Portal:Devon
The Devon Portal
Devon (/ˈdɛvən/ DEV-ən; historically also known as Devonshire /-ʃɪər, -ʃər/ -sheer, -shər) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west. The city of Plymouth is the largest settlement, and the city of Exeter is the county town.
Devon has a varied geography. It contains Dartmoor and part of Exmoor, two upland moors which are the source of most of the county's rivers, including the Taw, Dart, and Exe. The longest river in the county is the Tamar, which forms most of the border with Cornwall and rises in the Devon's northwest hills. The southeast coast is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, and characterised by tall cliffs which reveal the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous geology of the region. The county gives its name to the Devonian geologic period, which includes the slates and sandstones of the north coast. Dartmoor and Exmoor have been designated national parks, and the county also contains, in whole or in part, five national landscapes.
In the Iron Age, Roman and the Sub-Roman periods, the county was the home of the Dumnonii Celtic Britons. The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain resulted in the partial assimilation of Dumnonia into the kingdom of Wessex in the eighth and ninth centuries, and the western boundary with Cornwall was set at the Tamar by king Æthelstan in 936. (Full article...)
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Plymouth (/ˈplɪməθ/ PLIH-məth) is a port city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers Plym and Tamar, about 36 miles (58 km) southwest of Exeter and 193 miles (311 km) southwest of London. It is the most populous city south of London.
Plymouth's history extends back to the Bronze Age, evolving from a trading post at Mount Batten into the thriving market town of Sutton, which was formally re-named as Plymouth in 1439 when it was made a borough. The settlement has played a significant role in English history, notably in 1588 when an English fleet based here defeated the Spanish Armada, and in 1620 as the departure point for the Pilgrim Fathers to the New World. During the English Civil War, the town was held by the Parliamentarians and was besieged between 1642 and 1646. In 1690 a dockyard was established on the River Tamar for the Royal Navy and Plymouth grew as a commercial shipping port throughout the Industrial Revolution.
After absorbing nearby settlements in 1914, the borough was awarded city status in 1928. During World War II, Plymouth suffered extensive damage in the Plymouth Blitz, leading to post-war rebuilding that significantly shaped its modern appearance. A further expansion of its boundaries in 1967 contributed to its current status as the 30th-most populous built-up area in the UK and the second-largest city in the South West after Bristol, with a population in 2022 of 266,862.
Plymouth's economy, historically rooted in shipbuilding and seafaring, has transitioned towards a service-based economy since the 1990s. It maintains strong maritime connections, hosting HMNB Devonport, the largest operational naval base in Western Europe, and offering ferry links to Brittany and Spain. The city is also home to the University of Plymouth, reflecting its educational and cultural significance. Today, the city is governed locally by Plymouth City Council and is represented nationally by two Members of Parliament. (Full article...)General images
- Part of the seafront of
- Exeter St Davids Railway Station (from
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Drake Circus Shopping Centre in 2006 (from Plymouth)Interior of the
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River Exe flowing under three arches of the Old Exe Bridge, with houses on the bridge and on the river bank, St Edmund's Church can be seen in the top left. (from Exeter)Oil on canvas painting by an unknown artist c.1870. These houses were later demolished to make way for St Edmund's Church. The painting depicts the edge of the
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Rougemont Castle (from Exeter)The gatehouse of
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Smeaton's Tower (from Plymouth)
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HMNB Devonport – the largest operational naval base in Western Europe. (from Plymouth)
- The
- The Great Hall in the
- Laver Building, University of Exeter (from
- The Parade,
- The
- Armada Way looking north (from
- St Michael's Church and Episcopal Building (from
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Botany Bay, 1792 (from Plymouth)Black-eyed Sue and Sweet Poll of Plymouth mourning their lovers, who are soon to be transported to
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Beckley Point (from Plymouth)
- Bridge carrying the
- Torquay sea front during Storm Emma – March 2018 (from
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Mayflower Steps Memorial (from Plymouth)The
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Francis Frith (from Plymouth)Plymouth (1860s-1880s) by
- Population pyramid of Plymouth (unitary authority) in 2021 (from
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Plymouth Sound from Mount Edgcumbe Country Park in Cornwall, with Drake's Island (centre) and, behind it from left to right, the Royal Citadel, the fuel tanks of Cattedown, and Mount Batten; in the background, the hills of Dartmoor. (from Plymouth)Northeastward view of
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Prysten House, Finewell Street, 1498, is the oldest surviving house in Plymouth, and built from local Plymouth Limestone and Dartmoor granite (from Plymouth)
- Siege of Plymouth, 1643 (from
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Roger Deakins, cinematographer (from Devon)
- John Lewis Building (right), adjacent to Waterstones (left) in the busy high street (from
- Exeter International Airport (from
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medieval Exe Bridge, built around 1200 (from Exeter)Remains of the
- Exeter Canal Basin (from
- The
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Francis Frith (from Plymouth)Plymouth Drake's Island (1860s-1880s) by
- Exeter Civic Centre (from
- The flag of the historic county of Devon (from
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A. R. Quinton (from Plymouth)Plymouth the Promenade Pier (postcard c1925) by
- County Hall, Exeter. Headquarters for Devon County Council. (from
- A portion of Exeter's city wall, formed of both Roman and medieval stones (from
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John Rocque's 1744 map of Exeter (from Exeter)
- An illustration of Exeter in 1563, entitled Civitas Exoniae (vulgo Excester) urbs primaria in comitatu Devoniae (from
- Naval War Memorial (from
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St David's Church, Exeter (from Exeter)
- National Armada memorial (
- Ponies grazing on Exmoor near
- Charter map of Sutton harbour and Plymouth in 1540 (from
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A.R. Quinton (from Plymouth)Plymouth the Hoe (postcard c1920) by
- Exe Flood Relief Channel built after the floods of 1960 (from
- The High Street ca. 1895 (from
- The River Exe (from
- Geological map of Wales & Southwest England (from
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Agatha Christie, best selling crime novelist (from Devon)
- Princesshay Shopping Centre with Exeter Cathedral in the background (from
- The Cathedral Green after a rare snowfall (from
- Frontispiece to Shapter's "History of the Cholera in Exeter in 1832" (from
- the 'Invincible' Spanish Armada, 1588 (from
- Population pyramid of Exeter (district) in 2021 (from
- Grade I listed Town Hall, Column and Library in Devonport (from
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Michael Fairfax and installed in 2005 (from Exeter)The Exeter Riddle Sculpture in Exeter High Street, created by artist
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The House That Moved", West Street, Exeter (from Exeter)"
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Plymouth City Patriots. (from Plymouth)Plymouth Pavilions, home to the
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Mac Fisheries had joined the smaller shopkeepers' stalls in the market, which, before the war, along with neighbouring Goldsmith Street, was earmarked for demolition; a new Civic Centre was to be built on the site. (from Exeter)The Higher Market, Exeter, in 1943; at this time the larger firms such as
- The inner harbour,
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Millbay Docks, March 1926 (from Plymouth)Unloading mail by hand from the Sir Francis Drake at
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Westward Ho!, North Devon, looking north towards the shared estuary of the rivers Taw and Torridge (from Devon)The beach at
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Exeter Guildhall, which dates from 1470 (from Exeter)
- Piazza Terracina, Exeter, named after
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Olive Wharry circa 1942 of St. Sidwell's Church, Exeter, after the Blitz. In the early hours of 4th May 1942 a 250kg bomb fell directly on St Sidwells. The church tower was left standing but was so badly damaged that it was pulled down shortly after. A replacement church was built on the site. From the Royal Albert Memorial Museum's collection (63/2004/4). (from Exeter)Watercolour by
- MV Pont-Aven: Brittany Ferries service to Roscoff, France and Santander, Spain in Millbay Docks (from
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Exeter Law Courts (from Exeter)The
- Elliot Terrace, Plymouth Hoe (from
- Cliffs in Devon (from
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Francis Drake (from Plymouth)Sir
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Civic Centre, completed 1962, symbolic of the Post War 'Heroic Modernism' of the Welfare State; a listed building since 2007 (from Plymouth)
- Inter-city trains at Plymouth station, operated by Great Western Railway (from
- The coat of arms of Devon County Council (from
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New Palace Theatre in 2008 (from Plymouth)The
- Lamp standard from the 1905 Exe bridge, installed at
- Barnfield Theatre (from
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Recently featured: Bigbury sea tractor - Crazywell cross - South Devon Cattle - Dartmoor tors – Plymouth harbour – Westward Ho! beach
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Did you know...
- ... that Plymouth's lighthouse, Smeaton's Tower (pictured), was dismantled and then rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe as a memorial?
- ... that Devon is the third largest of the English counties and has a population of 1,109,900?
- ... that the name Devon derives from the name of the Celtic people who inhabited the southwestern peninsula of Britain at the time of the Roman invasion?
- ... that Devon was one of the first areas of England settled following the end of the last ice age?
- ... that the St Nicholas Priory in Exeter is being restored with the same methods that were used 500 years ago?
- ... that Devon is the only county in England to have two separate coastlines?
- ... that there was no established coat of arms for Devon until 1926?
- ... that the English Riviera Geopark in Torbay is the world's only urban Geopark?
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