Plymstock
Encyclopedia
Plymstock is a civil parish and commuter suburb
of Plymouth
in the English county of Devon
.
The earliest surviving documentary reference to the place is as Plemestocha in the Domesday Book
and its name is derived from Old English meaning either "outlying farm with a plum-tree" or, if it is short for Plympton Stock, "outlying farm belonging to Plympton
".
Situated on the east bank of the River Plym
it is geographically and historically part of the South Hams
. It comprises the villages of Billacombe, Elburton, Goosewell, Hooe, Mountbatten, Oreston
, Pomphlett, Staddiscombe, Turnchapel and Plymstock proper, the centrally located village after which the parish and suburb is named. The parish church is St Mary and All Saints. The pedestrianised 1960s Broadway consists of a number of shops including two supermarkets, three banks, five estate agents and other local amenities including a fire station and a small police station. At Pomphlett there is a superstore and drive-through burger restaurant. The population at the time of the 2001 Census
was recorded at 24,103 with 11,652 owner occupied homes in the PL9 area.
The local branch railways through the area to Turnchapel and Yealmpton have been removed, the bridges and stations demolished and the land built on. Pomphlett Mill has been demolished and the site used for a roundabout. Pomphlett Creek (shown right), once a popular rowing stretch has been partly filled in and what remains is largely silted up.
Until the 20th century Plymstock was a rural parish but began to develop rapidly just before and after the Second World War as a residential area outside Plymouth but acting as a dormitory area for the city. On 1 April 1967, Plymstock, along with Plympton, was absorbed into the City of Plymouth and today, like Plympton, forms a populous and mostly home-owning south-eastern suburb
of the city.
There are numerous public spaces including a huge public sports area at Staddiscombe. There is a major golf club at Staddon Heights and a commercial driving range near Elburton. Strident campaigning to get permission and funding for a local public swimming pool have so far failed. Rowing is available on the river Plym, there is a sailing club at Oreston and a large water-sports centre at Turnchapel. There are public tennis courts at Dean Cross.
There are many state primary schools in the area and two very large Comprehensive School
s, Coombe Dean School
and Plymstock School
. There are no local independent school
options although children who chose to take and get a very high pass in the 11 plus can attend one of the three grammar schools in Plymouth. In 2008 Coombe Dean School achieved national notoriety after a popular school plan to erect two generating windmills was blocked by local Tory councillors following opposition by residents of surrounding bungalows.
Frequent buses connect most areas of Plymstock with routes across the city linking with the railway station and Derriford hospital. There is a water-taxi linking Mountbatten with Plymouth Barbican
.
The area invariably returns a Tory
MP reflecting with Plympton a more right wing community than the rest of the city. Gary Streeter
is the present Conservative member. It is also part of the South West Devon constituency which encompasses surrounding rural areas of South Devon; separate from the rest of Plymouth, it is, however, under the Plymouth City council's control.
There are misgivings about the impact of the imminent building of the vast Sherford New Town which will fill the gap between Elburton, Yealmpton, Lyneham and Saltram. In 1992, Mark Williams, a former Plymstock resident and Coombe Dean pupil, became the youngest person to join the elite Special Air Service Regiment.
on Dartmoor is the legendary site of the death of Childe who, caught in a snowstorm, killed and disembowelled his horse and climbed inside for shelter, but still froze to death. He left a message to say that the first person to bury him would get his lands at Plymstock. The greedy monks of Tavistock buried him and claimed the lands. The ghosts of monks carrying a bier
have supposedly been seen at Childe's Tomb.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
in the English county of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.
The earliest surviving documentary reference to the place is as Plemestocha in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
and its name is derived from Old English meaning either "outlying farm with a plum-tree" or, if it is short for Plympton Stock, "outlying farm belonging to Plympton
Plympton
Plympton, or Plympton Maurice or Plympton St Maurice or Plympton St Mary or Plympton Erle, in south-western Devon, England is an ancient stannary town: an important trading centre in the past for locally mined tin, and a former seaport...
".
Situated on the east bank of the River Plym
River Plym
The River Plym is a river in Devon, England. Its source is some 450m above sea level on Dartmoor, in an upland marshy area called Plym Head. From the upper reaches which contain antiquities and mining remains the river flows roughly southwest and enters the sea near to the city of Plymouth, where...
it is geographically and historically part of the South Hams
South Hams
South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England with its headquarters in the town of Totnes. It contains the towns of Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge, Salcombe — the largest of which is Ivybridge with a population of 16,056....
. It comprises the villages of Billacombe, Elburton, Goosewell, Hooe, Mountbatten, Oreston
Oreston
Oreston, formerly a village on the southern bank of the Cattewater, is now a suburb of Plymouth.Famed for its limestone quarries, and the discovery of prehistoric remains of animals such as rhinos and lions, stone from which was used in the construction of Plymouth Breakwater, the name is assumed...
, Pomphlett, Staddiscombe, Turnchapel and Plymstock proper, the centrally located village after which the parish and suburb is named. The parish church is St Mary and All Saints. The pedestrianised 1960s Broadway consists of a number of shops including two supermarkets, three banks, five estate agents and other local amenities including a fire station and a small police station. At Pomphlett there is a superstore and drive-through burger restaurant. The population at the time of the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
was recorded at 24,103 with 11,652 owner occupied homes in the PL9 area.
The local branch railways through the area to Turnchapel and Yealmpton have been removed, the bridges and stations demolished and the land built on. Pomphlett Mill has been demolished and the site used for a roundabout. Pomphlett Creek (shown right), once a popular rowing stretch has been partly filled in and what remains is largely silted up.
Until the 20th century Plymstock was a rural parish but began to develop rapidly just before and after the Second World War as a residential area outside Plymouth but acting as a dormitory area for the city. On 1 April 1967, Plymstock, along with Plympton, was absorbed into the City of Plymouth and today, like Plympton, forms a populous and mostly home-owning south-eastern suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of the city.
There are numerous public spaces including a huge public sports area at Staddiscombe. There is a major golf club at Staddon Heights and a commercial driving range near Elburton. Strident campaigning to get permission and funding for a local public swimming pool have so far failed. Rowing is available on the river Plym, there is a sailing club at Oreston and a large water-sports centre at Turnchapel. There are public tennis courts at Dean Cross.
There are many state primary schools in the area and two very large Comprehensive School
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
s, Coombe Dean School
Coombe Dean School
Coombe Dean School, opened in 1976, is a state comprehensive school in England with around 1000 pupils. It is situated in the south-east fringe suburbs of Plymouth, Devon. It gained specialist school status in September 2003 as an ICT and Mathematics school...
and Plymstock School
Plymstock School
Plymstock School is a state comprehensive secondary school in Plymstock, a popular suburb of Plymouth, Devon, England. It was the first West Devon comprehensive school and is now a Specialist Sports College. it has some 1,600 students, of whom 240 are in the sixth form...
. There are no local independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
options although children who chose to take and get a very high pass in the 11 plus can attend one of the three grammar schools in Plymouth. In 2008 Coombe Dean School achieved national notoriety after a popular school plan to erect two generating windmills was blocked by local Tory councillors following opposition by residents of surrounding bungalows.
Frequent buses connect most areas of Plymstock with routes across the city linking with the railway station and Derriford hospital. There is a water-taxi linking Mountbatten with Plymouth Barbican
Barbican, Plymouth
The Barbican is the name now given to the western and northern sides of the old harbour area of Plymouth, Devon, England. It was one of the few parts of the city to escape most of the destruction of The Blitz during the Second World War...
.
The area invariably returns a Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
MP reflecting with Plympton a more right wing community than the rest of the city. Gary Streeter
Gary Streeter
Gary Nicholas Streeter is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. From 1997 he was Member of Parliament for South West Devon, having previously been the Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton between 1992 and 1997...
is the present Conservative member. It is also part of the South West Devon constituency which encompasses surrounding rural areas of South Devon; separate from the rest of Plymouth, it is, however, under the Plymouth City council's control.
There are misgivings about the impact of the imminent building of the vast Sherford New Town which will fill the gap between Elburton, Yealmpton, Lyneham and Saltram. In 1992, Mark Williams, a former Plymstock resident and Coombe Dean pupil, became the youngest person to join the elite Special Air Service Regiment.
Folklore
Childe's TombChilde's Tomb
Childe's Tomb is a granite cross on Dartmoor, Devon, England. Although not in its original form, it is more elaborate than most of the crosses on Dartmoor, being raised upon a constructed base, and it is known that a kistvaen is underneath....
on Dartmoor is the legendary site of the death of Childe who, caught in a snowstorm, killed and disembowelled his horse and climbed inside for shelter, but still froze to death. He left a message to say that the first person to bury him would get his lands at Plymstock. The greedy monks of Tavistock buried him and claimed the lands. The ghosts of monks carrying a bier
Bier
A bier is a stand on which a corpse, coffin or casket containing a corpse, is placed to lie in state or to be carried to the grave.In Christian burial, the bier is often placed in the centre of the nave with candles surrounding it, and remains in place during the funeral.The bier is a flat frame,...
have supposedly been seen at Childe's Tomb.