

Meanwhile the Chapel Street hostelry of that name appear to have closed sometime during the first world war and in 1919 the property, which was next door to the Devonport Synagogue, was operating as a Young Women’s Christian Association centre.

Incidentally it would appear that the husband of the first licensee kept the neighbouring Volunteer pub a few doors away in 1865.

Licensees

1870 - Mrs A Hore
1885 - Mrs Browning
1890 - William Symons
1895 - William Prout
1903 - M Evans
1907 - FA Webber
1914 - F Crews