Timeline of Plymouth facts for kids

Welcome to a timeline of the exciting history of Plymouth, a famous city in Devon, England! This page will show you important events that shaped Plymouth, from its early days to modern times.

Early Days of Plymouth (Before 1600s)

• 1086 – The Domesday Book mentions Plymouth as Sudtone. It was a small place with only 7 homes.
• 1254 – Plymouth was officially recognized as a town.
• 1276 – Plymouth was first called a borough, which means it had some self-governance.
• 1291 – St. Andrew church was built.
• 1292 – Plymouth sent its first members to Parliament.
• 1371 – The Royal Chapel of St Katherine-upon-the-Hoe received its license.
• Early 1400s – Plymouth Castle was built.
• 1403 – The town was burned by invaders from Brittany, France.
• 1404 – A town wall was built to protect Plymouth.
• 1431 – A Dominican monastery was built.
• 1439
  • The town was granted a special charter by Parliament.
  • A market and fair were busy in the town.
• 1532 – Sir John Hawkins, a famous naval commander, was born.
• 1542 – The historian John Leland visited and noted, "The town of Plymmouth is very large."
• 1572 – A grammar school was founded.
• 1577 – Sir Francis Drake began his famous journey around the world from Plymouth.
• 1579 – The town faced an outbreak of the plague.
• 1580 – On September 26, Francis Drake's ship, the Golden Hind, returned to Plymouth. He had completed his journey around the world.
• 1581 – Another outbreak of the plague occurred.
• 1588 – On July 19, fifty-five English ships sailed from Plymouth. They were led by Lord Howard of Effingham and Sir Francis Drake. Their mission was to fight the Spanish Armada.
• 1591 – On April 24, Drake's Leat first brought fresh water to Plymouth from Dartmoor.

Plymouth in the 1600s and 1700s

• 1620 – On September 6, the Mayflower ship left Plymouth for New England. It arrived in November, carrying the Pilgrims.
• 1644 – Plymouth was under siege by Royalist forces. This happened during the English Civil War.
• 1652 – On August 26, the Battle of Plymouth took place offshore. This was during the First Anglo-Dutch War.
• 1657 – Charles Church was built.
• 1658 – A post office was set up.
• 1670 – The Citadel was built on the Hoe.
• 1671 – The Royal Chapel of St Katherine-upon-the-Hoe was rebuilt around this time.
• 1690 – On December 30, work began on the Royal Dockyard at Devonport.
• 1694 – On April 3, the first new ships were launched from the Royal Dockyard. These were the Postboy and Messenger.
• 1696 – Work started on Henry Winstanley's first Eddystone Lighthouse. It was built 12 miles (19 km) off Plymouth Sound.
• 1718 – The Plymouth Weekly Journal newspaper began publishing.
• 1758
  • A theatre was built.
  • A law was passed by Parliament about Plymouth's defenses.
• 1759 – Smeaton's Tower was finished. It was the third Eddystone Lighthouse.
• 1762 – Plymouth Synagogue was built.
• 1768 – Cookworthy's porcelain factory was started.
• 1770 – A law was passed to improve Plymouth.
• 1790 – A new pier was built at Sutton Pool.
• 1793 – Plymouth Gin was first made at the Plymouth Gin Distillery.
• 1800 – The Guildhall was built.

Plymouth in the 1800s

• 1808 – The Plymouth Gazette newspaper started.
• 1810 – The Plymouth Proprietary Library was founded.
• 1811 – A new theatre and hotel building was constructed.
• 1812
  • The Plymouth Institution (now The Plymouth Athenaeum) was founded.
  • Construction of the Plymouth Breakwater began.
• 1813
  • The Port of Plymouth Chamber of Commerce was started.
  • The Exchange building was constructed.
• 1815 – On July 26, Napoleon Bonaparte arrived in Plymouth Sound on HMS Bellerophon. He was waiting to be sent to exile.
• 1819 – The Plymouth Athenaeum building, designed by John Foulston, opened.
• 1820 – The Plymouth Herald and Plymouth Journal newspapers began publishing.
• 1823 – On September 26, the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway opened. It was used to carry granite to Sutton Pool.
• 1826 – The Plymouth Mechanics' Institute was founded.
• 1828
  • The Royal Union Baths were built.
  • The Plymouth, Devonport, and Cornwall Races began.
• 1829 – The Museum of the Plymouth Institution was built.

The Basin and the Melville Block at Royal William Victualling Yard

• 1831
  • The Plymouth and Devonport Spring Races began.
  • In December, the Plymouth Brethren, a Christian movement, held their first meeting in Plymouth.
• 1832 – The Plymouth Times newspaper started.
• 1835 – Construction of the Royal William Victualling Yard was completed.
• 1841 – The Plymouth Breakwater was finished.
• 1844 – A lighthouse was built on the Plymouth Breakwater.
• 1848 – On May 5, the South Devon Railway opened to Plymouth.
• 1851 – On July 25, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Plymouth was appointed.
• 1856
  • The Plymouth Drawing School was founded.
  • St Boniface's Catholic College was founded.
• 1858 – On March 25, Plymouth Cathedral (Roman Catholic) opened.
• 1859 – On May 3, the Royal Albert Bridge opened. It connected Plymouth by rail to Saltash.
• 1860 – A Royal Commission suggested a huge plan for Plymouth's defenses.
• 1862 – Plymouth Lifeboat Station began operating.
• 1863 – St. Boniface Boys' Catholic School was active.
• 1865
  • The Plymouth Breakwater Fort was built.
  • The Duke of Cornwall Hotel opened.
• 1871 – Agaton Fort was built.
• 1874 – The Guildhall was built.
• 1877
  • Plymouth College was founded as a boys' school.
  • Plymouth railway station opened.
• 1880 – Plymouth Cathedral was consecrated.
• 1882 – Smeaton's Tower was taken apart from Eddystone and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe as a memorial.
• 1886 – On October 16, Argyle F.C. played their first match.
• 1889 – The Grand Theatre opened.
• 1895 – On April 22, Western Evening Herald newspaper began publishing.
• 1898
  • On September 5, the New Palace Theatre of Varieties opened.
  • On September 21, Burrator Reservoir opened. It supplied fresh water to Plymouth from Dartmoor.

Plymouth in the 1900s

• 1910 – The population of Plymouth was 126,266.
• 1914 – Plymouth, Devonport, and East Stonehouse joined together. They formed the County Borough of Plymouth.
• 1928 – Plymouth became an official city.
• 1929 – The Old Plymouth Society was founded.
• 1934 – The Mayflower Steps monument was built.
• 1935
  • Tinside Pool (a swimming pool) opened.
  • A Lord Mayor was appointed for Plymouth.
• 1940 – The Plymouth Blitz began:
  • On July 6, German forces started bombing Plymouth from the air.
  • On November 27, bombing caused a large oil storage depot fire. It burned for 5 days.
• 1941 – Plymouth Blitz continued:
  • On March 15, a bombing raid killed 336 people.
  • On March 20, a royal visit was followed by more heavy bombing.
• 1944
  • In May, the Plymouth Blitz ended. About 1,000 people had been killed. Many buildings were destroyed or damaged.
  • On June 4, United States forces left Plymouth for the Normandy landings.
• 1945 – On September 29, the last trams ran in Plymouth.
• 1958 – On April 5, the Drake Cinema opened.
• 1961
  • On April 29, Westward Television began broadcasting.
  • The Plymouth Athenaeum reopened. Its original building was destroyed in the Blitz.
• 1967
  • On April 1, Plympton and Plymstock became part of the city.
  • On May 28, Sir Francis Chichester returned to Plymouth on his yacht, Gypsy Moth IV. He had sailed alone around the world.
• 1968 – On August 8, the Royal Navy frigate HMS Scylla was launched at HMNB Devonport. It was the last ship built in a Royal Dockyard.
• 1971
  • The Mayflower Centre (a sports facility) was built.
  • The Plymouth College of Further Education building was put up. It is now City College.
• 1975 – On May 19, Plymouth Sound (radio station) began broadcasting.
• 1982
  • On January 1, Television South West began broadcasting.
  • St Boniface Arena opened.
• 1986 – Plymouth Citybus started operating under this name.
• 1991 – Plymouth Pavilions (a sports and entertainment venue) opened.
• 1992 – The University of Plymouth was officially recognized.
• 1994 – Marsh Mills Retail Park opened.
• 1998 – The National Marine Aquarium opened.
• 1999 – A Vue cinema opened.

Plymouth in the 2000s

• 2006 – Drake Circus Shopping Centre opened for business.
• 2009 – The Plymouth Athenaeum's theatre closed.
• 2010 – Radio Plymouth began broadcasting.
• 2012 – The Plymouth Athenaeum celebrated its 200th birthday.
• 2015 – A waste incinerator was built. It creates both heat and power.
• 2017 – Beckley Point, a tall building, was completed.