ABOUT US

After falling in love with the historic Port of Dartmouth decades before, and even marrying at Dartmouth Castle nearly 30 years ago,  Sarah & Rupert Smither finally realised their dream to move to this beautiful part of the world over 13 years ago, and set up a successful holiday letting business.  When they discovered the stunning old building "The Sail Loft" for sale at the end of Foss Street they knew this was the opportunity they were looking for.  They were determined to restore this amazing building to its former glory and then share it with both locals and holidaymakers in Dartmouth.  It has been a labour of love, but with Rupert's vision & determination, and with the patience and support of Sarah, this beautiful building has now been sensitively refurbished with many of the original features restored, and a unique bar, restaurant and lifestyle business has been born.

ABOUT THE SAIL LOFT

The building is believed to have been completed in 1643 as a bonded warehouse for the port trade, originally with three floors at the waterside of the tidal Mill Pool.  It is assumed it ceased to be a customs warehouse when the Mill Pool was filled in, and Mayors Avenue the New Ground (now Dartmouth's main car park) were completed.  This would have been around 1870.  
It was then used as workshops and for many years, pre and post-war, was used as  carpenters’ shop where coffins and furniture were made.  The GPO took over the ground floor as garaging for their vehicles, in the 1970s it was used for furniture storage, and in 1979 it became a rigging and sailmaking workshop.  This continued until 2019 when Dart Sails moved to larger premises, and it has now been lovingly restored and converted in our Bar | Lounge | Kitchen.
The north wall of the original building was originally decorated with carvings similar to those in the Butterwalk, but these were destroyed when the building suffered bomb damage in 1943.  Large windows were fitted to put more light into the building for furniture making.  In the late 80’s the building was designated for demolition to make way for a by-pass road to remove traffic from Duke Street.  The owners of the sailmaking and rigging businesses, fearing they would lose their premises with inadequate compensation, took advice and applied to have the building listed, citing the southeast corner and the roof construction using trenails as of interest.  The listing was successful, meaning overnight this wonderful building went from being worthless and disposable to preserved and of historical importance, for which we are so grateful! 

WHAT'S NEXT...

The Sail Loft Dartmouth, Devon is an ever-evolving business. We are currently open on Wednesday, Thursday & Fridays from 5pm to 10.30pm, and Saturdays from 3pm. We host a number of Guest Chef Pop-ups, see our KITCHEN page for details. Booking in advance for our pop-ups is ESSENTIAL..

We can also host private functions,  including parties & weddings.  Since we launched in 2021 we have had live music evenings, screenings of sports events, hosted some fabulous pop-ups, run a number of workshops, catered for some wonderful weddings and hosted very special birthday parties!
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We can cater for up to 50 people for a sit-down meal and up to 100 for a stand-up event. If you would like to learn more then please do drop us an email for more information or request a bespoke event proposal for your special occasion.

Our 1st floor LOUNGE area is a light, airy and relaxed area for you to sit back and enjoy a drink or two.
It is a social, adaptable space offering a mixture of sofas, chairs, stools and bench seating.
So come sit back and relax and we’ll look after you!