Plymouth is a port city in England on the south coast of Devon, approximately 37 miles (60 km) south-west of Exeter and 190 miles (310 km) west-south-west of London. Enclosing the city are the mouths of the river Plym and river Tamar, which are naturally incorporated into Plymouth Sound to form a boundary with Cornwall.
Saturday, 19 October 2019
Outside Plymouth Gin distillery, also known as Black Friars Distillery, on Southside Street, in the ‘old town’ Barbican area of Plymouth. Tony standing in a vehicle entrance. The distillery has been in operation since 1793. It is a two-storey white painted building with a substantial brick chimney standing above.Tony outside Jacka Bakery, Southside Street, Barbican. This bakery is believed to be the oldest in the UK dating back over 400 years to the early 1600s. The shop, apparently, provided snacks that were taken across the Atlantic by the Pilgrim Fathers on their historic voyage to the New World in 1620.Tony outside the Admiral MacBride pub. This Victorian pub is believed by several historians to be roughly on the site from which the Pilgrim Fathers left England aboard the Mayflower on 6 September 1620.Tony stood by a monument close to the Mayflower Steps. The Mayflower Steps mark the official commemorative location of the Mayflower’s departure from England for North America. The actual location is believed to be where the Admiral MacBride pub now stands. The Mayflower Steps today include a portico with Doric columns of Portland stone that was built in 1934. Tony is next to a small stone column topped with a crown, which sits on top of a wall.A plaque attached to the harbour wall near to the Mayflower Steps. It reads: “From Plymouth on 13th March 1787, sailed the transport ships ‘Friendship’ and ‘Charlotte’ carrying men and women convicts bound for Australia. On 26th January 1788, with nine other ships from England they landed at Port Jackson, which became Sydney, New South Wales. There they established the first British colony under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip R.N. the father of modern Australia.”Another plaque on the harbour wall. The inscription reads: “From near this spot thousands of Cornish People sailed for South Australia during the nineteenth century. Their contribution to the colony’s development particularly mining and farming is acknowledged with pride by the Cornish Association of South Australia.”An old cannon on Madera Road overlooking Sutton Harbour. Tony sat in the foreground. According to a plaque alongside, this is one of a pair of cannons dating from the 19th century, which might have seen action during the Crimean War, or one of the many other naval expeditions undertaken during that period.Another view of Tony sat on one of the old cannons.Tony alongside the Merchant Navy Monument, unveiled by HRH Princess Anne, the Princess Royal on 3 September 2019 (Merchant Navy Day). It is dedicated to members of the Merchant Navy and UK fishing fleet who gave their lives during World War II. The front of the Memorial faces south, looking out over Plymouth Sound, across the breakwater, to the Eddystone Lighthouse. It is located on Plymouth Hoe, south of the Plymouth Navy War Memorial.Another view of the Merchant Navy Monument, showing the central stone plinth with attached plaque. On top of the plinth, and part visible in the photo, is the Watchkeeper statue: it depicts a seaman standing proudly with a pair of binoculars.Tony in front of the RAF and Allied Air Force Monument, erected in 1989. The monument consists of a stone plinth with a sculpture of an unknown airman standing on top. The airman is looking out to sea and is holding a parachute in his right hand.The Sir Francis Drake Monument. This bronze statue of Sir Francis Drake was created by Joseph Boehm in 1884. Drake is depicted holding compasses with a globe beneath. The monument is located at Plymouth Hoe. Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English sea captain, privateer, naval officer, alleged slaver, and explorer. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition from 1577 to 1580. This included his incursion into the Pacific Ocean, until then an area of exclusive Spanish interest, and his claim to New Albion for England, an area in what is now the American state of California.The Plymouth Naval Memorial. This memorial commemorates members of the Royal Navy and sailors of the Commonwealth who died during World War I and World War II and have no known grave. The memorial features a tall central stone obelisk designed by Sir Robert Lorimer, with sculpture by Henry Poole. There is a copper sphere on top. The names of the dead are arranged according to the year of death. Those for the First World War are on panels affixed to the obelisk’s base; those for the Second World War are on panels set into the surrounding wall. Within each year, the names are grouped by service, then by rank and surname. The memorial was unveiled in 1924.Tony feeling names inscribed on the Naval Memorial.The Armada Memorial, erected to commemorate the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. It was unveiled in 1888 to celebrate the tercentenary. The architect was Herbert Gribble and it was sculpted by William Charles May. It is made of granite with various attached bronze plaques and other features. There is a stepped octagonal base with a large square plinth in centre. On top stands a bronze statue of Britannia (a female personification of Great Britain) with a lion. The Spanish Armada (or just the Armada) was a fleet that unsuccessfully attempted a naval invasion of England. News of the Armada’s approach reached Plymouth on the afternoon of 19 July 1588 and it entered into sight on 20 July. Tradition recorded that tidings of the approach came to the captains whilst they were playing bowls on Plymouth Hoe.
