The Ferry House Inn

The original house where the Ferry House Inn stands in Saltash Passage was built in 1575. It was recorded that it was converted into an Inn in 1850. However, in other records, the landlord in 1812 is said to be a Mr John Sole. Perhaps the
1850 date is wrong and maybe it should be 1805.

The Inn got its name from the ferry that left from the slipway opposite. Before the building of the Royal Albert Bridge, the ferry ran along the route of the bridge and not from the front of the Ferry House Inn which may suggest that the Inn had a different name originally. The history of the Inn itself seems very scant though there is much recorded about the ferry.

The ferry ran for at least six hundred years and carried passengers across the Tamar long before the Inn or the building existed.

Daniel Defoe,the author of Robinson Crusoe, crossed here in 1724 and wrote, 'the Tamar here is very wide, and the ferry boats bad, so that I thought myself well escaped when I got safe on shore in Cornwall.'

For many years, the Inn has provided food and drink for passengers on their way to Cornwall via the ferry.

It is still open for business although the last ferry ran in October 1961 the day before the Tamar Bridge opened to traffic.

The Inn is said to be haunted but no-one knows by who. Perhaps it's the ghost of an earlier landlord, the aptly named John Sole.

Plymouth Trams

Transport played a big part in linking the three towns. Plymouth's first tramway was opened in 1872 by the Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport Tramways Company. Before the advent of electricity, the trams were pulled by horses. The 4ft 8 inch track ran from Derry's Clock, along Union Street, over Stonehouse Bridge and ended at Cumberland Gardens in Devonport. In 1874, the line was extended to run to Fore Street in Devonport. Electric trams took over from the horse drawn ones in the early 1900's and the service eventually covered most of the area known today as Plymouth.

The photo shows a tram at Saltash Passage. Saltash Passage would have been the last stop by the river before this tram headed off back into the town. In 1923, the line was extended from St Budeaux along a track that had been closed since the First World War. The trip from the pier to Saltash Passage covered a remarkable 9 miles and was the longest journey in the city. The fare was 4d. This one's marked 'Theatre' and its final destination would have been by Derry's Clock.

By 1922, motor buses were running in the city and trams became a less viable proposition. In 1941, only the tramline from Drake's Circus to Peverell was still in use but this was discontinued after the war and the city's last tram ran on 29th September 1945.

The Great Liners

Plymothians would line the docks in the hope of seeing famous passengers disembark from the many ocean liners that called at Millbay. The Queen Mary was Cunard's pride and joy and famous passengers who docked at Plymouth on The Queen Mary included Gloria Swanson and Jack Warner who both arrived in the city in 1938. The Mauretania came to Plymouth regularly and delivered passengers and mail to the city. Film stars were quite often amongst the passengers and these included the American crooner, Bing Crosby. The Mauretania was built by Swan, Hunter and Wigham in Newcastle in 1907. It was the world's fastest liner from 1907 to 1927 and was part of Cunard Line's Liverpool to New York service. Charlie Chaplin disembarked from the Mauretania in 1931 to the delight of many Plymothians that had come to see him. The star of many silent films, he made his famous film, 'City Lights' in this year. Whilst in Plymouth, Chaplin was the guest of Nancy Astor at her home in Elliott Terrace on the Hoe. Also visiting Astor at the same time were Amy Johnson and George Bernard Shaw.The Mauretania made it's final eastwards crossing on September 1934, from New York to Southampton and was sent to the breakers yard on July 1935. The Normandie steamed into Plymouth Sound in 1937 after crossing the Atlantic in a record breaking time. The Normandie (pictured) was the industry's first 1,000 ft ocean liner. Walt Disney was among the many famous passengers who landed at Plymouth. The liner capsized and caught fire in New York while being converted for use in the Second World War.

Liner passengers would start their onward journey to London from Millbay Station. Many film stars including George Raft and Charlie Chaplin would board the trains here with thousands of less famous travellers. The station and hotels were built to accommodate the many visitors.

The days of the great ocean liners calling at Plymouth are now long gone but occasionally one drops anchor in the Sound but they are few and far between.

Plymouth Argyle

Argyle played their first full game in 1886. Their captain was F Howard Grose and the team met at Grose's home in Argyll Terrace. Originally called Argyle Athletic, they were named after Grose's admiration for the playing skills of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders regimental team. They originally only played away games as they had no pitch of their own and their practice sessions took place at Freedom Fields. In 1901, they started playing at the ground at Home Park which had been built for the Devonport Albion Rugby Club. In the first two years, Home Park was also the home to whippet racing and cycling tournaments. In 1903, they were allowed to join the Southern League and they then played their first game as Plymouth Argyle.

The photo shows the team in 1922. Back row: J Devine, F Cosgrove, J Muir, W Cook, P Corcoran, W Frost, J Little, C Miller. Second row: F Haynes (trainer), I Leathlean, J Hill, J Logan, R Jack (sec. man) J Jobson, C Eastwood, S Atterbury (assistant trainer). Seated: J Dickinson, B Bowler, H Batten, H Kirk, M Russell, W Forbes, H Raymond, W Baker, A Rowe. Front row: J Kirkpatrick, J Fowler, J Walker, T Gallogley, F Richardson, R Jack, J Leslie and A Wilson.

The Countess of Edgcumbe's pet pig

The Countess of Mount Edgcumbe, Emma Gilbert, had a pet pig which she called Cupid. Cupid led a charmed life eating at the dinner table of the Edgcumbes and even accompanying the Countess, Emma Gilbert, on trips to London. The Edgcumbes love of their pets can be seen at Fern Dell where many of them are buried. When a later Countess of Mount Edgcumbe, Caroline Georgia, died in 1909, she requested that a fountain be erected near the shore at Cremyll which bore the inscription, 'For the Doggies'.

When Cupid died in 1768, it was said that he was buried in a gold casket beneath the Obelisk at Cremyll.

A Kingsbrige man wrote a poem about Cupid on hearing of it's demise. It read: 'Oh dry those tears so round and big, Nor waste in sight your precious wind, Death only takes a little pig Your Lord and Son are still behind.'

Cupid's resting place is a mystery though, as it appears to have had a grave at Fern Dell. A monumental urn dedicated to the pig has long since disappeared. On one of his visits to Mount Edgcumbe, George III, on seeing Cupid's headstone, remarked to Queen Charlotte, 'It's the family vault, Charley! The family vault!'

The Honicknowle Carnival

The Honicknowle Carnival started in 1933. This photo shows the Maypole Dancers on their cart ready to take part in the Carnival of 1934. Pictured in Butt Park Road, this photo includes Constance Brimacombe, Winnie and Lily Lee, Beryl Ivey, Millie Shears, Joyce Chapman and Mary McKee.

The annual carnival was organised by Edgar Lewis and attracted thousands of people from all over the city. In the days before the building of the many housing estates in the 1950s, Honicknowle was a very different place with farms, quarries, a brick works and open spaces.The nearby Woodland Fort housed troops and at different times, also housed families and was used for recreational purposes.

Events in the carnival included maypole dancing (very popular at the time), ladies football, children's competitions ,fancy dress shows and various sports events. A Carnival Queen would preside over events. In 1933, the Queen was Hilda Pearn. In 1934, the Queen was Florence Ivey and in 1935, Agnes Lewis had the honour. The Parade was a very popular part of the carnival and included horses and carts from local farmers as well as local residents.

In 1939, Honicknowle Week, as the carnival was known, ceased for nine years because of the Second World War. In that year, Joyce Chapman was Queen. The Carnival was revived in 1948 and attracted more attention than it had in previous years because of the growth of housing in the area.The 1949 carnival included wagons and decorated horses. Thirteen Carnival Queens from other parts of the City took part in the parade and there were 130 entrants in the fancy dress parade. Joan Slater, who was Miss Honicknowle, presented the first prize to Valerie Steele and also presented the prizes for the juvenile talent contest. The day ended with old time dancing and an al fresco dance in the street.

The Carnival seemed to end once the new housing estates were built in the 1950s. The village life that was once Honicknowle had now gone. Farms were built on and the brickworks was eventually knocked down. A way of life had suddenly changed forever.

Scott of the Antarctic

Robert Falcon Scott was born in Plymouth on the 6 June 1868. He was a British Naval Officer and explorer who led two expeditions to Antarctica. The first, the Discovery Expedition lasted three years and began in 1901. His second expedition, the Terra Nova Expedition, which commenced in 1910, is more well known and was the expedition where, unfortunately, he lost his life. Scott led a team of five men in a race to reach the South Pole. When he arrived on the 17th January 1912, he discovered that he had been beaten to the position by the Norwegian, Roald Amundsen and his team. Scott and his team, which included Edward Wilson, H R Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans, made their way back but died of a combination of the cold, hunger and exhaustion.

Scott was born at Outlands House, the family home, in the Parish of Stoke Damerel.He was a distant descendant of Sir Walter Scott and he was the father of the naturalist, Peter Scott. Outlands has now gone and St Bartholomew's Church stands in its place. Within the church is a piece of wood bearing Scott's name. In 1908, Scott had carved his name on a tree at Outlands, from where the wood was taken.

Scott was 43 when he died and his body, and that of his comrades, remain at the camp where he was found. A wooden cross was erected on top of a high cairn of snow which covered the camp.

A memorial stands to Scott at Mount Wise in Devonport.