Sportsman’s Arms (High Street)

There are, not surprisingly, a number of Sportsmen dotted around England, indeed the Three Towns, at one time or another, have boasted four: the Sportsman’s Inn, in erstwhile Higher Street, and three Sportsman’s Arms – in Gasking Street, Keyham Road and here at No.30 Fore Street (High Street) Stonehouse.

All of them were nineteenth century affairs, and only one made it beyond the Great War, but even that was renamed and long since has been known as the Avondale (it succeeded a smaller pub of the same name on the Drake Barracks site.

Interestingly enough, ‘Arms’ is the most common type of Sportsman’s pub but other examples up the line have included the Sportsman’s Hall, Sportsman’s Group and Sportsman’s Rest.

Licensees

1850 - John Bissitt
1852 - John Martin
1862 - Thomas Evans