From its earliest days as the Herbert Hotel, the pub took its name from the Herbert family, the Earls of Carnarvon, who were major landowners in the West Country. Herbert Street itself was created during the new housing programme linked to the Keyham Steam Yard and Cornwall Railway. Through war, post-war change and the ups and downs of Plymouth life, the Herbert remained a fixture. Many of its landlords were long-serving, which gave the pub a sense of stability rare among city boozers.
Through the decades the Herbert has stood as a steady landmark in Morice Town, weathering the changes around it. This photo from the late 1980s or early 1990s shows the pub much as locals will remember it before the difficult years that followed.
The cars may have changed and fashions have moved on, but the building itself and the role it played as a meeting place have remained the same. Generations of dockyard workers, neighbours and friends have passed through its doors, keeping it alive as a hub for the community.
Image reproduced with courtesy from Chris Robinson, published in The Harvest Home and a Hundred Others, Pen & Ink Publishing.
Back in the late 1940s, The Herbert was at the heart of the local darts scene. In 1948 a bus full of regulars set off from Herbert Street for an inter-pub darts match. Among them were Jerry Byrnes and his wife Rene, remembered fondly as part of the team’s loyal supporters.
Spirits were high, flowers in hand, and everyone was looking forward to a night out with a few games, plenty of laughs, and almost certainly a sing-song on the way back home.
Stories like this show how The Herbert has always been more than a pub, it’s a gathering place where friendships are made and community history continues to be written.
The Herbert has seen Plymouth through over 150 years of change, yet its role has remained constant as a place where people come together.
Today, under the care of Kim and John Richards, the pub is being restored with the same spirit that has kept it alive for generations. Its walls hold the laughter and stories of the past, and every new chapter adds to the living history of a true Devonport landmark.
