Plymouth is a port city in Devon that also goes by the name of the Ocean City of Britain. The city is known for its narrow cobbled streets and a maritime heritage. Plymouth lies between the mouths of the two rivers - Plym and Tamar – and hence its name. The first settlers had come to Plymouth in the Bronze Age. It was in 1620 that the Pilgrim Fathers departed from Plymouth in search of some New World. They established a new colony at the time known as the Plymouth Colony and later as The United States of America.
Plymouth grew during the Industrial Revolution as a Commercial Shipping Port. Imports and passengers both poured into Plymouth from the Americas. Plymouth was also using its ports to export minerals such as time, lime, china clay, copper and arsenic. In 1928 Plymouth achieved a city status when three of its neighbours also joined together under the same name. During the Second World War, Plymouth was a target for the Nazi forces as it sided with the Allied forces.
Governed locally by Plymouth City Council, the city is home to 264,200 people as per the data collected in 2016. The economy of Plymouth has for long been influenced by industries such as Ship-building and sea-faring, but since the 1990’s it is turning more towards the service-based industry. In the whole of Western Europe, Plymouth is home to the biggest Naval-base.
Plymouth 2020
In 2003, Plymouth Council started the "Vision for Plymouth" – a project for the development of the city of Plymouth. The project aims to build shopping centres, an avenue as a part of the project and a cruise terminal. Another aim of the project is to increase the population to 300,000. 2004 saw the old Drake Circus being demolished and replaced by the Drake Circus Shopping Centre that opened in October 2006. In one of another project, the Plymouth City Council's headquarters are to be shifted and the civic centre to be demolished. The demolished land of civic centre will be sold so as to generate revenue for building the new council headquarters.at the location where the Bretonside bus station is currently located. The Plymouth Pavillion arena is also up for demolition in one of the projects. This would be replaced by a new canal links from Millbay to the city centre.
People
People from Plymouth are known either as Plymothians or as Janners from somebody who hails from Devon. Devon stands for Cousin Jan( a form of John).
- Sir Francis Drake, who was a navigator, was born in the town of Tavistock and also went on to become the mayor of Plymouth. He became the first Englishman to explore the entire world and came to be known as El Draco ("The Dragon") by the Spanish as he had raided many of their ships. He died in 1596.
- Painter Sir Joshua Reynolds was born in Plympton, which is now a part of Plymouth. He went on to become the founder and first president of the Royal Academy.
- William Cookworthy is known to have set up his porcelain business in Plymouth.
- Benjamin Robert Haydon, an English painter, was born in Plymouth on 26 January 1786. Benjamin Robert Haydon was known for his grand historical pictures.
- The person who was responsible for paving the way for Charles Darwin was born here. Known as Dr William Elford Leach, he was born at Hoe Gate in 1791 in Plymouth.
- The two artists Beryl Cook and Robert Lenkiewicz lived in Plymouth. Beryl Cook was known for his paintings that depict culture. Robert Lenkiewicz was known to paint themes of vagrancy, sex and suicide. He lived in Plymouth for around 42 years until his death in 2002.
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