Exeter's 700 year old pub The Turks Head is reopening

The Turks Head, one of the regions oldest pubs and even popular with author Charles Dickens, is returning to Exeter High Street.

With a watering hole on the spot dating back as far as the 1200s, many assumed the Grade II listed pub was gone for good in 2005 when it closed and reopened as Italian restaurant chain Prezzo.

But when Prezzo collapsed last year, the chain exited and left the tavern empty and abandoned.

Enter Clive Watson, father of Made In Chelsea stars Tiff and Lucy Watson.

His pubco The City Pub Group has snapped the building up and already has its hands on the keys.

It joins The Old Firehouse on New North Road, purchased for an eye-watering £3 to 4 million, as the second Devon pub in its UK-wide portfolio.

A spokesperson for the City Pub Group told Devon Live: "We are bringing back The Turks Head, a much loved venue pub in Exeter.

"We want to bring back to it as much of the original features of the pub as possible, a move back to what made it popular."

The firm promises a pub with a "unique identity" and is even offering Exeter residents the chance to put forward their own suggestions of what they would like to see inside the pub.

"All of our sites are very individual and remain individual, unlike chains such as Greene King," the spokesperson explained,

"We took on The Old Fire House 18 months ago and we hardly changed a thing, we want it to remain as individual as possible and we have the same plan for The Turks Head.

"We've been exploring a lot of the history of the pub, and digging out original blueprints.

"We've already unearthed original features including stone work, fireplaces and wooden beams."

The development of the pub is still in its early stages, however they hope it won't be longer than three months before it opens its doors once more to punters.

The spokesperson added: "We have had the keys for for a couple of weeks and we're aiming to open in late Spring, early Summer."

The History of The Turks Head

 

A pub has occupied a spot on the High Street next to the Guildhall for more than 700 years.

The name The Turks head may have first surfaced in 1569, when it was put up for sale, and there are many ways its name could be interpretated.

One origin is thought to be a Turkish prisoner who was imprisoned there when it was used as jail cells.

Another is the name of a particular type of rope knot, and another origin lies in the Crusades or Turkish pirates who raided the coast of Cornwall in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The pub famously hosted author Charles Dickens, who would sit in an area since known as 'Dickens Corner.'

A character from Pickwick Papers is linked to a person he observed during his time sipping a drink.

Much of its historic interior was gutted in 1874, when a fire ravaged the building. It was soon renovated before the 1900s, enlarging it.

With thanks to Exeter Memories