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Things you probably didn't know about Plymouth

Drake, the Mayflower Steps and the Hoe.

  1. 1620 — fact 1 of 4

    The Pilgrims’ last English steps

    The Mayflower left Plymouth in September 1620; the Mayflower Steps mark the spot.

  2. 1588 — fact 2 of 4

    Drake finished his game of bowls

    Legend says Sir Francis Drake insisted on finishing his bowls as the Armada approached in 1588 — there was time to spare.

  3. 1759 — fact 3 of 4

    Smeaton’s Tower on the Hoe

    The lighthouse, rebuilt on shore in 1882, marks the one that stood on the Eddystone Reef from 1759.

  4. 1941 — fact 4 of 4

    A city bombed flat — and rebuilt

    The 1941 Plymouth Blitz destroyed much of the city centre; the postwar rebuild created a new Plymouth. Sir Francis Chichester and Captain Cook both sailed from here.

    See what 1941 was like →

Our Plymouth collection is part of a growing local-history library — more cities and facts are being added.

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