Golden Lion Tap

The Golden Lion itself fronted Old Town Street in a position now buried beneath the middle of the post-war Old Town Street, just by the Costa Coffee junction. The Golden Lion Tap, meanwhile, was at the very rear of the building and fronted onto Market Place where it was one of several pubs overlooking the old Plymouth Market. Many of these properties in Market Place were not conjoined with the premises backing onto them, but the Golden Lion Tap apparently was.

There were a number of such ‘Taps’ around the Three Towns and the term emanates from the notion of beer being ‘on tap’, that is on draught and ready for consumption: a situation that in turn gave rise to the creation of a ‘Tap Room’ or a ‘Tap House’ – expressions that date back to early eighteenth century.

The ‘Tap’ was, like its neighbours, a victim of the Blitz.

Licensees

1847 - William Farley
1852 - William Harvey
1865 - William Butland
1885 - J Freeman
1890 - William Wood
1893 - John Selmon
1899 - WH Quantick
1908 - Thomas Hoyle
1920 - Arthur Pope
1934 - William Catchpole
1935 - Albert Venning
1937 - Bertram Lissle
1941 - William Sheffield