The Imperial is one of four Wetherspoons pubs in Exeter, and must be one of the showpieces of the chain. It’s set in extensive grounds. The core of the building was constructed for the then Devon County Architect in 1810, and was later further embellished by subsequent wealthy owners.
The fittings in the ballroom came from a country house a few miles outside Exeter, while the Orangery was originally built for what is now Reed Hall, part of the nearby University. Various websites claim it was originally designed as a heated palm house (plausible given the height of the glass roof) and that it was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (it’s an impressive piece of Victorian engineering, and he must have spent time nearby working on the GWR, so it might just be possible).
The huge grounds mean the pub has a very extensive bear garden. It’s also adjacent to the leafy campus of the University, so the area is a haven for some wildlife.
It’s popular with corvids, which must supplement their diet with bits and pieces which the pub’s patrons let fall from their meals and snacks. Here, one of the jackdaws perches on one of the guy ropes of a marquee, yards from where we were having an early lunch.