A village. A pub. And a community that said “This matters.”

1820s The Kings Arms is built.  William Oldreive, a local lad with vision, builds a pub with sea views. Not a bad spot. He runs it as a hotel for many years.

Late 1800s – 1900s The Perrins take over for three generations.  The family keeps the fire burning, the pints flowing, and the village fed and watered.

1930s Royalty, artists, and some serious name-dropping.  The future King Edward VIII (then Prince of Wales) pops in …often.  So does King Alfonso of Spain.  And Jack Yeats, Ireland’s most famous painter – brother of Nobel Prize poet W.B. Yeats – paints and drinks here while staying nearby.  W.B. himself paying the occasional visit to the Parish.

1944 War comes to Strete.  The village is evacuated. The Americans move in. The pub, like the village, becomes a very different place.

We have it on good authority that Churchill himself might’ve swung by.  But we’ll take Eisenhower, who is said to have visited the area during D-Day rehearsals.

Post-war Back to normal(ish)  Heavitree Brewery owns the pub. Beer is served. Locals return. Life resumes. The Kings Arms keeps doing what it’s always done: holding the village together.

2015 The threat of change.  Heavitree stops brewing and becomes a property company. Developers circle. The village acts. We list the property – a listed Grade II building – as an Asset of Community Value to protect it.  And win.  And win again when the listing is successfully renewed in 2020…

2020 The big idea: Let’s buy it!  The pub needs new energy. A group of villagers get talking. They write business plans. Host fundraisers. Paint walls. Cut back the garden. The dream? To keep the pub alive – and owned by the people who care about it.  

Now we, the village of Strete, as a Community Benefit Scheme, are the owners of Strete Community Pub Limited.  The Kings Arms is run by us, the village – for locals, visitors, and anyone who values connection, conversation and a pint with a view. 

It’s not easy. The pandemic hit just after we opened the doors. And winter in a coastal village? Brutal. But we’ve got heart. We’ve got hope. And we’ve got one hell of a view.  Come and see for yourself.

Now it’s 2025 and we keep going.  We apply again to renew the listing as an Asset of Community Value and – with the persuasive support of villagers – we win. 

The pub’s story shows what can be done when a village comes together. 

It’s not just about beer. It’s about belonging.