Domestic Politician

One of Plymouth’s more unusual pub names, the Domestic Politician Inn stood at the top of Cambridge Street, a busy Victorian throughfare running from Oxford Place and what was originally known as ‘Newtown’ down to Frankfort Street and the old part of town.
As a busy through road Cambridge Street was well serviced with pubs and beer-houses – in addition to the Domestic Politician there was also the Cambridge Inn, Cambridge Arms, the Burton, the Crown, Vulcan, Empire and Red Lion.

Quite what the inspiration for the name was is far from clear, but the similarly named Politician in Glasgow was evidently in honour of what Adam Smith famously described as ‘that insidious and crafty animal, vulgarly called a statesman or politician.’.
Rechristened the Sidmouth in later years it was a general dealers by the late-1920s (it closed in 1927) and became a fish and chip shop prior to, during and just after the war.

Licensees

1852 - Edward Haslett
1857 - James Ball
1862 - Peter Wyat
1865 - Thomas Witfill
1873 - William Giles
1877 - Ann Zimmerman
1880 - J Sullivan
1885 - Thomas Phelan
1898 - Harry Lang
1907 - AW Gribell
1914 - Jack Lock
1920 - John Horton
1926 - William Johnson