Plymouth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| City of Plymouth | |||
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| Nickname(s): Spirit of Discovery[1] | |||
| Motto: Turris fortissima est nomen Jehova "The name of Jehova is the strongest tower"[2] |
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| Coordinates: Coordinates: | |||
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom | ||
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| Constituent country | England | ||
| Region | South West England | ||
| Ceremonial county | Devon | ||
| City status | 1928 | ||
| Unitary Authority | 1998 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | City Council | ||
| - Lord Mayor | Brian Vincent | ||
| - HQ | Civic Centre Precinct | ||
| - Wards | 20 | ||
| - UK Parliament | Plymouth Sutton South West Devon Plymouth Devonport |
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| - European Parliament | South West England | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 30.6 sq mi (79.29 km2) | ||
| Highest elevation | 509 ft (155 m) | ||
| Lowest elevation | 0 ft (0 m) | ||
| Population (2007 est.)[3] | |||
| - Total | 250,700 | ||
| - Density | 8,138/sq mi (3,142/km2) | ||
| - Demonyms | Plymothian (formal) Janner (informal) |
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| - Ethnicity (2001)[4] |
98.35% White
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| Time zone | GMT (UTC0) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) | ||
| Postcode district | PL1 — 9 | ||
| Website: www.plymouth.gov.uk | |||
Plymouth (
ˈplɪməθ (help·info)) is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about 190 miles (310 km) south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound. Since 1967 the unitary authority of Plymouth has included the suburbs of Plympton and Plymstock, which are on the east side of the River Plym.
Plymouth's history goes back to the Bronze Age, when its first settlement grew at Mount Batten. This settlement continued to grow as a trading post for the Roman Empire, until the more prosperous village of Sutton, the current Plymouth, surpassed it. In 1620 the Pilgrim Fathers left Plymouth for the New World and established Plymouth Colony — the second English settlement in what is now the United States of America. During the English Civil War the town was held by the Parliamentarians and was besieged between 1642 and 1646.
Throughout the Industrial Revolution Plymouth grew as a major shipping port, handling imports and passengers from the Americas and the construction of ships for the Royal Navy. This later led to its targeting and partial destruction during World War II, an act known as the Plymouth Blitz. After the war the city centre was completely rebuilt.
Today the city is home to over 250,000 people, making it the 15th most populous city in England. It has its own city council and is represented nationally by three MPs. Plymouth's economy is still strongly influenced by shipbuilding, but has become a more service-based economy since the 1990s. It has the 11th largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students, the University of Plymouth, and the largest operational naval base in Western Europe — HMNB Devonport. Plymouth has ferry links to France and Spain and an airport with international services.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early history
Upper Palaeolithic deposits, including bones of Homo sapiens, have been found in local caves,[5] and artifacts dating from the Bronze Age to the Middle Iron Age have been found at Mount Batten showing that it was one of the main trading ports of the country at that time.[6] The settlement of Plympton, further up the River Plym than the current Plymouth, was also an early trading port, but the river silted up in the early 11th century and forced the mariners and merchants to settle at the current day Barbican near the river mouth.[7] At the time this village was called Sutton, meaning south town in Saxon.[7] The name Plymouth, meaning "mouth of the River Plym" — the river name being a back-formation from Plympton ("Plum-tree town"),[8] was first mentioned in a Pipe Roll of 1211.[9]
[edit] Early defence and Renaissance
During the Hundred Years' War a French attack (1340) burned a manor house and took some prisoners, but failed to get into the town.[10] In 1403 the town was burned by Breton raiders.[11] A series of fortifications were built in the Tudor and Elizabethan eras, which include the four round towers featured on the city coat of arms; the remains of two of these can still be found at Mount Batten and at Sutton Pool below the Royal Citadel.[12]
During the 16th century locally produced wool was the major export commodity.[13] Plymouth was the home port for successful maritime traders, among them Sir John Hawkins, who led England's first foray into the Atlantic slave trade,[14] as well as Sir Francis Drake.[15] According to legend, Drake insisted on completing his game of bowls on the Hoe before engaging the Spanish Armada in 1588.[15] In 1620 the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for the New World from Plymouth, establishing Plymouth Colony — the second English colony in what is now the United States of America.[16]
During the English Civil War Plymouth sided with the Parliamentarians and was besieged for almost four years by the Royalists.[17] The last major attack by the Royalist was by Sir Richard Grenville leading thousands of soldiers towards Plymouth, but they were defeated by the Plymouthians.[17] The civil war ended as a Parliamentary win, but monarchy was restored by King Charles II in 1649, who imprisoned many of the Parliamentary heroes on Drake's Island.[17] Construction of the Royal Citadel began in 1665, after the Restoration; it was armed with cannon facing both out to sea and into the town, rumoured to be a reminder to residents not to oppose the Crown.[18]
[edit] Naval power, docks and Foulston
Throughout the 17th century Plymouth had gradually lost its pre-eminence as a trading port. By the mid-1600s commodities manufactured elsewhere in England cost too much to transport to Plymouth and the city had no means of processing sugar or tobacco imports, although it played a relatively small part in the Atlantic slave trade during the early 1700s.[13] In 1690 the first dockyard, HMNB Devonport, opened on the banks of the Tamar and further docks were built in 1727, 1762 and 1793.[2] In the 18th century new houses were built near the dock, called Plymouth Dock at the time,[19] and a new town grew up. In 1712 there were 318 men employed and by 1733 it had grown to a population of 3,000 people.[7]
Prior to the latter half of the 18th century grain, timber and then coal were the greatest imports.[20] During this time the real source of wealth and the major employer in the region became the dockyard.[7] The Three Towns conurbation of Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport enjoyed some prosperity during the late 18th and early 19th century and were enriched by a series of neo-classical urban developments designed by London architect John Foulston.[21] Foulston was important for the town and was responsible for several grand public buildings, many now destroyed, including the Athenaeum, the Theatre Royal and Royal Hotel, and much of Union Street.[21] Some of the greatest imports to Plymouth from the Americas and Europe during the latter half of the 19th century included maize, wheat, barley, sugar cane, guano, sodium nitrate and phosphate.[22] Aside from the dockyard, other industries such as the gasworks, the railways and tramways and a number of small chemical works had begun to develop in the 19th century continuing into the 20th century.[23]
[edit] Twentieth Century
The city was heavily bombed by the Germans during World War II in a series of 59 raids known as the Plymouth Blitz.[23] Although the dockyards were the principal targets, much of the city centre and over 3,700 houses were completely destroyed and more than 1,000 civilians lost their lives.[24] The redevelopment of the city was planned by Sir Patrick Abercrombie in 1943[25] and by 1964 over 20,000 new homes had been built.[26] Most of the shops had been destroyed and those that remained were cleared to enable a zoned reconstruction according to his plan.[26] Charles Church was hit by incendiary bombs and partially destroyed in 1941 during the Blitz, but has not been demolished, as it is now an official permanent monument to the bombing of Plymouth during World War II.[27] Devonport Dockyard was kept busy refitting aircraft carriers such as the Ark Royal. By the time this work ended in the late 1970s the nuclear submarine base was operational. The army had substantially left the city by 1971, with barracks pulled down in the 1960s,[26] however the city has become home to the 42 Commando of the Royal Marines.[26]
[edit] Governance
[edit] Local government history
The first record of the existence of a settlement at Plymouth was in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Sudtone, Saxon for south farm, located at the present day Barbican.[2] In 1254 it gained status as a town and in 1439, became the first town in England to be granted a Charter by Parliament.[2] Between 1439 and 1934, Plymouth was governed by a Mayor.[28] In 1914 the county boroughs of Plymouth and Devonport, and the urban district of East Stonehouse merged to form a single county borough of Plymouth.[7] Collectively they were referred to as "The Three Towns".[29] Plymouth was granted city status on 18 October 1928.[30] The city's first Lord Mayor was appointed in 1935 and its boundaries further expanded in 1967 to include the town of Plympton and the parish of Plymstock.[7]
The 1971 Local Government White Paper proposed abolishing county boroughs, which would have left Plymouth, a town of 250,000 people, being administered from a council based at the smaller Exeter, on the other side of the county. This led to Plymouth lobbying for the creation of a Tamarside county, to include Plymouth, Torpoint, Saltash, and the rural hinterland.[31] The campaign was not successful, and Plymouth ceased to be a county borough on 1 April 1974 with responsibility for education, social services, highways and libraries transferred to Devon County Council. All powers returned when the city become a unitary authority on 1 April 1998 under recommendations of the Banham Commission.[32]
In UK Parliament, Plymouth is represented by the three constituencies of Plymouth Devonport, Plymouth Sutton and South West Devon and within the EU Parliament as South West England and Gibraltar.[33] In the 2005 General Election, Devonport and Sutton were held by Labour MPs Alison Seabeck and Linda Gilroy, with South West Devon held by Conservative MP Gary Streeter.[33] Starting from 2009 or 2010, the next general election, the constituencies of Devonport and Sutton will merge to become Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, whilst a new constituency, Plymouth Moor View, will be formed to the north of the city taking in wards from Devonport.[34]
[edit] City Council
- See also: List of wards in Plymouth
The City of Plymouth is divided into 20 wards, 17 of which elect three councillors and the other three electing two councillors, making up a total council of 57.[36] Each year a third of the council is up for election for three consecutive years — there are no elections on the following "fourth" year, which is when County Council elections take place.[36] The total electorate for Plymouth was 183,358 in December 2007.[37] The local election of May 2008 resulted in a political composition of 37 Conservative and 20 Labour.[38] Plymouth has a Lord Mayor, which is elected each year on the third Friday of May by a group of six people.[39] It is traditional that the position of the Lord Mayor alternates between the Conservative Party and the Labour Party annually and that the Lord Mayor chooses the Deputy Lord Mayor.[39] As of May 2008 and until May 2009 Brian Vincent holds the position of Lord Mayor for the Labour Party.[40]
The Lord Mayor's official residence is 3 Elliot Terrace, located on the Hoe.[41] Once a home of Waldorf and Nancy Astor, it was given by Lady Astor to the City of Plymouth as an official residence for future Lord Mayors and is also used today for civic hospitality, as lodgings for visiting dignitaries and High Court judges and it is also available to hire for private events.[41] The Civic Centre municipal office building in Armada Way became a listed building in June 2007 because of its quality and period features, but has become the centre of a controversy as the council planned for its demolition estimating that it could cost £40m to refurbish it, resulting in possible jobs loses.[42]
Plymouth City Council is formally twinned with:[43]
Brest, France (1963)
Gdynia, Poland (1976)
Novorossiysk, Russia (1990)
San Sebastián, Spain (1990)
Plymouth, United States (2001)
[edit] Geography
- See also: List of places in Plymouth
| Climate chart for Plymouth[44] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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114
9
3
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92
8
3
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87
10
4
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59
12
6
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61
15
8
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57
18
11
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55
20
13
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69
19
13
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76
18
11
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95
15
9
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101
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116
10
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| temperatures in °C precipitation totals in mm |
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Imperial conversion
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Plymouth lies between the River Plym to the east and the River Tamar to the west; both rivers flow into the natural harbour of Plymouth Sound.[45] Since 1967, the unitary authority of Plymouth has included the, once independent, towns of Plympton and Plymstock which lie along the east of the River Plym.[7] The River Tamar forms the county boundary between Devon and Cornwall and its estuary forms the Hamoaze on which is sited Devonport Dockyard.[45] The River Plym, which flows off Dartmoor to the north east, forms a smaller estuary to the east of the city called Cattewater. Plymouth Sound is protected from the sea by the Plymouth Breakwater, in use since 1814.[46] In the Sound is Drake's Island which is seen from Plymouth Hoe, a flat public area on top of limestone cliffs.[47] The Unitary Authority of Plymouth is 30.8 square miles (79.78 km²),[48] but the city of Plymouth, as cited from Plymouth City Council, is 30.61 square miles (79.29 km²).[49] The topography rises from sea level to a height, at Roborough, of about 509 feet (155 m) above Ordnance Datum (AOD).[49]
The geology of Plymouth has a mixture of limestone, Devonian slate, granite and Middle Devonian limestone.[50] Plymouth Sound, Shores and Cliffs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, because of its geology.[51] The bulk of the city is built upon Upper Devonian slates and shales and the headlands at the entrance to Plymouth Sound are formed of Lower Devonian slates, which can withstand the power of the sea.[50] A band of Middle Devonian limestone runs west to east from Cremyll to Plymstock including the Hoe.[50] Local limestone may be seen in numerous buildings, walls and pavements throughout Plymouth.[50] To the north and north east of the city is the granite mass of Dartmoor, which was mined and exported via Plymouth — rocks brought down river from Dartmoor has given rise to ores containing tin, copper, tungsten, lead and other minerals in the Tamar Valley.[50] There is evidence that the middle Devonian limestone belt in the south edge of Plymouth and in Plymstock was quarried at West Hoe, Cattedown and Radford.[52]
On 27 April 1944 Sir Patrick Abercrombie's Plan for Plymouth to rebuild the city was published; calling for the destruction of the few remaining pre-War buildings in the city centre and their replacement with wide, modern boulevards aligned east-west linked by a north-south avenue (Armada Way) providing access from the railway station with Plymouth Hoe.[25] Prefabs were built by 1946, followed by over a thousand permanent council houses built each year from 1951 — 1957.[26] By 1964 over 20,000 new homes had been built, more than 13,500 of them permanent council homes and 853 built by the Admiralty.[26] Plymouth is home to 28 parks with an average size of 45,638 square metres (491,240 sq ft).[53] Its largest park is Central Park with other sizeable green spaces including Victoria Park, Freedom Fields Park, Alexandra Park, and the Hoe.[53]
[edit] Climate
Along with the rest of South West England, Plymouth has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The annual mean temperature is approximately 11 °C (52 °F) and shows a seasonal and a diurnal variation, but due to the modifying effect of the sea the range is less than in most other parts of the UK.[54] February is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between 3 °C (37 °F) and 4 °C (39 °F). July and August are the warmest months with mean daily maxima over 19 °C (66 °F).[44]
South West England has a favoured location with respect to the Azores high pressure when it extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK, particularly in summer. Coastal areas have average annual sunshine totals over 1,600 hours.[54]
Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlantic depressions or with convection. The Atlantic depressions are more vigorous in autumn and winter and most of the rain which falls in those seasons in the south-west is from this source. Average annual rainfall is around 980 millimetres (39 in). The number of days with snow falling is typically fewer than ten per winter. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.[54]
[edit] Demography
In August 2008, the Office for National Statistics estimated that Plymouth's unitary authority area population for mid-2007 was 250,700,[3] 9,980 more people than that of the last census from 2001, which indicated that Plymouth had a population of 240,720.[55] The average household size was 2.3 persons.[56] To the right is a graph showing the population change of the city since 1801. The population rose rapidly during the second half of the 19th century, but declined by over 1.6% from 1931 to 1951. Plymouth's gross value added (a measure of its economy) was 3.501 billion GBP in 2004 making up approximately one quarter of Devon's economy.[57] Its GVA per capita was £14,327 and compared to the national average of £17,115, it was £2,788 lower.[57] Between 1997 and 2007 unemployment decreased from 10.8% to 6.2%, but unemployment in the city still remains significantly above the national average.[58] At the time of the 2001 UK census, the ethnic composition of Plymouth's population was 98.4% White, with the largest minority ethnic group being Chinese at 0.3%.[55]
[edit] Economy
Because of its coastal location, the economy of Plymouth has traditionally been maritime, in particular the defence sector with over 12,000 people employed and approximately 7,500 in the armed forces.[60] Since the 1980s, employment in the defence sector has decreased substantially and the public sector is now prominent particularly in administration, health, education, medicine and engineering.[60] Devonport Dockyard is the UK's only naval base that refits nuclear submarines and the Navy estimates that the Dockyard generates about 10% of Plymouth's income.[61] Plymouth has the largest cluster of marine and maritime businesses in the south west with 270 firms operating within the sector.[62] Other substantial employers include the university with 30,000 students and almost 3,000 staff,[63] as well as the Tamar Science Park employing 500 people in 50 companies, which is the fastest growing science park in the United Kingdom.[60]
Plymouth has a post-war shopping area in the city centre with substantial pedestrianisation.[26] At the west end of the zone inside a grade II listed building is the Pannier Market that was completed in 1959 — pannier meaning "basket" from French, so it translates as "basket market".[64] In terms of retail floorspace, Plymouth is ranked in the top five in the South West,[65] and 29th nationally.[66] Plymouth was one of the first ten British cities to trial the new Business Improvement District initiative.[67] The Tinside Pool is situated at the foot of the Hoe and became a grade II listed building in 1998 before being restored to its 1930s look for £3.4 million.[68]
[edit] Plymouth 2020
Plymouth Council is currently undertaking a project of urban redevelopment called the 'Vision for Plymouth' launched by the architect David Mackay and backed by Plymouth City Council.[69] Its projects range from shopping centres, cruise terminals and a boulevard to reach a population of 300,000, and building 33,000 dwellings.[69]
In 2004 the old Drake Circus shopping centre and Charles Cross car park were demolished and replaced by the latest Drake Circus Shopping Centre, which opened in October 2006.[70] It received negative feedback before opening when David Mackay said it was already "ten years out of date".[70] In contrast, the Theatre Royal's production and education centre, TR2, which was built on wasteland at Cattedown, was a runner-up for the RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture in 2003.[71]
There is a project involving the future relocation of Plymouth City Council's headquarters, the civic centre, to the current location of the Bretonside bus station; it would involve both the bus station and civic centre being demolished and a rebuilt together at the location with the land from the civic centre being sold off.[72] Other suggestions include the demolition of the Plymouth Pavilions entertainment arena to create a canal 'boulevard' linking Millbay to the city centre. Millbay is being regenerated with mixed residential, retail and office space alongside the ferry port.[73]
[edit] Transport
- See also: Railways in Plymouth
The A38 dual-carriageway runs from east to west across the geographical centre of the city.[74] Heading east, it connects Plymouth to the M5 motorway about 40 miles (64 km) away near Exeter; and heading west it connects Cornwall and Devon via the Tamar Bridge.[74] Regular bus services are provided by Plymouth Citybus First Group and Target Travel.[75] There are three Park and ride services located at Milehouse, Coypool (Plympton) and George Junction (Plymouth City Airport), which are operated by First Group.[76]
A regular international ferry service provided by Brittany Ferries operates from Millbay taking cars and foot passengers directly to France (Roscoff) and Spain (Santander) via the two ferries: MV Bretagne and MV Pont-Aven.[77] There is a passenger ferry between Stonehouse and the Cornish hamlet of Cremyll, which is believed to have continuously operated since 1204.[78] There is also a pedestrian ferry from the Mayflower Steps to Mount Batten,[79] and an alternative to using the Tamar Bridge via the Torpoint Ferry (vehicle and pedestrian) across the River Tamar.[80]
The city's airport is Plymouth City Airport about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the city centre.[81] The airport is home to the local airline Air Southwest,[82] which operates flights across the British Isles and France.[83] In June 2003 a report by the South West RDA was published looking at the future of aviation in the south west and the possible closure of airports.[84] It concluded that the best option for the South West was to close Plymouth City Airport and expand nearby Exeter International Airport and Newquay Cornwall Airport, although it did conclude that this was not the best option for Plymouth.[85]
Plymouth railway station, which opened in 1877,[86] is managed by First Great Western and also sees trains on the CrossCountry and South West Trains networks.[87] Smaller stations are served by local trains on the Tamar Valley Line and Cornish Main Line.[88] First Great Western have come under fire recently, due to widespread rail service cuts across the south west, which affect Plymouth greatly.[89] Three MPs from the three main political parties in the region have lobbied that the train services are vital to its economy.[90]
