About Plymouth

Plymouth is presently working on extensive urban redevelopment projects - where much of the city centre will be bulldozed to make way for new office, business and retail space - most of which are scheduled for completion in 2020, so it definitely is a city on the up. As well as several renowned secondary education establishments - exclusive private school, Plymouth College, and academically impressive Devonport grammar school to name but two - Plymouth also boasts the south-west's largest university and also a vibrant, successful college of Art and Design. Socially, the city has something of a reputation, much of which stems from Plymouth's main district for bars and clubs - Union Street. With such a concentration of establishments in such a small area, it is perhaps unsurprising that binge-drinking and its related problems are common on Union Street (not unlike many other town centres), but, saying that, an 'interesting' night is all but guaranteed! Although the city's primary sources of income have traditionally come from the sea, in the form of fishing and in its capacity as a major naval base which catered for ship-building and refurbishment, Plymouth's docks have an altogether more genteel feel these days, with retail and business moving in to replace those trades. The recent proliferation of hi-tech industries has not passed Plymouth by either: both computer engineering and high-level electronics companies have flourished in the city's business district. Linked to the capital by rail and the rest of the country by its small airport, Plymouth provides a gateway into Cornwall in the form of the famed Tamar Bridge, which connects the Devon and its neighbour across Plymouth Bay - the main railway to Cornwall also runs, on its own, less impressive span, alongside the road bridge.