City Gate

Exeter. The pub abuts Exeter's original Roman city walls, which date back to around 200 AD. It opened as the Crown and Sceptre Inn in 1778. The inn served as a crucial gateway checkpoint for travellers entering Exeter from North Devon. Because North Street is so steep, passengers riding in horse-drawn coaches would disembark at the inn to lighten the load so the horses could make the climb. The building later served as a cotton mill during the height of the regional textile trade, and

then became the City Gate Hotel.

Today it is operated by the Young's Pub Group. Inside there are several spacious rooms surrounding the long front bar. In the rear is a large glass-ceiling room and out back is a nice beer garden. A great place to sit next to a nearly 2,000 year old wall and enjoy a Young's London Special.