Heartbreak as vandals target the Athenaeum; a Christmas run is launched; welcome home HMS Somerset; and a 1919 tall ship is coming to the Ocean City
It's a Sunday Beagle: August 9, 2026
Plans to give one of Plymouth’s historic buildings a £2 million makeover have been overshadowed after a break-in this week left parts of the Athenaeum badly damaged.
The building in Derry’s Cross was unlawfully entered over several evenings, with CCTV subsequently showing at least four different groups gaining access, according to the Gary Lena Taverners Facebook group.
The most significant damage is understood to have occurred on Sunday evening.
A film subsequently shared on TikTok by Urbex Foundation appears to show people inside the building, including areas of the Athenaeum which are currently part of an active construction site.
The library, which features in the footage, was a locked area. According to the Taverners, intruders smashed the glass panel in the door to gain entry, leaving broken glass scattered across chairs.
Crowbars can also be seen in the footage, while the screen of a television in the room was apparently smashed with a hammer.
An original chandelier in the lounge area was also damaged. The same area features a ping-pong table shown in the TikTok footage.
The Athenaeum is currently undergoing work as part of ambitious plans to secure its future, with a major £2 million refurbishment announced earlier this summer - as reported by The Beagle.
The damage has therefore been particularly painful for those involved in the project.
The Gary Lena Taverners Facebook page posted: “It’s heartbreaking when people put so much effort into preserving a place, only for this to happen.”
The incident has prompted an appeal for information about those seen apparently leaving the building.
It's hoped the damage is repairable, and that the break-in does not derail the wider work to bring the Athenaeum back to life.
HMS Somerset is home after a 24,000 mile operation tracking the Russians
Plymouth-based warship, the Type 23 frigate, HMS Somerset, returned home last week having sailed more than 24,000 nautical miles monitoring Russian activity in UK waters and the North Atlantic.
Her four-month deployment involved monitoring surface and sub-surface activity in the North Atlantic, contributing to the UK’s standing operation to protect Britain’s nuclear deterrent and monitoring potential submarine activity.
She was seen with crew and family members on board enjoying the sunshine in The Sound on Friday.
Photo from @Rockhoppas on 'X'
Doggy Swim Sea Fest is back
The wait is over... Doggy Swim Sea Fest 2026 is now taking bookings.
Treat your four-legged friend to a "pawsome" day at Tinside Lido on Sunday 13 September. Whether they love making a splash, paddling with their pals or simply soaking up the seaside atmosphere, it's set to be a tail-wagging day of fun!
Spaces are limited: to book: https://plymouthcouncil.gladstonego.cloud/book
Classic tall ship is heading to the Sound
Originally launched in 1919 as a herring lugger, the classic Dutch tall ship Morgenster is coming to Plymouth at the end of the month.
After use as a commercial fishing vessel in the North Sea, she saw WW2 service and a brief 1970s detour when she was wrongly seized under false suspicion of involvement with pirate radio, she was acquired in 1983 and underwent two decades of restoration.
From August 27 until Bank Holiday Monday, August 31, she will be offering three-hour sailing journeys from the Barbican Landing, where you can take a turn at the helm or just relax on deck.
Christmas Santa Fun Run is launched
One of the most popular fun runs of the year is now taking sign-ups. This year's Santa Fun Run is on Sunday, December 6. Organised by Saltash Rotary Club, the Fun Run is a 2.5 km or 5 km run with all the runners dressed in Santa Suits, and takes in the Hoe, the Barbican, and many of the iconic sights of old Plymouth, raising much-needed funds for Shekinah and Hugs.
Holiday lodges help with Devonport welfare
A cluster of luxury holiday lodges has been opened as part of a project to enhance the wellbeing of personnel at Devonport naval base.
Four lodges supplied by UK holiday homes market leader Willerby have become the centrepiece of a new wellbeing facility. The lodges will allow service personnel and their families to spend quality time together.
Each can sleep up to eight people and is part of a new village-style development within HMS Drake, the main Navy barracks area.
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