Owners of The Grapevine in Exmouth set to expand into Exeter

They could take on a unit at a canalside industrial estate

The company behind popular pubs in Exmouth and Topsham could soon be opening a branch in Exeter as it files plans to take on a unit at one of the city's industrial estates.

The Can Do Pub Company has submitted an application to Exeter City Council for a new premises licence at the Vulcan Estate on Water Lane. The site is just a stone's throw from a well-used walking route alongside the canal and riverside.

If approved, the licence would allow the business to sell alcohol from 12pm to 11pm seven days a week. DevonLive has contacted the company for more information on the nature of their proposed new venture.

The industrial estate is near an area that could undergo a huge transformation in the next few years. There is currently a revised planning application pending consideration, which could see a number of buildings in the area demolished and replaced with new homes, work spaces, shops, a café or restaurant and another building for leisure, education, culture or a hotel. An Exeter City Council planning officer recommended that the scheme be approved in November 2023.

While the licence application has been made by the pub company, the business is perhaps better known by their pub in Exmouth, The Grapevine. It was opened in 2010 by the Bainbridge family on the corner of Manchester Street and Victoria Road, a short distance from the town centre.

In 2015, Olly Bainbridge opened a partly crowdfunded brewery in the pub's old stables, which became known as Crossed Anchors Brewing. The family first showcased their beers at The Grapevine's Beer Festival in the same year and they say it was an "instant success". In 2023, the company took on the lease of a historic Topsham landmark which has been transformed into the trendy Old Firestation - a brewery and taphouse complete with pop-up street food.

Currently, the brewery's beers can be found at The Grapevine, at The Old Firestation pub and at Greendale Farm Shop near Exeter. They also offer their drinks, as well as gifts and bookings for brewery tours, online.

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