Royal William Yard Our History The Royal William Victualling Yard

Royal William Yard was designed by architect and engineer Sir John Rennie for use by the Admiralty as a major victualling depot for the . It was named after King William IV (the last Lord High ) and built between 1824 and 1835. Steeped in history and considered to be one of the most important groups of historic military buildings in Britain, the Yard has the largest collection of Grade I Listed military buildings in Europe. Sir John Rennie — Architect

From the beginning 1821

Plymouth has been involved in The decision was made to centralise victualling the Royal Naval fl eet Plymouth’s victualling provision in to since the 13th century. In the 1650s one new location. the Commonwealth government built victualling storehouses on The plan was to consolidate various Lambhay Hill next to Hoe Fort, victualling activities from around with manufacturing taking place the Plymouth area, including the at various locations around the old brewing of beer, the slaughtering harbour and a wharf providing a of live animals for fresh meat, the loading area for ships in Sutton Pool. manufacture of barrels, the baking of bread and the production of Following the establishment of a fl our; as well as providing space for Royal Navy Dockyard in what would administration, accommodation and later be known as Devonport, in large amounts of storage. 1690, these victualling premises The area was chosen for its deep expanded substantially. water channel and for its equal proximity to the Dockyard, the Hamoaze and the Sound. View showing ships loading at Clarence — c1832

1824 1827

An Act of Parliament sanctioned Work on the fi rst of the buildings the purchase of the site and the began in late 1827, and on the Victualling Commissioners appointed boundary walls and the basin the John Rennie as architect. Work on following year. the new Yard commenced in 1825 and the arduous task of levelling the Once complete, they were named site was carried out by convicts over the Royal William Victualling Yard. a strenuous three-year undertaking It is said that at one time about which produced approximately 250 men were employed in the 370,000 tons of rubble. Yard, as well as offi cers and a superintendent. In the following year the Duke of Clarence (soon to be succeeded to No sooner had it been built, the the Throne as King William IV) laid intended function of the Yard began the coping stone of the sea wall, 11ft to change. Nevertheless, the Yard under-water by means of a cast-iron would continue to fulfi l a crucial role diving bell only 6ft x 4ft. in provisioning Britain’s naval fl eet for a further 100 years. Walking Tour

Entrance — The granite entrance Residence One & Two — Up the in Cremyll Street is guarded with a road to the left are the Officers’ 13ft high statue of King William IV, Residences. Furthest away is surrounded by carvings illustrating Residence One, which was the the trades that flourished inside home of the Superintendent and the the walls – butchers, bakers and nearest, Residence Two, was for coopers, along with carved ox heads the Chief Clerk. The building was and crossed fouled anchors, both constructed in around 1830 to the symbols of the Naval Victualling plans of John Rennie Jnr. and was Board. designed to provide four storeys of comfortable residences for the Royal Gatehouse & Guardhouse — Navy’s Officer classes. To the left of the entrance is the Police House which used to Firestone Bay — Beyond the be manned by an Inspector, 3 residences is the entrance to the Sergeants and 12 Constables, who tunnel through to Firestone Bay, helped to keep pilferers’ hands off originally designed for allowing light the navy’s food, drink and supplies. provisions to be taken out to ships in the Sound when the ebb tides made Slaughterhouse — To the right of access to the Basin difficult. the entrance is the Slaughterhouse, used to produce salt beef. Between Mills Bakery — The building facing 70 and 80 head of cattle could be the flagstaff on the right of the lawn slaughtered simultaneously. They was the Mills and Bakery. Used to were transported by boat docking bake ships biscuit and bread, it was at Firestone Bay and led into the brought into use in 1843, where Yard down Slaughter Alley. Both the two 40hp steam engines drove Slaughterhouse and Police House 27 millstones capable of grinding were given special architectural 100 bushels of corn every hour. treatment by Rennie to give a good It also housed 12 conveyor ovens impression to visitors, using wrought and survived six fires in its time, limestone, granite and cast iron including a major one in 1960. window frames. 1828 – 1899

New Cooperage — To the west Brewhouse — The next building of the flagstaff, the long thin on the right, after the Marina, building is the New Cooperage, and capable of producing 30,000 built in 1899 after the closure of gallons of beer per day. The beer the old cooperage building when ration ceased in 1831, before the Victualling Board reduced their the Yard opened, as emerging requirement for barrels. It housed technology allowed large quantities the coopers and others tradesmen of fresh water to be carried at sea, displaced by the rearrangements, eliminating the need for the beer. including painters, wheelwrighters Subsequently, it was used as a and a host of other skilled men slaughterhouse in 1885, a store for needed to keep the Royal Navy in vegetables, meat and rum in 1891, perfect working order. and an artillery weapons workshop in 1936 until becoming a submarine Marina — Next on the right comes torpedo workshop in 1971. what was originally known as the Basin, almost square at 250 feet by Factory Cooperage — Built to 200 feet and could accommodate support the enormous demands on up to six transports or merchant the supply of barrels for the storage vessels. on board ship. The lower floor was used to store sponges, rammers and Melville — Overlooking the Marina carriages, while the first floor was is the Melville Block, named after used for the armoury, containing the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord some 9,000 rifles, pistols, cutlasses, Melville. Architecturally the grandest boarding pikes, machine guns and of the buildings at the Yard, it has a other quick-firing weapons. superb location, fronting the Marina. It was built as a general store and Clarence — The final building in the incorporated a suite of offices. Yard was named after the Duke of The entrance is surmounted by a Clarence who became King William clock and bell tower, designed by IV. This was used as a store for a Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy, who went wide variety of items: spirits, porter, on to draw up the specification vinegar and spares for small arms for the clock in the Houses of and other weapons. Parliament. 1941 2004

World War II — Plymouth endured Urban Splash began working with the heaviest air attacks during the SWRDA and, with the support of Blitz in 1941. However, the Yard Plymouth City Council, started to survived unscathed. see the Yard come alive.

1972 2007

Royal Marines — Number Two The first new residential apartments Raiding Squadron occupied the were completed, along with the Brewhouse during the war. It was opening of offices, restaurants, using it as a store for clothing and to an outpost of the University of repair and store torpedoes. Plymouth, art galleries, exhibitions, the Royal William Yard Marina and the establishment of a ferry for the 1985 public.

Closure Announced — The then Minister of Defence, Michael Heseltine, announced the closure Present Day of the Yard because it was no longer seen as appropriate to use a scheduled ancient monument for the storage of naval equipment. Today, Royal William Yard has made it as one of 1992 the South West’s most talked about places

Yard Decommissioned — The Yard and is now a buzzing was eventually closed by the MOD neighbourhood full of with ownership being passed to homes, restaurants, bars, Plymouth City Council and the South West Regional Development Agency offices, artists spaces (SWRDA). and a hotel. Our Buildings

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01. Gatehouse 02. Guardhouse 03. Residence One 04. Residence Two 05. Firestone Arches 06. New Cooperage 07. Melville 08. Factory Cooperage Bus to 09. Clarence City Centre 10. Brewhouse 11. Mills Bakery 12. Slaughterhouse “At Cremill Point a fine establishment was formed in 1834 for victualling the Navy and for this purpose no place could have been better selected. Its proximity to the Dockyard, “At Cremill Point a fine establishment was formed the Hamoaze and the in 1834 for victualling the Navy and for this purpose Sound, and the great no place could have been better selected. Its depth of water rendering proximity to the Dockyard, the Hamoaze and the it accessible at all times Sound, and the great depth of water rendering of the tide, enabled it to it accessible at all times of the tide, enabled it to King William IV King William IV supply provisions to the supply provisions to the different vessels of war with the greatest despatch, different vessels of war facility and economy, whilst its excellent internal with the greatest despatch, arrangements are so designed that every article facility and economy, of provisions can be manufactured and supplied whilst its excellent internal with equal readiness and arrangements are so cheapness.” designed that every article Sir John Rennie View of the Yard c1835 of provisions can be manufactured and supplied with equal readiness and cheapness.”

Sir John Rennie View of the Yard c1835 Pulling a dinghy ashore at Stonehouse Pool with Royal William Yard in the background c1890

A Cooper and his apprentice at work making barrels in Factory Cooperage

Pulling a dinghy ashore at Stonehouse Pool with Royal William Yard in the background c1890

A Cooper and his apprentice at work making barrels in Factory Cooperage

Gun barrels being stacked with pulleys in Melville Courtyard Gun barrels being stacked with pulleys in Melville Courtyard Counting the barrels, Factory Cooperage

Counting the barrels, Factory Cooperage

Packing silverware into barrels Long Johns store

Packing silverware into barrels Long Johns store Repairing Tea Urns

Bell Bottoms store

Filling barrels in Brewhouse

Loading boxes

Cache of rifles ready for shipment Tennis on the green Brewery and Basin c1974

Storage in the ground floor of Melville

Melville c1974

Bags of flour stored in Mills Bakery

March past Mills Bakery

Melville Square c1974 Main Entrance salute Getting here #yardlife couldn’t be easier — arrive by car, bike, bus, ferry or on foot. We can even provide you with a mooring in our Marina.

Royal William Yard Plymouth Devon PL1 3RP

+44 1752 600533 [email protected] royalwilliamyard.com

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