We Explored An Abandoned Fort off the Coast of Britain
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- čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
- For generations, Drake's Island, situated just outside of Plymouth harbour, had been owned by the Ministry of Defence. Recently, however, this island bastion has gone into private ownership.
In this documentary Bob King, the gatekeeper of Drake's Island, gives Dan an exclusive tour of this extremely-militarised scrap of land.
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Hi, it's Bob here I filmed this with Dan a couple of years ago and have carried on my research since then but just to answer a couple of things that came up in the comments. The MoD or Govt never owned the Island it was in the hands of the Duchy of Cornwall since the late 1200's and was returned to them when the military left in 1963. It was then leased out to various organisations during the Adventure Training years from 1963 to 1989. When the centre closed it was put for sale and finally bought by Dan McCauley in 1996 for a little shy of £300k. Dan didn't get planning permission until 2017 so the Island couldn't be developed until that point although Dan admitted he could have looked after the Island better. Dan was ill by this stage and the Island was put up for sale by the family - it was Dan's project and the rest of the family had other interests and couldn't devote the time required to the Island - and bought by Morgan Phillips in 2019 with the planning permission. Although he has opened the Island up there were no funds to develop the Island when I stopped working for the Phillips last October. Just fulfilling the pre commencement conditions on the planning permission including repairing the sea wall at the back, the collapsed boatshed and repairing the pier will cost millions and has to be done before any other development can take place. Sad to say it doesn't look like the Island will get developed under the current owner unless he can attract substantial funds from investors. If you would like to read more about the Island I'm on facebook - search for the history of Drake's Island - and I have a blog at historyofdrakesisland.co.uk/ which covers all sorts of Island related history from surveys going back to the first fortifications, the children born on the Island, brandy smuggling, a master gunner defrauding the Govt and absconding to America and lots more. Happy to answer any replies on here as and when I get time.
That gatekeeper is good at his job. Very informative
The gate keeper is amazing! I'd love a tour with him as the guide, I'd be more interested than Dan
Up until recently he was the main tour guide. I took the tour a couple of years back. It was every bit as good as you'd imagine.
My mum and dad met because HMS Ark Royal grounded off Drakes Island @ 1961. My dad got shore leave and was able to go to his brothers wedding where he met my mum.
Very nice 😂😊
The only time it was attacked was by german bombers 😮
@@simon-oy6um
Wrong Ark
He's referring to the 'Park' Royal
1950 - 1979
Sometimes war creates lives, I guess 😀
@@RegulareoldNorseBoyin times of stress we resort to primal instincts.
Bob really seems to care for the island and it's history, he did a fantastic job presenting it.
That guide is amazing, well done to him!
He knows his job. And now so do you 😂.
1st scuba trip Bovy 1978..came back with 2 large cannonballs just off Drakes Island,still got em!
Have lived in Plymouth for over 15 years and cant wait to one day check out this island.
Well that's never then as it's private now
@@will-i-am-not its being opened up to the public for events etc. 🤡
It's easy to book a tour online and I recommend it. £25.50
@@Milehousestudios brilliant, thank you!
Why has this not been turned into a museum it would be fantastic.
Money. Lots and lots and lots of money. Also, some more money. Did you notice how many areas were fenced off? All of them have to be made safe prior to the public being allowed in.
The authorities want to make it a hotel
As Aaron's mentioned, lots and lots of money. Imagine the cost of transporting all the materials needed to make it safe and then to add the museum infrastructure by boat? It'd be super pricey. Then there's the cost of tickets. Visitors would have to pay the cost of a boat trip on top of the usual museum entry costs, and that would make it less appealing than, say, a museum on the mainland. Especially if you're a family with kids that need paying for too. And sure, you could make kids entry free, but they'll still take up seats on the boats.
In any other country this would be a restored attraction, but it's in England, so it's allowed to rot away....
@@aaronleverton4221 Get a load of volunteers together and money from the lottery. This country has billions for foreign wars and welfare, so it's nothing to do with money.
Soooo much history here, every effort to preserve this place should be made !!!!!!
As a 12 year old my friends and I camped over night on Drakes island, there are numerous tunnels below, one is blocked halfway to the mainland! we had many a great time during the summer holidays. How did we get there....by canoe! Hide and seek in the tunnels....wonderful times!
Bob is an incredible guide!
I had a week here when I was about 16. We did abseiling, canoeing,rock climbing and sailing!!! Absolutely loved it!!!!
My Dad was an instructor for a while. Got temporary leave from the RAF to instruct during a summer. He took the whole family. Wife and 3 kids. I still have memories!
I went to a similar place at Fairbourne Wales and did all that stuff. Normally scared of heights but seemed ok when instructors were there.
Used to live in plymouth & heard many wild stories about drakes island. Great video, very nostalgic!
They used to run outward bound weeks from there in the late 70's early 80's, it was a cold wet windy awesome time
We started them in the early to mid 60's through our youth club at Virginia house. I was one of the lads that would have took you out onto Dartmoor for the week, then it would have been back to the island for sailing, canoeing and rock climbing experiences.! There is a "Pathe News" video clip from 1965 here - czcams.com/video/1ee3VNt-JTg/video.html - my mate Phil Dent can soon be seen swinging a sledge hammer, and I am seen in it at 0:55 on the right, 1:02 to 1:05 at the top of the climbing slope, and at 1:23 putting my canoe into the water.
They were great days, and I wouldn't have missed them for the world, although Mum and Dad did get a bit worried about me being out on Dartmoor during a whole school summer holiday, with only a day or two break at weekends to collect fresh food stocks and another set of lads from the island's boat at Millbay.!
Great video. Wonderful island and tour guide.
Bob is a absolute legend wow he knew everything about the island l really enjoyed watching that best thing on CZcams for ages. Thanks from Carlisle Cumbria
Went there doing some tidying up when doing my basic training at Raliegh back in the mid 1960s getting it ready for the adventure training to commence there
The 60s shipmate ,,,,, bloody hell I was there 98! Sailed past that island many times on type 23s
I visited this place in the 80s when was at Raleigh
I used to stare out at this Island imagining it as my escape point for a zombie apocalypse. Still a good spot IMO
Haha you and the rest of Plymouth!
I was lucky enough to spend two weeks on the island back in 1973 with the adventure training group so got to explore the whole place it was fantastic
Thank you so much for bringing back some wonderful memories
During the early 1970's this was an adventure centre, with abseiling down the walls where the old Derrick used to be, dinghy sailing and kayaking immediately off the island and rock-climbing on a Tor on the nearby moor (I think it was Dartmoor).
See my comments above, it was at the Dewerstone at Shaugh bridge.!
Best video I've seen on an interesting part of British History for ages. More like this please.
I can remember staying on the Island back in 1988 for a week as part of my YTS (Youth Training Scheme) when it was an outward bound activity centre. Watching this brought back memories of going down into the ammunition dumps and we also bivouacked on the open ground at the top of the Island.
I had approximately the same experience at approximately the same time! I remember climbing through catacombs in the magazine, kayaking in Plymouth Sound, and crane absailing off a cliff side.
These longform videos are incredible, great work
This was fantastic, very knowledgeable gatekeeper/grounds historian as well.
What a place and what an amazing memory of historical details.
All I can say is absolutely amazing 😊
I used to live in an old Victorian house on Plymouth Hoe until around 1966 (until I was around 6 years old). Looking left out of the bay window you could see Drake's Island. There was still a lot of bomb damage around on the Hoe, even 20 years after the end of WW2. Of course it has all completely changed now.
Very glad to hear that they're looking to develop public access (I was born in Plymouth and love forts but have never set foot on the island).
Anyone wanting to visit a site that has a very similar history (Tudor, Civil War, Napoleonic, Palmerston, WW1 & WW2) should head to Dartmouth Castle (English Heritage) further east in Devon. It's on a much smaller scale but is fully accessible and has the Victorian casemates reconstructed (I worked there for several years and love it!).
Wow. What a great historical place to see. I would love to visit this someday. Thanks for sharing.
Lucky enough to have done two week long adventure training courses, the first when at school in 1968 and the second in 1970 when a cadet. On the first trip one of the underground magazines still contained gymnasium equipment from its military days. The adventure courses were run in a very disciplined military style fashion and we were required to polish the accomodations floors and clean the facilities daily. After the 1968 course i spent several weekends with a club which occupied the gun casement on the Eastern side of the island, happy days.
FYI: "In October 2018, the island was put up for sale for £6 million. It was purchased by Morgan Phillips. Phillips plans to open the island to the public with a museum and heritage centre, thirty years after previously closing."
Wikipedia
Awesome video, Thank you. From Texas
Fascinating and informative 👍 I grew up in Plymouth and Drake's Island was always a mystery.
wow! that was awesome! this was an example why I love this channel. : )
I've always been curious about Drake's Island as my Dad was a Janner..
Extra interesting! Nice one Dan and team. 🌟👍
Brilliant video thank you for sharing
Used to be able to take a ferry and go around the island.I got stuck up the climbing wall aged 6 in the 70s.
Hello from Plymouth!
True expert in the history of that island...It became a passion of his that brings the island history to life!
What an interesting guy. Bob certainly knows his onions.
Gatekeeper: what an incredible job to have overlooking the historic island.
Loved this Thank you.
I got married at Mount Edgecombe in 2016. This episode was fantastic for me and I can’t wait to visit.
This was absolutely fascinating 👍🏻
I am from Plymouth myself and this video has been really entertaining to watch, to know so much of drakes Island that I wish andnwouldnlive to visit just so see the history of the place myself, but also happy this video shows a bit of plymouth history as well
I very much enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
I spent a lot of time on Drakes island both when it was a youth adventure centre and with permission to land when it still was with my kayaking club as a youth.
My dad and his brothers grew up in Stonehouse, he told me stories about going to Drake's island on school trips.
It was an informative and wonderful historical coverage video about a British military frontier island as a constant naval frontier castle..
As a minor correction, it's been in private ownership for decades, since the 90s if memory serves.
It's only recently been "opened" by the new owner for guided tours and certain events.
Overall the new owner has really done Plymouth a good service.
Not sure if barring the public from its' history for decades could be considered a ''good service'.
@@simonjohnston9488 it's a new owner.
The old owner and the football manager beforehand did that
Dan Macauley(then the chairman of Plymouth Argyle) held it privately for a long time. He always talked about fanciful ideas of hotels, and even a long lasting (if insane) rumour about building Argyle a new stadium out there(!), but ultimately did absolutely nothing with it while what little was there continued to rust and decay. The new owners at least, seem to want to do something with it.
Fascinating place
Very Interesting '' Another Great Video 💯, thanks for Sharing 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥
Greetings from Australia. Of course Dan is the man.....a bloody legend.
Very interesting topic
I learned to dive at Bovisand. Dived here a lot in the 80s.
Very interesting, thanks! ❤😃
My troop of Royal Engineers pulled all the Armstrong guns out from where they were buried in the summer of 1982. The lads used chain hoists (horizontally) and perfectly understandably, called it Devil's Island given the work was back breaking.
22:19 These were brand new canoes (kayaks), GRP was what carbon fibre epoxy is today. Many canoes during the sixties were... wood!
I live here and have always wanted to go. Looks really interesting!
I live in Plymouth, so this is so interesting to me!
I’ve been to England once and spent most of my time in and around the Plymouth shores. This was fun to watch.
Bloody good video, genuinely interesting and could have been much, much longer. I spent more than four years looking out at that island and occasionally sailing around it. Would love to have been able to explore it.
Brilliant video the presenter certainly knows his stuff
What a fascinating man
Pure BRILLIANCE
MOD should have 'gifted' this back to the nation, not sold it to a private individual, however well-intentioned that person may initially be.
US Government does the same.
Cant beat the power of the brown envelope.
Given.
Anyone that can keep Dan quiet gets my vote! It's not a job for him more of a vocation. Nice one Bob. I remember back in '78, the Queen's silver jubilee, there was a giant outline of a crown that lit up on Drake's Island in celebration. We are spoilt down here, with such places within easy reach, plus the moors just 20 minutes away.
Amazing. I was brought up in Plymouth, I knew the Island well. I nwent to the Adventure Centre, asged 9, in 1980/1, and explored all of the tunnels and even climbed up the ammunition shafts, deep inside. Climbed on the huge guns, fished on the beaches, absailed down the cliffs. It was real "Boys Own/Treasure Island" Stuff. Very nostalgic to see all of these things, over 40 years, later. I'd love to go back again, but it's privately owned and nothing has been done there for ages. Sad, really.
I was there in the 70s, the sailing was great but the compulsory morning swims were miserable….we never had time to look around.
I grew up in this area and was lucky enough to sail past the island a lot as a kid. Plymouth has so much history attached to it. Its a very poor city but i consider myself incredibly lucky to have grown up next to it.
Fantastic tour from Bob King. Thoroughly enjoyed his knowledge and input. Makes one wonder though, was there any requirement for Dan to be in this production at all?
Lived in Plymouth for 2 years. Sailed near the island many times but we never landed.
Dan, or anyone reading this, if you're ever on Vancouver Island, you have to check out Fort Rodd Hill, which still has some guns! And dive into the other gun emplacements that were here (hint: the CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum has the plans on vellum, which aren't accessible to the public, but maybe a famous documentarian could show to the world! :D )
Those big guns at 6:43 are Rifled Muzzle Loaders manufactered at the Woolwich Arsenal. Armstrong guns where never that big in caliber and were early breech loaders.
It would be great to convert part of the barracks to some sort of tourist or restaurant/entertainment venue and clean up the island resoring it.
In the 1980’s you could get a boat trip onto Drakes Island, I remember walking round all the gun emplacements as a youngster
That would make the most amazing bespoke hotel. I'm sure great museum as well
went here back in the 80s, cool place
I was there for the solstice last year. The guide was talking about plans to make it into an attraction, though much of it is closed off for safety reasons. The rumour that the owners want to build a hotel out there still persist, but nothing has been confirmed. To do so may not even be possible. Protection laws/historical importance issues still apply and it remains to be seen if the existing building could be renovated to that function. If not, a huge chunk of the island would need to be leveled and permission for that is unlikely.
Incredible, this guy is a walking encyclopedia
Like everyone else has said, the guide is very good at his job.
Mid to late 70's I got sent there for an outward bound holiday for 1 or 2 weeks.... I only lived over at Saltash, a couple of miles up river from there. 🤣 but it was great fun.
Moved to Plymouth in 63, spent 40 years there. Did a fair bit of boating but never went ashore on the island. Doubt I ever will.
Reminds me of the Northe Fort at Newhaven
In the 70s I was at primary school and we came here for an adventure holiday for a week. We did sailing. Snorkeling, climbing up the buttresses to the island, and canoeing, we actually canoed behind HMS ARK ROYAL on her return home final active duty voyage, and they fired the guns for her from Plymouth citadel it was quite a week
1:43 I'm pretty sure that is a mortar, not a howitser.
Stayed there twice for a week 1970 and 71, sailing,canoeing and climbing etc,spam sandwiches every day for lunch 😂 never forget it,fantastic 😀
A friend of mines parents nearly bought this around 85/86 when the MoD where trying to offload it. They bought a house built around 1750 inland instead. I believe it was about £300,000 - £350,000 at the time
Fantastic
Wasnt it peter de savery who bought it?
I used to sail around this from Mayflower Marina. Always wanted to see what it was like.
Was the piano at the end from Julia Stone's song 'Dance'?
Arrrrg I have been past the island many times , as a part of ship hand on type 23s and as a quartermaster driving them in and out of Devonport dockyard in Guzz
Memories
I’m a forces brat born and bread even as a child in Ireland in 74. For me I’m at odds to understand why our armed forces living here on the bases live in horrendous conditions with no hot water, heating and with mould throughout to the point where our people aren’t allowed to live in those conditions and yet now it appears that others live in better conditions. I listen to you often and agree with what you’re saying. Keep it up bud.
I doubt you were ever 'bread' sliced or unsliced.
The thumbnail had me thinking this was where Drake and OVO were hiding their young girls 😂😂😂
Thank you for this post, very interesting. May I say to the producer of this channel I enjoy every post and I sincerely apologise for my recent comment. Emotions were running high for another reason and I have deleted it now.
Looks like a good place to fish from.
We went there 20 years ago when it was a perfect, wonderfully natural + overgrown nature reserve.
Sadly no more.
Don't know if it still happens but the local swimming clubs had an annual swim from the island to the hoe. There was also a breakwater to the hoe swim. So, as a child in the late 60's early 70's I and my club mates visited and ran around a bit for several years, great adventure. My club was Leander.
Edt to add there was always a warm part you had to swim through, whatever could that have been? 🙂
What’s defending Plymouth and the British isles now? I’ve got a rolling pin and a mechanical whisk if that helps.