freeclimb
Well-known member
So a quick re-visit to Drakes Island with a non-member. I love this place and I'm sure I'll be going back before development work begins. Plans are to turn it into a luxury hotel - planning permission has been granted and the site has started to be cleared.
Previous visits were as easy as landing kayaks on the beach and walking up through the entrance. We landed to find the gates closed and locked, with new metal shutters to back it up. The secondary entry which involved a short bit of bouldering has also been boarded up. This made it a bit more fun, entrance is still possible if your happy overcoming the defences! Anyway a brief history from Wikipedia:
The 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom recommended a huge programme of new fortifications to defend Plymouth. On Drake's Island, the existing battery at the centre of the island was to be replaced by five 12-inch muzzle loading guns in open emplacements. A new battery was to be built on the southwestern end, of twenty one 9-inch guns in an arc of stone casemates with iron shields. The work was not complete in 1880. Six 12-pounder quick firing guns were added in 1897 and three 6-inch guns became the main armament in 1901; the original muzzle loaders were dumped under a pile of earth.[3] Finally, in 1942, a modern twin 6-pounder gun was installed.
Following World War II Drake's Island remained under the administration of the War Office, which, despite having announced in 1956 that it was no longer needed for defence purposes, did not finally vacate the island until 1963, when Plymouth City Council obtained a lease from the Crown with the aim of establishing a youth adventure training centre there. This centre was opened in 1964, the year in which a mains water supply finally reached the island.
On 1 May 1987 the island got its first telephone line, using a cable attached to the mains water pipe. The telephone number was Plymouth 63393. The warden had previously used the Ministry of Defence system. Drake's Island Adventure Centre, under the custody of the Mayflower Centre Trust, operated until 31 March 1989, when the Mayflower Trust surrendered their lease to the Crown and sold off the boats and sports equipment.
On with the pics
Drakes Island 2018 (13 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (16 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (15 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (14 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (12 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (11 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (9 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (8 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (7 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (6 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (5 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (4 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (2 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Drakes Island 2018 (1 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
Previous visits were as easy as landing kayaks on the beach and walking up through the entrance. We landed to find the gates closed and locked, with new metal shutters to back it up. The secondary entry which involved a short bit of bouldering has also been boarded up. This made it a bit more fun, entrance is still possible if your happy overcoming the defences! Anyway a brief history from Wikipedia:
The 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom recommended a huge programme of new fortifications to defend Plymouth. On Drake's Island, the existing battery at the centre of the island was to be replaced by five 12-inch muzzle loading guns in open emplacements. A new battery was to be built on the southwestern end, of twenty one 9-inch guns in an arc of stone casemates with iron shields. The work was not complete in 1880. Six 12-pounder quick firing guns were added in 1897 and three 6-inch guns became the main armament in 1901; the original muzzle loaders were dumped under a pile of earth.[3] Finally, in 1942, a modern twin 6-pounder gun was installed.
Following World War II Drake's Island remained under the administration of the War Office, which, despite having announced in 1956 that it was no longer needed for defence purposes, did not finally vacate the island until 1963, when Plymouth City Council obtained a lease from the Crown with the aim of establishing a youth adventure training centre there. This centre was opened in 1964, the year in which a mains water supply finally reached the island.
On 1 May 1987 the island got its first telephone line, using a cable attached to the mains water pipe. The telephone number was Plymouth 63393. The warden had previously used the Ministry of Defence system. Drake's Island Adventure Centre, under the custody of the Mayflower Centre Trust, operated until 31 March 1989, when the Mayflower Trust surrendered their lease to the Crown and sold off the boats and sports equipment.
On with the pics
Drakes Island 2018 (13 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (16 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (15 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (14 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (12 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (11 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (9 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (8 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (7 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (6 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (5 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (4 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (2 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on FlickrDrakes Island 2018 (1 of 16).jpg by Josh Huxham, on Flickr
