Walrus "closed"; West Hoe damage adds £200k to repair bill; new average speed cameras; and a new artwork coming to The Hoe despite objections.

It's famed for its music and its Sunday roasts - but sadly it seems The Walrus pub on the corner of Athaneum Street has closed.

Open for more than a quarter of a century, it's been popular with students and people grabbing sharpeners before heading to Annabels.

Rumours circulating on social media say the venue has shut, with some staff transferring to the N Joy bar in Mayflower Street, which is operated by the same company. (The Walrus's Facebook page has been rebranded with N Joy messages).

When The Beagle visited on Thursday night the Walrus was in darkness and a man was loading a vehicle with contents from inside. He told us: "We're closed."

Posting on Facebook, Plymouth on Tap - a page that tracks the city's pub history - wrote: "Plymouth has lost another firm favourite which is incredibly sad."

It posted a statement which it said was from The Walrus: "We regret to announce that our pub is closed . Rising costs alone have made trading extremely difficult, but the deciding factor has been the complete lack of support and investment from our brewery. Despite repeated requests, they have refused to spend a single penny on maintaining or improving the pub in the 12 years we have been here, leaving us trying to operate an unsustainable business with no backing."

The Beagle is trying to contact the brewery for comment.

Pier damage adds £200,000 to repair bill

Damage to West Hoe Pier could add £200,000 or more to the bill for the repair work that began days before the first storm of winter hit.

Experts had been assessing the damage to the pier after Storm Ingrid battered the Hoe last Friday night - but their estimates didn't account for Storm Chandra on Monday!

The pier, built in 1880 and Grade II listed, had been undergoing work since December, to strengthen it - including filling the interior with concrete and stone. (Three loads of concrete were delivered to the site yesterday (Thursday)).

Councillor Chis Penberthy, whose ward includes the waterfront, said the council had avoided doing pier improvements last summer so it was not a building site in the tourist season. He added that the work was subsequently delayed because the volume of material requiring excavation was greater than anticipated, and took additional time to remove. This delayed the programme and the pouring of concrete, he said.

He added that timing renovation work was difficult "as weather events were becoming increasingly more frequent and of greater intensity.” He admitted that the first storm hit when the pier had been left at its most vulnerable.

The damage this week will add as much as £200,000 to the total bill, he revealed.

Meanwhile the Tinside Steps area has also been damaged, with a building surveyor and contractor called in to assess what to do next.

“Due to the time of year and poor weather, options for immediate repair will be limited, so our focus will be to secure and make safe any immediate hazards,” a council spokesman said.

New average speed cameras for The Embankment

New average speed cameras are coming to The Embankment to enforce the entire section where the speed limit is 40mph.

The move comes after a consultation into whether the speed limit should be cut to 30mph.

Plymouth Council had proposed extending the existing 30mph speed limit along the western section of Embankment Road (which currently starts and ends just north-east of Stanley Place) to the Plymouth Amateur Rowing Club after a Coroner’s report following a collision in 2023 where a driver lost his life.

A majority of people who responded to a survey said 40mph was safe.

The new speed cameras will be funded jointly by the Council and the police and are expected to be installed in the autumn.

Retreat Hotel might turn into an HMO

Plans have been submitted to turn the Retreat Hotel in Citadel Road into a 12-bedroomed "multi occupancy home."

The Retreat ran in part as an annexe to the Kynance Hotel, which ceased trading last year. Planning documents say that the Kynance Hotel closed because of continued “financial losses” and as a result the Retreat Guest House could no longer function as an independent hotel due to a lack of facilities.

The Kynance has itself recently been granted conditional permission to convert into an HMO.

The Retreat building's façades, forecourt walls and railings form an important and distinguished terrace within The Hoe Conservation Area.

Comments should be submitted to PCC by February 3.

Ebb and Flow sculpture coming to the Peace Garden

The Ebb and Flow artwork is moving to the Peace Garden on Plymouth Hoe despite objections.

The public artwork was unveiled in November 2025 outside the Council House on Armada Way. Created in partnership with Babcock, Arts University Plymouth, and local children, it honours military service families, featuring two figures (a parent and child) representing absence and reunion.

The artwork will mean the removal of two benches from the garden area.

The Hoe Neighbourhood Forum objected to the move. "The Peace Garden is not the ideal location. It was felt that removal of the seating would reduce the areas of
separated quiet contemplation from three to two. The HNF would like to point out that there has been no consultation regarding this proposal and given that councillors attend our regular monthly meetings, it would have been courteous to have done so.

"There needs to be a policy to steer what is and what is not acceptable within The Hoe landscape areas and the extent to which further sculptures, memorials and art installations will be permitted in the future. The Forum would welcome the opportunity to collaborate on such a policy.”

PCC's own historic officer objected, writing they "recommended that PCC refuse permission on the grounds that a more suitable location should be found."

Councillors voted to approve moving Ebb and Flow to the Peace Garden.

Fence Watch!

Persistence pays off. Hat tip to Beagle contributor Mona Saplanski who has badgered PCC to improve the state of the Heras fencing at West Hoe, alongside the RNLI station.

It took three complaints over seven weeks over concerns the "safety" fence was anything but safe, with sharp spikes of metal protruding.

"Reporting problems does get results..... eventually," said Mona.

Do the Beryls!

It's become a thing! Have you "Done the Beryls?"

Temporary figures are now in place around the city to celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday year of artist Beryl Cook, which coincides with a major exhibition of Cook's work at The Box.

They will be in place until July - and a "Beryl Walk" to visit all four figures is proving a popular pastime.