Plymouth's Bohemian Barbican

Sample the delights of a dozen or more traditional pubs, many almost unchanged for hundreds of years; visit the old pannier market and pick up a bargain; see a production at the quaint but modern Mayflower Theatre, literally across the lane from where the Pilgrim Fathers sailed in 1620; try the food at a collection of mouthwatering bistros that now occupy old warehouses, take a tour of the Plymouth Gin Distillery; or simply spend the day browsing in the many antiques and curio emporia scattered throughout the area.

Quick Tips:

Plymouth produces a monthly "what's on" guide, most of which will be centred on the Barbican. Most of the pubs feature live music at least once a week.

Many of the ancient pavements here are still of the original flagstones and are very slippery when wet, so wear suitable footwear or risk a slip. Also, all the streets are still paved with cobbles--very bumpy indeed.

Best Way To Get Around:

There are several carparks close by, all of which will charge around £5 to park all day. The Barbican is well signposted, as are the individual sights within.

You can visit the area and have a good look at everything on offer over a morning or afternoon. It is also just a 15-minute walk from here to the Hoe and 5 minutes to the National Marine Aquarium. If the Hoe is on your itinerary as well, it would be advisable to take the whole day to explore what is on offer.

Wherever you may be staying in the city, most bus routes terminate close to the area. The Barbican is a 20-minute walk from the main railway station or a 5-minute taxi ride that'll set you back £3.

The Barbican probably has more pubs per square mile than anywhere else in the U.K. Most are quaint old buildings that have seen more than their fair share of action over the centuries from sailors and fishermen alike.

Most of the pubs are centered around the old Sutton Harbour, once a hectic fishing venue, but more likely these days to contain pleasure craft and luxury yachts.

I visited a few choice specimens on my trip here and found them all to be welcoming, friendly, and reasonably priced, and with good menus and, above all, a great atmospheres with some colorful locals adorning some of the quieter corners of the establishments.

I couldn’t single one out above the others; they were all great, many of them decked out in naval memorabilia with low ceilings and smoke-blackened ancient beams. Some are obviously geared more towards the fishing community whilst others have a more "naval" feel to them. Some of the landlords were seafaring men themselves and will regale you with tales of their adventures should they have the time between serving customers. Most serve a range of genuine real ale, far better than that horrible old gassy stuff that masquerades as "beer" in some parts of the U.K.

Most of these pubs are open all day to serve the requirements of the many visitors that come here, particularly in the summer seasonal months.

The pubs I went into and can recommend are:

The Notte Arms, The Ship, The Navy, The Fisherman’s Arms, The Crown and Anchor, The Dolphin, The Commercial, and The Admiral MacBride. By the time I’d finished this lot, all I wanted was to lie down.

All these establishments are within a 3-minute walk of each other. There are many others that I didn’t have the time to visit, but all looked as equally appealing. Goodness me, I hate doing this, er… excuse me… zzzzzzz.

The old Plymouth Gin distillery in the Barbican has a wonderful history and is one of the oldest buildings in the city.

It dates from the early 15th century, with the original Refectory Room still intact, with its hull-shaped timber roof dating from 1431. It was originally a monastery occupied by the Black Friars, but in 1536, with the Reformation and dissolution of the monasteries, it became first a debtors’ prison and then a billet for fleeing French Huguenots. Earliest indications of liquor production show that a "mault-house" existed here in 1697.

In 1620, the Pilgrim Fathers spent their last night here prior to setting sail to the New World in the Mayflower. Indeed, their ship is still the label trademark of Plymouth Gin.

In Victorian times, the gin became popular with the Royal Navy, who at peak, were buying 1,000 barrels a year for issue to the ranks. This was navy-strength, 57% ABV liquor.

By 1900, more than 1,000 barrels per week were being sent to New York, where the original recipe for a dry martini specified Plymouth Gin.

Throughout World War II, Plymouth was bombed relentlessly by the Luftwaffe, which reduced most of the area to rubble, but the distillery escaped relatively unscathed, suffering one hit that caused a small fire but little structural damage. But after the war, fortunes started to slide as a succession of owners let the brand slip, and by the early ‘90s, less than 5,000 cases a year were being produced.

However, the distillery was passed to a new owner who had the vision to market the product effectively, and by the end of the’90s, Plymouth Gin was being sold in more then 20 countries and is currently the highest selling premium gin in the world.

Trips are available to view the distillery, which is open to visitors 7 days a week from 10:30am to 4:30pm. The entrance fee is £6 for one adult.

There are several old market trading experiences within the Barbican, but the two that stand out above the others are The Old Pannier Market and the quirky "House That Jack Built," with its unmistakable huge mural adorning the front of the building it occupies. Both are centrally located within the area and no more than a couple of minutes walk between each other.

The Pannier Market occupies an old stone warehouse that would have been used 100 or more years ago and is essentially a collection of traders who will buy and sell virtually anything as long as they can show a profit on the deal. They specialise in "collectables" (porcelain figures, medals, coins, etc.), stamps, books, records, furniture, and bric-a-brac which basically covers anything else available.

It is quite dark and atmospheric inside, with dozens of tiny stalls crammed with goods of all types. Be prepared to barter if something takes your fancy, although the canny stallholders will usually have made allowances for this when pricing their wares anyway. But as long as you think you have struck a bargain, then that’s all that really matters.

The House that Jack Built is a strange building - tall and thin with a very handy Chinese restaurant next door. It has a peculiar mural that reaches from just above the front door to the roof and is certainly eye-catching to say the least, although it looks to me as if it needs refinishing. Either that or it has faded over the years…

Here you will find anything… jewellery, coins; stamps; postcards; medals; pictures; works of art, porcelain; cutlery; pottery of all descriptions; military weapons, including pistols, muskets, swords, and rifles; figurines; old clay pipes; household utensils; clocks; watches; musical instruments; old record players… the list is endless.

There is a café in both these establishments that serves light meals and snacks, and if the experiences here make you really thirsty, there are at least 10 pubs within a 2-minute stroll.

Have fun exploring these old curiosity shops, and I bet you find at least something in each one that you don’t have a clue as to its use or function (e.g. an old surgical instrument).

The Elizabethan House is to be found up a tiny alleyway in the heart of the Barbican, number 32 on New Street. It is in beautiful condition externally, with its exposed timbers and beams, but I was disappointed to find it closed for viewing on the day of my visit.

It was originally the home of a Tudor sea captain and contains authentic furniture of the period. It is reputed to have at least one ghost that haunts the upper floor. The house is open from April 1 to November 1, but is closed to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays. I will make certain to visit the house again during the summer and post a full report.

Behind the house in New Street, along another tiny alley, are the Elizabethan Gardens.

New Street is first mentioned in 1584. The houses were built for wealthy merchants, with pleasant gardens to the rear. Over the centuries, the tradesmen built tiny cottages for their workers over the top of the gardens. In the 19h century, Plymouth was growing quickly; the old town became so overcrowded that it drove the well-heeled out of New Street and into the new villas on the hills above the town. Their old homes rapidly deteriorated into appalling slums.

After World War II, the city was desperately trying to replace all the homes lost in the bombing, but many of the old places in the Barbican area were declared unfit to live in. In 1956, the government introduced a scheme whereby local authorities were to be paid for every slum demolished. Plymouth council promptly proposed to knock down a large area of the Barbican, saving just 32 New St. (The Elizabethan House).

Uproar followed at such a dramatic scheme and the Plymouth Barbican Association was formed and accepted the council’s challenge to buy and restore all the houses of historic value.

Therefore, on New Street, the historic dwellings were restored, the old back tenements ripped away, and the old gardens that had lain beneath them for so long were also restored to resembling their possible original appearance.

Sutton Harbour has seen fortunes rise and fall over the years. It was built to specifically service the barbican area at a time when fishing was all-important.

Fishing boats do still ply their business from here, but in greatly reduced numbers from even a decade ago. There is still a busy fish market that will echo the sounds of cranking winches and screaming gulls as the catches are unloaded.

Nowadays, the principal use for the harbour is that of a marina for the scores of pleasure crafts that tie up there, from a single-man rowboat to 80-foot luxury cruisers.

The harbour still has a buoyant repair industry and has the facility of a sizeable dry dock. The inner harbour can also be protected from ultra high tides or storms via a steel gate that can be swung into position, should the need arise.