This Ocean City Surprised Me (Plymouth, England)

Often referred to as Britain's Ocean City, Plymouth is home to a population of around 272,000 residents, meaning it's the biggest city in Devon. Unfortunately, it was heavily bombed during World War II, but there are still a lot of interesting things to see and do in the city, which we're going to show you in this travel guide. Throughout Plymouth, you'll find lots of marinas and harbors, but the most beautiful has to be Sutton Harbour. The name actually comes from a word meaning south of the town, because in the Middle Ages, this was actually a town in its own right called Sutton. There are several spots of interest to see in Sutton Harbour, such as the Leviathan statue by Brian Fowle. It's a fish that overlooks the whole of the surrounding harbour. Today, this pier is known as the West Pier, but back in the 1620s, this was a piece of land that jutted out that was known as the Barbican, which means fortified gate. And actually, there's a lot of debate where the Mayflower actually sailed from, because there's no recording of where it actually left from because of the fact that it held no cargo, it just held passengers. But it is believed that the Mayflower probably left from somewhere near here, and so the Mayflower Memorial today commemorates this. Because Plymouth is such a seafaring city, lots of people from here have actually sailed off and then become lost at sea, and this wall has plaques commemorating those people. Obviously, colonisation had a profound and lasting impact on the indigenous peoples of North America, and you can actually learn about it more in depth in the Mayflower Museum just behind me. Plymouth has always had a strong association with the sea, and this also meant that in times gone by, this was a hotspot for pirates. It was also a hotspot for privateers. These were legal pirates that were authorised by the ruler of the land, and this practice was actually only abolished in 1856. Today, the whole district is known as the Barbican. This is the historic port of Plymouth, and here you'll find cosy cafes, lovely shops, independent boutiques, and historic pubs. South Side Street is one of the main thoroughfares through the Barbican, and there are a few places of interest worth checking out along this road. For example, here you'll find Plymouth Gin Distillery. This is the oldest working gin distillery in Britain and dates all the way back to 1793. On their logo, you'll find the Mayflower. There are a few ways to discover the distillery. While you can book to go on a guided tour, if you're a little short on time, then there's a lovely bar upstairs where you can enjoy a selection of gin-based cocktails. It's also worth noting that this district has the highest concentration of cobbled lanes anywhere in Britain. The house that Jack built is an independent arcade filled with little shops. It's also covered, which is quite handy when it rains, which it does a lot in Plymouth. I particularly enjoyed meeting one of the artisans at Moss Baby, as she creates hand-painted glassware in her little atelier within the passageway. Jacker Bakery was founded in 1512, meaning it's the oldest commercially working bakery still in operation in Britain. It's even rumoured that it's applied biscuits to the Mayflower. Something I really enjoy about the Barbican district of Plymouth is that it feels like there's history around every single turn. For example, this is the old custom house and it's now been turned into a delightful cafe. How long have you been doing it? About seven years now for me. What no one deems so good. Thank you. The labour of love, I guess. Plymouth is full of historic pubs, but the oldest is probably the Minerva Inn, as this dates all the way back to 1540, allegedly. A little way up the hill from Southside Street, you'll find another cobbled lane. Now, if you head through a very special doorway on this road, then you'll come to the Elizabethan Gardens. These were laid out in 1970 in order to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower. The gardens themselves are planted with plants which would have probably existed back in Elizabethan times in England. The Hoe is probably the most picturesque area of Plymouth. From here, you have panoramic views over the Plymouth Sound. The most iconic attraction here has to be Smeaton's Tower, which is an 18th century decommissioned lighthouse. There are also a few other buildings and places of note around this green space. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can actually go to the top of Smeaton's Tower. There are 93 steps to reach the top, and it is pretty steep, but I imagine you get an even better view over the Plymouth Hoe. Just behind me, you'll find some of the most attractive properties in Plymouth. This is Elliot Terrace, and it dates back to the latter half of the 19th century, making it Victorian. The Royal Citadel sits on the edge of the Hoe, and it's a bastioned artillery fortress. It is managed by English Heritage, but even members have to pay because a visit is by guided tour only. Once you get in, you can't take any photos or videos. I don't even think you can take your phone, and so we won't be able to show you in this video. From the Hoe, you can also see our next destination, which is going to be Drake's Island. We're on our way to Drake's Island. It's only a 10-minute boat ride away from Plymouth, meaning it's an easy half-day trip from the city. Drake's Island is nestled within the Plymouth Sound, and despite its small size at just 6.5 acres, it has a rather storied past. Originally known as St. Michael's for a probable St. Michael's Chapel at the highest point of the island, today, Drake's Island takes its name from Sir Francis Drake. Drake was a privateer, i.e. a state-sanctioned pirate who circumnavigated the world from Plymouth, and upon his return in 1583, he was made the governor of the island. Fortifications were added as early as the 16th century when the island became part of Plymouth's defensive ring, guarding the harbour against potential invasion from both the French and the Spanish. During both world wars, Drake's Island was once more commissioned into service, housing military personnel and equipment. So is a visit to Drake's Island worth it? Well, for starters, our guide was really friendly and knowledgeable. He was also really passionate about the local history of Plymouth, and you can see that the guy spent a lot of time researching and deciding on different interesting stories to tell you. However, I do think the tour was a bit long. It takes three hours from start to finish, including the time on the ferry, but when you're on the island, there's a lot of time just standing around, listening to stories that aren't always really exciting if you're not passionate about military history. So with that being said, if you are very passionate about military history, then definitely go. If you're travelling with younger children, I don't recommend it. I don't think it's interesting enough for them. And for me personally, I'm glad I went because I want to see it before they eventually develop it into a hotel, but I probably won't go again. One of the best spots in Plymouth to enjoy the sunset also happens to be at the edge of Devon, overlooking the Tamar Bridge and onto Cornwall. As well as a 300-metre suspension bridge, you'll find the Royal Albert Bridge, an impressive feat of Victorian engineering by Brunel. When it opened in 1859, the bridge used a highly innovative design and over 160 years later, it still carries trains over the river and into Cornwall. Hello, my name is Brian Pollard. I'm an artist and I live in Plymouth. I'm talking from my studio, which is on the outskirts of Plymouth in a place called Manamede. How would you describe this style? Well, it's generally called naive because it's a simplistic way of painting, childlike, really. We're using simple images and very bright colours. There's quite a strong Cornish influence down here of naive painters and naive works. And of course, we had the great Beryl Cook, which was internationally known, and she lived in Plymouth. I used to have a drink with her in the Dauphin every now and again, which was really great fun. Are you self-taught? Anybody can paint like this. So if anybody says they can't paint, just start off doing simple stuff. Don't try to achieve anything. Just get something onto the canvas that you like. As you know, I worked as a GP for many, many years, and we came down to Plymouth in 77, but I've always painted. It's been a great interest, but not necessarily in this style. I painted regularly through university, maybe every month or something. But when I left and came down to the southwest, especially to Plymouth, there was so much stimulation for the environment. The sea is a great thing for me, and it really started me on looking more closely at waves and the sky. It focused my attention, and I was also working as a psychiatrist in a crisis intervention centre, so both jobs were quite stressful. So the painting has been a therapy. But it's a great way of meeting people as well. It takes you down a different road. It takes you into the artistic community, which is totally different from the medical community. I was very lucky that a gallery got interested in the work, and by chance, an exhibition came up in London, which was covered in the national press, which was extremely lucky. Being an artist, you need a lot of luck. And a lot of talent. Dedication, I say. It has a lot of dedication. Talent's a different thing. I've called myself a painter for years because I never considered myself an artist. I just paint. And I think, you know, if people interpret it as art and talent, that's fine. I'm very happy with that. I don't paint many. I only paint three, maybe four paintings a month, and some of them very small. But over the course of your career, you've managed to paint quite a few, I think. How many? Over the 40 years, I've painted over 2,000 paintings. I really love that you have a sea view from your window. I think that's so special that you have that opportunity in your studio. How have you organised your studio? Well, the sea view was a must. I mean, we brought the house on the condition that we've got a sea view. I think the great thing from it being detached from the house is you feel you're going to work. I know it's crazy. You're only working, walking a few yards across a patio, but you actually get away. It can be lonely. Artists, you know, are, it's a very lonely business, stuck in the garret, painting away. But I'm involved in a lot of community work, art workshops in schools and charity work and creating cards. So is this your palette? Oh yes, that's what I call a knife palette. It's, I paint on disposable palettes. They're just squeezed from the tube, you know. And there's a bit of tone mixed, but often they come straight from the tube. You often put yourself in the painting. Can you tell us more about that? Well, that developed over the years. Once I started doing workshops for children, I was trying to get them to focus on the pictures a bit more. And so I decided to put myself in, usually with my wife, and now always with my wife, Jane, and put a little dog in called Hector. Hector was a little dog that I painted many years ago for a commission. And he's become quite famous in these paintings. The other thing is I put lots of people in. I like crowds. Sometimes I can't stop. You see, most of the paintings are busy. I get commissions to do paintings and people want themselves put in the paintings. Obviously they like to see, but you know, I'm not a portrait painter. The people have got no faces, even in the close-up paintings. There's no detail on the faces. And is there a reason for that? I don't know. I just wondered if after seeing 40 patients a day as a GP that I sort of wanted to get away from them. But I don't know. That might be a deep psychological cause, but I couldn't really say. I very rarely paint a rainy day. So I think I've only painted two or three rainy days. Snow scenes are good though, but they're jolly and they're bright and they're colourful. I think what everybody says, or a lot of people say, it makes me smile, you know, and you think, well, that's good. It's had the same effect on me as it has on other people. The paintings are developing all the time. There's new things coming up. I'm looking at new ways of representing the image that I'm looking at. Is there any painting you've ever painted and thought, wow, this is my best work ever? Well, this is one of my favourites. The Tuscany one down there is favourite. I think it's come together really well. When we were talking earlier, I loved how you were describing how you can actually work on multiple paintings at once. So can you talk us through your process? Through that process, yeah. Well, it's interesting, isn't it? The first thing I have to say, I paint the background first. This is not the usual way of painting. So this would be started with different layers of colour. All that would be painted, and these zones would be painted with nothing else on it. And then I build up the painting. It's a bit like Lego and you're putting things on top of each other. I'm usually working on three paintings at the same time because these are acrylic paints and they dry quite quickly. And the very last thing I'll do is put the faces and the hair on the people. The faces won't have any noses or mouths or anything like that. There's no features. I'm not really interested in that. I'm interested in the overall view and the impression that the painting gives you. And how would you decide on the perspective of your paintings? Does it have to be true to life or does it not have to be? No, it's a false perspective, and people ask about that. But there's little things that I do that gives you the perspective without meaning I have to do it accurately. So the clouds at the top are bigger, the clouds at the bottom are smaller. The balloons are different sizes to give depth to the painting. So there's lots of things I've learned over the years to give painting depth, even when you're painting it very flat. I love all of your different views of Plymouth. Is there something in particular in Plymouth that really inspires you? Well, apart from the sea, of course. Well, I think the Hoe is one of the greatest views in the country, certainly from any city, but it's very difficult to beat. You've got Drake's Island. You're looking across to Cornwall. You're looking across to the South Hammers. You've got Francis Drake and all the famous people on the Hoe, and all the things that have happened. So I just love the Hoe. It's definitely one of my favorite views. I've painted it quite a few times. What's your favorite thing about living in Plymouth? Why have you chosen to stay here? Well, I come from the Midlands. The Midlands was a very sort of loads of factories. There wasn't a lot of greenery. There wasn't a lot of nature. I'm sure it's changed, but the sea was the drawing factor. I just love the sea. I just like the waves, the eternity of it all. Well, thank you so much for having us. How can we find your artwork? It's in local galleries here, Kea and Homeframe, but I have a website that you can look up. We've seen an assortment of work. Some of it new, some of it old. The sumptuous Sultrum House overlooks Plymouth on the banks of the River Plymouth. Built in the 18th century for the Parker family, Sultrum is one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in Devon. Many of the interiors were designed by the neoclassical architect Robert Adam, who placed a strong emphasis on art and culture. Today, the house is an absolute delight to wander around, and the accompanying gardens make for a lovely venture into nature, just a stone's throw away from the city. Several rooms in Sultrum are beautifully decorated with original Chinese wall coverings, which were made for export to Europe in the mid-1700s. These wallpapers were woodblock printed in China and then hand-painted. If you're a railway enthusiast, and it happens to be a Sunday afternoon when you're exploring Plymouth, then you can actually head down to Plymouth Miniature Steam, where a group of volunteers maintain rolling stock of steam and battery-powered locomotives. This is truly one of the city's best-kept secrets, and that around £1 per ride makes for a truly fun family day out. Thank you so much for watching, and don't forget to like and subscribe for more UK travel content. See you next week.