Plymouth Attractions

Famous names connected with British maritime history, such as Sir Francis Drake and the "Mayflower" are closely associated with Plymouth.

The city takes its name from the little River Plym and first finds written mention in 1231. The Black Prince sailed from here for France for the last time in 1355, and it was from here that many discoverers and conquerors also set out, among them Sir Francis Drake, the legendary freebooter of Elizabethan times, Sir Walter Raleigh, Hawkins, Martin Frobisher, Admiral Blake and Captain Cook. On July 31st 1588 the Spanish Armada was soundly defeated in Plymouth Sound, with Drake as vice-admiral. On September sixth 1620 the Pilgrim Fathers from Plymouth set sail for America on the "Mayflower". Countless emigrants followed in their steps and made their way to the New World, where today there must be about a dozen towns called Plymouth. During the Second World War the important naval harbor suffered heavy damage, with the result that there are very few historic buildings remaining in the city.