Plympton guidebook

 Plympton cottages

Actually older than the neighbouring city of Plymouth, which eventually absorbed it, Plympton was once an important trading centre for locally mined tin, and a busy port before its river silted up.

It has a small, partially ruined 1,000 year-old castle and the oldest part of town, Plympton St Maurice, is very pretty with some fine architecture and lovely old houses.

Recent years have seen some of the period properties engulfed by numerous housing developments but it is still an attractive town overall, with a strong community spirit.

Plympton's Ridgeway Shopping Centre offers a good variety of shops, businesses and meeting places, and there are various public houses, many of which serve meals. 

For those more formal occasions, a former convent in Plympton St Maurice was recently transformed into a boutique hotel, St Elizabeth's House, which offers fine dining.

There is a popular swimming pool in the town and Harewood House acts as a community centre.  Newnham Park Estate on the fringe of Plympton offers clay pigeon shooting and occasionally stages major sporting and musical events. 

Also on the outskirts of Plympton is Saltram House, which is owned by the National Trust.   A fine stately home, it is surrounded by beautiful parkland which is open to the public throughout the year.

To the north and east of Plympton are several small villages which are popular with those wanting a taste of rural life within commuting distance of Plymouth and its amenities.

Many have a local inn and church, and each has their own identity and community spirit.  They include Hemerdon, Lutton, Cornwood and Sparkwell.

Plympton was the birthplace of artist Sir Joshua Reynolds who later became its MP, as did Sir Christopher Wren and, more recently, Sir Alan Clarke, famed for his diaries.

Plympton became a part of Plymouth in 1967.

Produced in association with Northcliffe newspapers.