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Picture courtesy Tom Jolliffe

The Grand Theatre was situated on Union Street.

Imagine my surprise whilst watching TV to see a trail for Save the Boozer, featuring the Grand Theatre Bar in Plymouth, My Mothers adopted sister Enid and her husband Roy Bellas ran the Grand in the late 1960s early 1970s and I worked there on occasions to cover for holidays, The Pub was supplied by Courage from the Octagon Brewery also in Union Street. The main selling drinks at that time were Plymouth Heavy from the wood, and Vintage cider from large plastic butts kept in a cool corridor at the side of the back passage only ever sold in half pints to known customers. It was a proper old fashioned pub with beautiful wood panelling and stained glass leaded light windows. It had that timeless feeling that some pubs have like an oasis where you leave the outside world when you enter. In recent years my son attended university in Plymouth 2001/2004 and when passing the Grand I always felt sad this gem had been allowed to fall in to such disrepair.

Stephen Jarvis

Was delighted to see the Grand Theatre pub in Plymouth mentioned on your website. I also have some similar photos of the old place, though judging by the condition it has sadly fallen into I would say they were take around the same time. During the seventies it became a second home for  "Florrie" Ford and myself whilst being being based there in the Royal Navy and we became great freinds of Roy and Enid. It was an old fashion pub it's true, but the freindly atmosphere was second to none and we were always hailed with a very loud "Greetings and Salutations" from Roy as we entered at opening time. Some of the regulars that spring to mind were Lorraine, Edna, Doreen, "Soapy" Watson, and Roy and Enids son Bill. Many a time we would go in at lunch time, go upstairs for lunch when it closed and back down for opening time, and using a "tab" we would hand our wages over at the bar on payday - I think we kept that old place going single handedly. Great memories and so sadly missed.

Chris Byles

My gran & grandad were managers/Landlord at this pub with Plymouth Breweries - Harold and Louie Ellis. My dad a little boy (b. 1925). He recalls sitting on the stairs watching the goings on at the bar, putting a glass to his bedroom wall to hear the play at the Grand Theatre next door, the horses pulling deliveries. He threw a coconut out of his bedroom window because he couldn't break it, got in terrible trouble when a passer by complained!

Marion Ellis (May 2015)

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Name	Dates	Comments
Robert Hanley	1956-1961	Visited regularly when in the Royal navy .Bill and Ivy Edwards were the licensees in those days, two of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet.

Other Photos
Date of photo: 1984	Picture source: Lee