{"id":599641,"date":"2026-05-23T10:40:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T10:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/599641\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T10:40:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T10:40:14","slug":"iconic-exeter-pub-in-sorry-state-after-closure-and-tiktok-intruders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/599641\/","title":{"rendered":"Iconic Exeter pub in sorry state after closure and TikTok intruders"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of Exeter’s oldest pubs has been boarded up to combat squatters, drug users and intruders filming videos for TikTok.<\/p>\n

The Port Royal closed earlier this year with the owners saying they could no longer trade profitably. The pub has a history dating back about 170 years and is known for its location on the banks of the River Exe.<\/p>\n

Owners Stonegate are looking for new tenants. Meanwhile, latest photos show the pub is in a sorry state. Metal sheets have been attached to many of the windows to beef up security.<\/p>\n

One local resident told DevonLive it has been a target of anti-social behaviour and trespassers.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Port Royal Exeter(Image: DevonLive)<\/p>\n

“The last two or three weeks we’ve seen police attending a number of times. I know it was broken into three times and it looks totally derelict.<\/p>\n

“There are now steel shutters all around the building and the patio. It’s very sad. This is one of Exeter’s oldest pubs and unfortunately its future looks bleak.”<\/p>\n

Stonegate is still actively looking for new tenants. Its website describes The Port Royal as an iconic Exeter<\/a> pub situated directly on the banks of the River Exe, offering stunning waterside views and excellent passing footfall along Wierfield Path.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Port Royal Exeter(Image: DevonLive)<\/p>\n

It says the pub is much\u2011loved by the local community and exciting opportunity for an experienced operator looking to elevate a well\u2011established business.<\/p>\n

A number of videos have appeared online in recent weeks taken by trespassers, claiming the building has been abandoned. They appear to have been taken just before security was tightened.<\/p>\n

The pub has a history dating back to the 1840s, though the building itself is older. According to Exeter Memories it once had the same landlord for 66 years<\/a> was hit by a whirlwind. For many years it was a base for the Exeter Rowing Club. The club moved in the 1980s and its clubhouse became the function room.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Port Royal Exeter(Image: DevonLive)<\/p>\n

In recent years it had a loyal customer base but struggled to attract passing trade and appeared in desperate need of refurbishment.<\/p>\n

In a statement, tenants of the brewery-owned pub, said in January<\/a>: “We are extremely sad to announce that our tenure at The Port Royal has come to an end and we will not be reopening.<\/p>\n

“Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last six plus years.<\/p>\n

“Unfortunately there has been a complete lack of support from both the government and Stonegate our landlords which has made the trading environment unsustainable.<\/p>\n

“This has not been an easy decision for us to make.”<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Stonegate said: “We are actively seeking a new publican following the departure of the previous long-standing publican. During the recruitment process we have had to secure the building and we now have additional security measures in place.<\/p>\n

“We hope to recruit a new publican within the next six weeks and can confirm that the Port Royal remains very much part of Stonegate\u2019s plans for the future.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of Exeter’s oldest pubs has been boarded up to combat squatters, drug users and intruders filming videos…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":599642,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[84,19348,59,2191,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-599641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-exeter","tag-gb","tag-pubs-and-bars","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/599642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}