Guardship

It stood on the north-eastern corner of Pembroke Street and Monument Street, just in from the junction with James Street and within a stone’s throw of the Dockyard Wall.

Officially No.8 Pembroke Street, it appears to have started operating as a beerhouse in the later part of the first half of the nineteenth century and its name is quite possibly a reference to HMS Impregnable, one of the better known Plymouth guardships. Launched in Chatham in 1810 Impregnable was in and out of Plymouth a number of times in her early days and took part in the attack on Algiers in 1816 with the loss of some fifty lives with more than 150 wounded – from a crew of around 800.

Refitted as a guardship for Plymouth soon after that, she became the flagship of Admiral Sir JT Duckworth, before being recommissioned a few years later. From 1862 she was used as boys’ training ship at Devonport and was twice renamed – Kent in 1888 and Caledonia in 1891 when she was transferred to the Firth of the Forth.

The pub itself called time for the last time in January 1927.

Licensees

1844 - Daniel Taylor
1864 - William Rowe
1867 - Edward Hinde
1877 - RW Ash
1888 - Frederick Carr
1893 - J Vincent
1901 - T Cummins
1908 - F Ellis
1920 - Mrs SA Trist
1924 - Mary Pront