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Picture source: Clive Schneidau

The Marine Tavern. A one-storey pub situated in front of the Pavilion. In January 1893 the landlord was accused of assaulting a policeman and for being drunk and disorderly. However, the defence argued that he was sober and that he had only taken offence when a passing policeman had accused his wife of being ‘a woman of loose character’. According to the landlord, he had been waiting at the Fish Quay for the arrival of the ferry which brought in a good deal of custom, leaving his wife unaccompanied. A policeman had approached his wife and that’s where reports differ. The police said the landlord went berserk and had to be restrained by a number of officers both at the Harbourside and later in the police station – the landlord said that he was assaulted and badly beaten. Despite a number of witnesses saying that the landlord was of good character and had not been drinking, and accusations that Torquay’s police had a reputation for being heavy handed, the court accepted the testimony of the police and he was jailed and lost his living. For many years the pub was under threat. In 1918 temperance organisations campaigned to close it down, and later the council wanted the site for a bus station. In the ’70s the tavern became well known throughout the country as Torquay’s bikers’ pub, with one bar being advertised as ‘strictly bikers only’. The pub was a shrine to biking with well-known biker Max (the Axe) as a barman, and it featured a prominent sign saying: ‘No Junkies Drunks Served’. The Marine Tavern was demolished in September 1988

Source: Kevin Dixon

The MarineTavern had two separate ends - one was run as a ghastly 'entertain the coach parties' affair, and the back was a biker bar, run by the son (Max) and daughter of the owners of the main bar. Max and his sister were pure bikers and nice people - although citizens were discouraged from the biker bar, there was never any trouble, perhaps as a result of their home brewed social apartheid. Max built several trikes - mainly VW engined, although the last one I saw had a Rover 3.5 litre V8 engine! He was also famously toothless - maybe one or two obvious ones left. But he was a real soul guy, and the Marine Tavern was a haven for many of us outcasts on a weekend, especially to avoid the disco bunnies (who were perpetually fighting) in dumps like 'The Yacht'.

Colin Speedie (March 2012)

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