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Who doesn't know Plymouth ? After all she has bestowed her name
on forty other settlements all over the world. Blessed with a
magnificent natural harbour, the city enjoys a seaward approach
that would be difficult to match in the rest of Britain. Looking
at the modern buildings in the city centre belies the fact that
the Phoenicians traded here and they were followed by the Romans
and Saxons. The fact is that the city suffered massive damage
from air raids from 1939-45 but happily the oldest part, known
as the Barbican, was relatively unscathed and in recent years
has been tastefully restored and renovated to become an attractive
recreation area for locals and visitors alike with a selection
of restaurants, pubs and some interesting shops.
The city is synonymous with Britain's maritime history and
it was the focal point of the nation during the naval wars against
France and Spain. The names of Drake, Raleigh, Frobisher and
Grenville are firmly embedded in Plymouth's story. If you have
time for only a brief visit then be sure you make it to The Hoe.
The view over the sound is spectacular and its monuments are
to Drake, the Armada and, in the shape of the Naval War Memorial,
to the 7000 officers and men of the Plymouth Division lost at
sea.
Also on the Hoe is the lighthouse originally built on the
Eddystone Rock almost 200 years ago. It was taken down when its
foundations were being undermined by wave action and heavy seas
and re-erected on its present site. There is a wealth of history
to be unearthed in Plymouth; the roll call of its "visitors"
is impressive: Margaret of Anjou, the tragic figure of Catherine
of Aaragon, King Philip of Spain, The Pilgrim Fathers, Captain
Cook, Shackleton and many others.
PLYMOUTH - We are just seven miles from the centre of Plymouth,
with its Spectacular Hoe, Elizabethan Barbican, historic waterfront
and City Centre.
There are many all-weather popular attractions including the
Pavillions, with its swimming pool and slides, ice staking rink
and theatre. The historic experienceof the Plymouth Dome on the
Hoe gives an insight into the City's colourful past.
Visit the National Marine Aquarium at Sutton Harbour with its
collection of sharks, and the Barbican Leisure complex which
has a bowling alley, night clubs and multiplexcinema. A visit
to Crownhill Fort, part of Plymouth's Victorian defences, is
also to be recommended, with its regular firing of the only working
Moncrieff Disappearing Gun in the world.
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