Devonport

Devonport
Devon
HMS Cumberland in Devonport
Location
Grid reference:	SX455547
Location:	50°22’21"N, 4°10’22"W
Data
Post town:	Plymouth
Postcode:	PL1
Dialling code:	01752
Local Government
Council:	Plymouth
Parliamentary constituency:	Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Devonport is today a district of Plymouth in south-western Devon, a primary Royal Navy base which has been a home to the Navy since the days of Drake. It was a town on its own for most of its existence, one of the Three Towns; Devonport, Stonehouse and Plymouth, which were eventually joined together as Plymouth in the nineteenth century.

The town as a military base was surrounded by fortifications which once restricted its growth and kept it separate from its neighbours. During the War it was largely cut off for security reasons.

Devonport was formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, although it was, at one time, the largest town of the three; indeed it was the largest town in Devon. The name "Devonport" was granted by King George IV in 1823. Devonport became a county borough in 1889 but was merged in 1914 to form a single Plymouth county borough. In 1928 this became the City of Plymouth.

History

In 1690 the Admiralty gave a contract to Robert Waters from Portsmouth to build a stone dock at Point Froward on the east bank of the Hamoaze at the mouth of the River Tamar. Plymouth Dock, as Devonport was originally called, began around 1700 as a small settlement to house workers employed on the new naval base that was being built around Waters' dock. By 1733 its population had grown to around 3,000, and by 1801 it was already larger than both the nearby towns of Plymouth and Stonehouse together.

By 1811 the population of Plymouth Dock was just over 30,000 and the residents resented the fact that its name made it sound like an adjunct of Plymouth. In 1823 a petition to King George IV requested the town should be renamed, and suggested "Devonport". The king agreed, and to celebrate, the town built a column next to the recently completed town hall; both were designed by John Foulston. Devonport was first incorporated as a municipal borough in 1837 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. It became a county borough under the Local Government Act 1888.

Deveonport was practically sealed off during the Second World War due to its importanace as a naval base, which caused an economic decline. It was a principal target for the Luftwaffe and Plymouth overall was bombed heavily, a factor leading to the city's wholesale redevelopment after the war, which redevelopment has still not been remedied.

21st-century Devonport

Devonport and the Hamoaze from the air

During the millennium decade, Devonport received government NDC (New Deals for Communities) funding of £48.7 million; this enabled an extensive Regeneration programme to be carried out. Since 2009, the investments have begun to transform Devonport - physically, socially, demographically. Where once the area was run-down, depressed, and classified as ‘deprived’ in many categories, the 21st-century Devonport is beginning to achieve the city’s vision of … “The recreation of Devonport as a distinct place in modern Plymouth; a vibrant self sustaining community; a place of real quality, variety and interest, the pride of residents, attractive to visitors and a model of 21st Century living, working and playing.”

The Admiralty's release of several land plots in Devonport has assisted the Regeneration project. One ex-MoD area, where new homes will be available from 2011, is the Admiralty House site at Mount Wise. Although there are pockets of regeneration work remaining to be completed, the waterfront district of Devonport is becoming one of the desired residential areas of the city of Plymouth.

In 2011, the Devonport Heritage Trail was introduced, complete with over 70 waymarkers outlining the route.

Facilities and planning situation

Devonport has its own shopping street, a railway station, a swimming pool, and a park and a sports ground, The Brickfields. Since 2003, it has been the home of Plymouth Albion, the city's Rugby Union club located near Plymouth City College.

Parkside Community College, which closed in August 2008 due to falling enrollment, is situated near Devonport Park. The Torpoint Ferry service across the Hamoaze (River Tamar) operates from Devonport to Cornwall.

Devonport Naval base/Dockyard has, over the years, been known as "Guz" by naval ratings. There are various explanations for the nickname: the Royal Naval Museum says it is short for Guzzle and refers to Devon cream teas. Another claimed derivation is from Plymouth's wartime radio callsign which was GUZZ.

Town Hall, Column and Library, 1825

Devonport's town hall and column

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Devonport)

References

Devonport skyline

• Gill, Crispin (1993). Plymouth. A New History. Devon Books. ISBN 0-86114-882-7.