Devonport: Plymouth’s dockyard district
Devonport is a district of Plymouth in Devon, although it was once the more important settlement. The district sits on the east bank of the Hamoaze, at the mouth of the River Tamar. Across the water lies Cornwall.
The town began around 1700 as a small settlement for workers building the new naval base. At first, people called it Plymouth Dock, or just Dock. By 1801, it had already grown larger than Plymouth and Stonehouse together. The naval base and dockyard still sit beside the district today.
From Plymouth Dock to Devonport
By 1811, Plymouth Dock had just over 30,000 residents. Many of them disliked a name that made the town sound like part of Plymouth. Consequently, they petitioned King George IV, and the new name Devonport took effect on 1 January 1824.
To mark the change, the town built Devonport Column next to its new Guildhall. John Foulston designed both. Devonport later became a county borough in 1889. However, in 1914 it merged with Plymouth and East Stonehouse, the other two of the “Three Towns”.
Barracks, ramparts and Mount Wise
In the mid-18th century, an earthwork went up around the town and dockyard to defend it. Six small barracks housed the troops who manned these lines. In the 1850s, the large Raglan Barracks replaced three of them. Today, only its gatehouse survives, while the rest came down in the 1970s.
Mount Wise is the high ground south of the town. In the 1770s, it gained its own redoubt, with eight guns and two mortars guarding the approach to the dockyard. Later, the military Governor and the naval Commander-in-Chief of Plymouth both lived in large houses there.
Regeneration since 2000
During the 2000s, Devonport received £48.7 million of New Deal for Communities funding. That money paid for an extensive regeneration programme across the district. In addition, the Admiralty released several plots of land, including the Admiralty House site at Mount Wise. In 2011, the Devonport Heritage Trail opened, with over 70 waymarkers.
What an installation here tends to involve
Within the conservation area, a unit on a street-facing wall may need a check with Plymouth City Council first. Since the area centres on Ker Street and the old civic heart, siting matters most there. A rear or side wall is often the simpler choice. When that check turns into a formal application is covered in planning permission for air conditioning.
Homes close to the Hamoaze sit near open water, so salt in the air can affect an outdoor unit. Therefore, a sheltered position usually suits it better. Whatever the property, only an F-Gas certified engineer may legally handle refrigerant.
Getting there from central Plymouth
Devonport is about 1.7 miles by road from central Plymouth, around 5 minutes’ drive. In a straight line, the gap is about 1.3 miles. The district has its own shopping street, railway station, swimming pool and park. Stoke air conditioning installation and Efford air conditioning installation cover other Plymouth areas nearby.
The Torpoint Ferry runs from Devonport across the Hamoaze to Cornwall. Torpoint lies on the far side, across the water in Cornwall, with its own page on air conditioning installation in Torpoint.
Getting matched in Devonport
Send one enquiry and we match your address with one pre-qualified installer who works here. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Send your details through the contact form. Let us know if your home sits within the conservation area or close to the water. The installation service page covers how a typical job runs. A breakdown of installation prices is worth a look beforehand.