Plymouth's Architectural Heritage
Maritime City: Plymouth’s Built Environment to 1945
A history of the planning process in Plymouth and details of properties in Plymouth dating from 1851
The database is available is two parts.
The first database contains details of just over 100 properties. This database is no longer being added to. It is being replaced by our online catalogue (see below). Please use the search page to consult this database.
The latest database, which is part of our online catalogue, contains details of around 17,000 properties and is being added to on a daily basis. You can view the database a number of ways:
Please note that not all of the records we hold have been added to our online catalogue. If you cannot find any details of a property that you are interested in, please contact us.
For present day information on the planning process and planning enquiries, visit the planning and regeneration pages.
Background
Plymouth’s building control plans document the growth of the city and the architectural changes made to the Plymouth’s urban environment. The plans date from 1851 and run through to the 1970s. Between 1851 and 1931 Plymouth’s population (incorporating East Stonehouse and Devonport) grew from 102,000 to 228,000 and this is reflected in the volume and scale of building development which took place over that period.
The building control plans were submitted to the local authority for consideration. They chart the rise of Victorian Plymouth through to the arrival of the motor car to the devastation of World War Two and the subsequent rebuilding following Abercrombie's grand plan. They include churches, theatres, pubs, factories, schools, housing estates, workhouses and all manner of other buildings, both public and private in nature.
Because of the particularly brutal experiences of Plymouth during the Blitz and the huge devastation of swathes of the city, it was decided to keep all building plans relating to the pre-war period. It was felt that this approach would both allow the maximum insight into Plymouth’s topography prior to 1945 and would act as a point of reference for the rebuilding of the city post-war.
Project
This project has been made possible thanks to a grant of £49,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund made in July 2005. This has enabled:
- The cataloguing of the first 16,000 applications. Project assistants were employed to record the key details of the plans on Plymouth and West Devon Record Office's (PWDRO) new CALM database.
- Repackaging of the plans in protective acid-free wallets and boxes.
- Conservation work on some of the plans which had been damaged through exposure to damp and strong natural light. These plans, numbering over a hundred were flattened, repaired and encapsulated in order to assist in their long term preservation.
- Outreach work to schools and community groups encourage the use of this wonderful resource has taken place through the Museum’s Museum in Transit service. See our Museum in Transit - schools and Museum in Transit - community pages. This work is now being carried on by our Learning Officer who can be contacted on 01752 258733 or email pwdro@plymouth.gov.uk.
We would like to hear from you if you have any memories - good or bad - of living or working in any of these buildings. These, with your permission can be captured as they give wonderful context and insight into what it was like to use these places. Please contact our Learning Officer on 01752 258733 or email pwdro@plymouth.gov.uk for further information.
Area covered
The applications cover the areas administered by the following bodies:
- Borough of Plymouth
- Borough of Devonport
- Urban District of East Stonehouse
- Urban District of Compton Gifford
- Plympton St Mary Rural District Council
- Plymouth City Council
The applications
Each application is normally made up of three parts:
- The first part is the plan packet, which details the name of the property, the owner and the date of approval or rejection.
- The second part is the form of notice of either a new building or alteration to an existing one. This gives a written description of the property and details what is to take place. There may be numerous forms, detailing each planning application for the property.
- The third part consists of the architect’s plans. These detail what is to be built - the plans, sections and elevations - and will usually give the names of the architect, owner and developer. Again, there may be numerous plans corresponding to each application.
Access
Please email pwdro@plymouth.gov.uk if you are interested in a particular pre-1945 building as we may well be able to assist.
Details of the applications can be viewed on these pages (search page); on our online catalogue (search page). The applications and plans can be viewed in our public search room, by appointment, during our normal opening hours. See our visiting us page for further details.
Copying service
We can provide colour A3 copies of the plans shown on this website for the purposes of private study or research for non-commercial purposes. See our photocopying page for details.
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