In fact back then it was nicknamed Damnation Alley. You are probably wondering how on earth it got that name. The pub is actually located next to the very street we are talking about. I was actually reading about this street online before I went to Plymouth and found it very interesting to read about.
As I was staying so near, I just had to go and explore. Castle Street back in the nineteenth century used to be full of brothels, which is how it came to be known as Damnation Alley. To access it I went up a few steps. Like many streets at the Barbican it was narrow and cobbled. A local historian said that in there were no less than ten pubs in this street and every one was a den of iniquity.
Today the street is very quiet and is where you can find the Barbican Theatre. If you imagine back to years, the street would have been a lot different as it was the haunt of many soldiers and sailors.
There is a book by Felicity Goodall called Lost Plymouth. In the Beerhouse Act came in. Anyone who had two guineas could set up a beerhouse. After the Beerhouse Act more and more pubs were set up and before it came into place beer was highly taxed, which made it expensive for the poor to drink. Gin was much cheaper. The pubs along the alley were very popular and not just because of the ladies on sale there. Unfortunately it was also used by rats and farm animals. The water was so contaminated everyone would drink beer, including children.
It was very common for someone to get lost in the dark going home which of course meant there was a high possibility of falling into the harbour and drowning.
