Unique retro games arcade Boneyard is set to re-open in Sidwell Street by converting a former Brighthouse retail unit into a new venue twelve months after having to make way for a “co-living” block at its previous Red Lion Lane location.
Supervideo Ltd, the Paignton-based micro entity which runs the arcade, applied to the city council earlier this month for permission to change the use of the Sidwell Street unit, which has been vacant since Brighthouse collapsed in 2020, after a long search for a new location.
The relocated arcade will occupy all three floors of the building, with games machines on the ground floor and staff and storage facilities on the upper floors. It will open seven days a week from midday until 9pm, with later opening until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, creating four jobs.
Boneyard arcade games. Photo: Boneyard.
Boneyard, which opened in its former Red Lion Lane home in August 2021, offers vintage games from the 1970s to the 1990s such as Space Invaders and Pac-Man as well as pinball machines and dance machines.
Supervideo Ltd has also submitted an application for a license to permit alcohol sales on the premises during evening hours. Drinks would be served from a behind-the-counter fridge.
Phil Jones, director of Supervideo Ltd and Boneyard proprietor, said: “Over the last year we had a few promising leads that unfortunately failed to come to fruition for one reason or another.
“So we’re very happy to have found a location that we think will work well”.
Boneyard arcade at former home in Red Lion Lane.
Boneyard arcade had been open for just nine months at its previous location when Exeter City Council restructured the leases on the wider site in May 2022 to enable its redevelopment for “co-living”.
The site was also occupied by Sai Kung Cafe, which has closed permanently, and Yonk Asian Foods, which relocated to Sidwell Street.
The city council approved the 145-bed block in January last year. Site demolition is about to begin but building construction has been postponed.
Boneyard closed its doors in Red Lion Lane in October last year and moved its equipment into storage while continuing its search for new city centre location.
Boneyard pinball machines. Photo: Boneyard.
Boneyard’s new home in Sidwell Street is part of a much larger site previously owned by The Crown Estate and included in the sale of Princesshay shopping centre to Frasers Group in October last year.
The site is part of the stalled Citypoint project, a £300 million scheme proposed by Exeter City Council in 2018 to redevelop all the land between Paris Street, Sidwell Street and Cheeke Street.
A statement accompanying the arcade’s change of use application says that Frasers Group is “yet to disclose future intentions for the site” but had confirmed that the site was “part of a future redevelopment plan”.
Boneyard’s Phil Jones said that it had been a challenge to find the right location to re-open the arcade, adding that “affordability and prominence together in the city centre is a tough combination to achieve”.
He said he was “looking forward to bringing a venue to the city that provides entertainment for people of all ages and backgrounds” adding that the previous location had “proved very popular with locals including families and students”.
Boneyard pinball machine players. Photo: Boneyard.
A recent Exeter City Council scrutiny meeting focussed on anti-social behaviour in the city centre heard evidence from a group of local secondary school students who were asked for their views on Sidwell Street.
Several expressed frustration that Boneyard had previously closed. They singled out the arcade as a safe and affordable place for young people to spend time with friends in the city centre, where there are few such options.
Boneyard’s change of use application for the Sidwell Street building has received several public comments in support.
One said that the previous arcade had been a “great resource for families” with “children and their parents united by a common interest in the fun of arcade games and pinball machines”.
Another said that the new arcade “would bring welcome energy and entertainment to Exeter’s city centre” which “doesn’t have many entertainment-based venues or activities” adding that Boneyard “would add real variety and vibrancy to Sidwell Street.”
Comments on the change of use application can be submitted via the city council website and via email to consultations@exeter.gov.uk until Wednesday 19 November 2025.
