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.
Thank you for taking the time to explain the current situation. It seems to me that the island has a great potential to anyone with enough money to make it a safe destination for people to visit. It would make a great day out including the boat trip to and from. I could envisage that it might be a good base from which to explore the coast by sea. Anyway, Thanks for a great intriguing video.
@@marklelohe3754 Hi Mark, unfortunately money is the issue. Even if they raise sufficient funds to combat the coastal erosion and other pre commencement conditions there are significant other hurdles. There is no electricity although there is a cable that is functional to the pier but a proportion needs to be renewable, no water (a complete new system is required and would need to be connected to the mainland), no sewage and the planning conditions state it must be recyclable on the Island, there would then be the design of any rooms and facilities which must be internal to the existing structures, no new buildings or stories are permitted. There is the logistics of building on the Island and wildlife means you can't work on certain parts of the Island during certain parts of the year and the issue of weather prevents access to the Island all year round and would also prevent any hotel being open all year round. Realistically the Island needs a philanthropisr who is prepared to lose millions to preserve the Island. And the cost is why the Council has repeatedly not got involved financially over the years - it is a money pit. I know it's a pessemistic view but unfortunately that is the reality
Great episode Bob, I could listen to you talk about Drake's Island for hours. I hope you and the new owner manage to attract an investor to preserve the island for future generations. It would certainly make a great Airsoft venue. Have you thought of creating your own TH-cam channel about the Island?
@@nickdavison9771 Hi Nick, thanks for the kind comments. Unfortunately I no longer work over the Island as I had a number of disagreements with the owners and I no longer felt able to work with them. The owners have a company that runs airsoft on the Island and that was one of the disagreements - not that they shouldn't do airsoft but that it should be more environmentally and historically sensitive to the Island. I don't think the owners will get funding, they have lost most of their projects through investors in those projects, which included Eggbuckland Keep, losing faith and replacing them. As for my own youtube channel it's one of the things I am looking at but I am a complete novice regarding making videos but I do hope to have something up and running by the end of the year as there is so much to tell about the Island and once I get the first one right hopefully the following should be easier.
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.
The excitement and love that gatekeeper has for drakes Island is palpable, and reassuring to know that its in safe hands and rightly so.. Fantastic watch this thank you
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 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
Fantastic detail from the Guide, what an interesting chap. I spent a week sailing climbing and canoeing when it was an adventure camp 1970s Lovely memories
I was a climbing instructor on Drake’s Island when it was an adventure centre run by the Mayflower Trust. In my first year (‘79) the triangular building was being built by a group of young people under the YOP scheme - this scheme being very well run and the youngsters cared for by real tradesmen. The centre was run with over 15 instructional staff and ran week long camps which often included canoe / sailing and walking expeds. often with o/night camps. A popular trip was for groups to sail into Cawsand Bay via the Breakwater, a group to canoe there and meet with a couple of walking groups who went there via Milbay Dock over to Edgcumbe Park. After lunch, we’d all swop over our groups and make the return journey. Our Marine Biologist had virtually every child snorkelling by the end of their first day with his team & were often visited by ‘Sammy’ our local seal. In the casements at the East end of the island we had a series of canoe building and repair units where the glass fibre and glues permeated the air; whilst on the roof of the casements we ran various exercise classes especially for the Probationary Service who sent some youngsters to us for an opportunity to address their life choices and avoid further engagement with the police. Once with us, not one of the young offenders ever caused any issues…but that’s another issue for social psychology. Deep inside the tunnels, we created an artificial caving system where the youngsters crawled through the ammunition runs - we created some safety openings to enable us to remove anyone who was feeling unsettled by the confines. The island also hosted daily visits by official guided tours from the old harbour. At low tide, especially in the evening, small beaches were great play areas for the guests and staff who were allocated evening duties often ran activities there. The island provided a truly unique experience for the young people who came here from around England: especially the Primary schools in Plymouth. There must be a generation of older parents if not now grandparents who had their week with us.
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!
Dan, thanks so much for introducing us to Bob, what a mine of information he is about the history of this fabulous place. HOPEFUULY, the metal parts of the hoist's and the barrels of those built up guns WILL be preserved, there must be museums and private individuals who would give anything to own one of those massive guns! Bob, thanks for all the info, you are a real wizard about this historic place PLEASE write an illustrated book about it! Thanks so very much for this, MORE than fascinating!
As a boy I stayed on Drakes Island for a few days when it was an adventure centre and I visited the Island again last year when all the memories came flooding back. It's an Island that few Plymothians ever get to visit, but it's also very precious to every Plymothian.
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?
Bob is a absolute legend wow he knew everything about the island l really enjoyed watching that best thing on TH-cam for ages. Thanks from Carlisle Cumbria
It's absolutely fascinating to hear Bob passionately recounting the rich history of Drake's Island. However, it's deeply saddening to witness the neglect of such an important historic landmark, and see how much the island has deteriorated over the past 50 years. . Having been born just across the water from Drake's Island, I have fond childhood memories of staying at the Youth Adventure Center a number of times in the early '70s. I will never forget the excitement of arriving there by small boat as a youngster to what seemed such a special place. And the fun we had sailing and exploring around the island during the holidays - magical times. . Unfortunately, it seems that plans to redevelop the island are once again on hold, as the current owner has evidently had to recently put it back on the market. I wonder if there's any hope that the National Trust or Lottery funding might step in to help restore it to its former glory...?
I’m Plymouth “born & bred” and very proud of my City & it’s heritage. I have been on the island 3 times. The most recent was three weeks ago with a guided tour which was brilliant. I recommend the tour as it was a really interesting couple of hours.
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.
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.
@@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.
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
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 - th-cam.com/video/1ee3VNt-JTg/w-d-xo.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.!
I visited Drakes Island in my younger years and went through some of the tunnels. It hasn’t changed in the slightest. Wherever you view the island it just looks so beautiful and peaceful.
I was on the staff as a sailing instructor in around 1972/3. Enjoyed some fine sailing and canoeing around the island and the sound. The accommodations were all very basic, harking back to its most recent time as a military base. My first berth was in the centre battery right on top of the island. It would certainly not be regarded as fit accommodation there days, little better than a concrete cave. I did have some great sailing and happy times . Very font memories of a beautiful place and nice people
I went to a Scout camp on Drake's Island in about 1968, there were a lot of tunnels we could wander around in, but nobody to interpret the history for us, so this was most interesting, thank you.
Lived in Plymouth for the first 21 years of my life and never understood how important the island was to our military history. Would love to visit there one day if they ever open it up to the public.
Was fortunate enough to go out there a few times as a kid. My grandfather was part of the Fortress Study Group for many years and they ran a few tours out there. He was also stationed there for a while during WW2... had some great stories to tell about their escapades!
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.
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!).
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.
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.
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).
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.
Took the trip boat and tour to Drakes Island yesterday. What a fantastic history trip. The video is great but I thoroughly recommend going there to see it for yourself. One thing though, I am sure the guide said his name was Chris not Bob. Please shed some light?
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.
As a Plymouth resident, I have been on the island twice. In the 1980's I attended the Adventure Centre and had fun with the artificial caves and water sports. I got a further trip to the Island in the 1990's when it was under care of Groundwork Trust. I remember they were clearing vegetation and found a what they said to be an old bell prison which would have dated back many years. This was not linked to any other building and was a separate hole in the ground. I suspect this is still under the vegetation now as the Island was left for 20+ years after Dan McCaully purchased it.
Clearly, that is the point! I am not a huge Dan-fan, but, he made it clear, he had only seen the island from the water; never been on it; and just knew a little bit of its history, (a bit more of its history than your average pub-crawler, because he is a history 'buff'...). If he 'came on strong', spouting all sorts of blather that he read in books, you would be coming down hard on him for rudely 'upstaging' his host/guest/topical expert! Try to be smarter than a 'bot! 😮
my late wife went to drakes island on an adventure course in the late 70's she did a qualifying scuba dive there, something she never forgot as she was swimming quite close to basking sharks.
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.
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.
At about 16.00 he says "ledges holding various bits and pieces" then pans up to the arch and a vent. Im fairly certain those ledges held the form work to build the arch as seen on the construction of bridges over St Levan Road and at Calstockover the River Tamar. If you want to see a very similar lighting and Casemate setup complete with guns and ropes to aim them Dartmouth Castle is not to far away and is open to the public. I live in Plymouth and really hope I get to do a tour with this man who has a wealth of knowlege.
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
Amazing location and history. It remends me in a little way of a fantastic fortress in Menorca named La Mola. If ever you get the opportunity to go there please do, it is incredible.
Hi, Bob again just to address a few comments. A couple of people have asked why I hadn't got more of the Island cleared. Although I was the Warden/Tour Guide I had no budget nor any workforce. Whilst I could make suggestions as to work to be done the decision as to what to do was entirely the owners and was mainly limited to keeping tour routes clear or clearing areas for any events. They had a centralised works team that also had to work on other projects the owners had so when work was done on the Island was again an owners decision. The final year I was working as a guide I was put on a zero hours contract and was only asked to lead tours. I believe there is no longer a work force and they rely on the Airsoft company to keep the vegetation down and have a couple of guides they use. Of course the tunnel to the Citadel has been mentioned , there isn't one!! Pure myth. It wasn't technically possible until the 1840's and even then would have to have been a deep shaft leading down to a tunnel which would have needed to be at least 10 metres below the sea bed to prevent collapsing. There are no tunnels marked on any plans or surveys since 1600 (that includes those marked secret) and both the WWI defence plan and WWII fort log state the island would be resupplied by boat. The telegraph cable laid in around 1900 and the telephone cable laid later were both laid on the sea bed indicating no tunnel. The Island was a State Prison after the English Civil War from 1660 to 1684 and held a few high profile prisoners including the first prisoner Colonel Robert Lilburn (1 of the 59 regicides) and last prisoner Maj Gen John Lambert both of whom died on the Island. There were no more than 13 prisoners and they weren't held on the Island at the same time. They were kept in the basements and cells of the existing Tudor fort on the Island at the time and were allowed visitors. King Charles II and Samuel Pepys both visited John Lambert who was something of a celebrity prisoner. One of the other rumours that there was an oubliette to hold prisoners is also false. The building thought to be an oubliette was in fact a Tudor Artillery Tower. As for ghosts, I'll admit I'm a non believer but no ghosts were mentioned until the Adventure Training years and there is documentary evidence in the minutes of the centre held in the Box that the staff made up the stories about the Lady in White etc to entertain/scare the students. There have been ghost whisperers across the Island who swear there are ghosties on the Island but I haven't heard a single story that can't be explained more rationally but if you believe then I'm sure I won't have dissuaded you!!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Izak, thanks for the compliment but in fairness it's not really PCC fault. They have never owned the Island although stepped in and took over the lease to stop the Adventure Centre from closing at one point. The Duchy of Cornwall were the owners until 1996 when it was bought by Dan McCauley, then the Chairman of Plymouth Argyle. He finally got planning permission in 2017 but was an ill man and it was put up for sale and bought by the current owners in 2019.
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.
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.
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.
Thank you for taking the time to explain the current situation. It seems to me that the island has a great potential to anyone with enough money to make it a safe destination for people to visit. It would make a great day out including the boat trip to and from. I could envisage that it might be a good base from which to explore the coast by sea. Anyway, Thanks for a great intriguing video.
Great work dude
@@marklelohe3754 Hi Mark, unfortunately money is the issue. Even if they raise sufficient funds to combat the coastal erosion and other pre commencement conditions there are significant other hurdles. There is no electricity although there is a cable that is functional to the pier but a proportion needs to be renewable, no water (a complete new system is required and would need to be connected to the mainland), no sewage and the planning conditions state it must be recyclable on the Island, there would then be the design of any rooms and facilities which must be internal to the existing structures, no new buildings or stories are permitted. There is the logistics of building on the Island and wildlife means you can't work on certain parts of the Island during certain parts of the year and the issue of weather prevents access to the Island all year round and would also prevent any hotel being open all year round. Realistically the Island needs a philanthropisr who is prepared to lose millions to preserve the Island. And the cost is why the Council has repeatedly not got involved financially over the years - it is a money pit. I know it's a pessemistic view but unfortunately that is the reality
Great episode Bob, I could listen to you talk about Drake's Island for hours. I hope you and the new owner manage to attract an investor to preserve the island for future generations. It would certainly make a great Airsoft venue. Have you thought of creating your own TH-cam channel about the Island?
@@nickdavison9771 Hi Nick, thanks for the kind comments. Unfortunately I no longer work over the Island as I had a number of disagreements with the owners and I no longer felt able to work with them. The owners have a company that runs airsoft on the Island and that was one of the disagreements - not that they shouldn't do airsoft but that it should be more environmentally and historically sensitive to the Island. I don't think the owners will get funding, they have lost most of their projects through investors in those projects, which included Eggbuckland Keep, losing faith and replacing them. As for my own youtube channel it's one of the things I am looking at but I am a complete novice regarding making videos but I do hope to have something up and running by the end of the year as there is so much to tell about the Island and once I get the first one right hopefully the following should be easier.
That gatekeeper is good at his job. Very informative
I kept looking for goats busters
You could say he was... gatekeeping it's history
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.
The excitement and love that gatekeeper has for drakes Island is palpable, and reassuring to know that its in safe hands and rightly so.. Fantastic watch this thank you
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.
Bob really seems to care for the island and it's history, he did a fantastic job presenting it.
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
Fantastic detail from the Guide, what an interesting chap.
I spent a week sailing climbing and canoeing when it was an adventure camp 1970s
Lovely memories
Soooo much history here, every effort to preserve this place should be made !!!!!!
Bobs knowledge is evidently phenomenal! Very interesting!
What an amazing video - and the gatekeeper is SO knowledgeable. Great watch, thank you.
I was a climbing instructor on Drake’s Island when it was an adventure centre run by the Mayflower Trust. In my first year (‘79) the triangular building was being built by a group of young people under the YOP scheme - this scheme being very well run and the youngsters cared for by real tradesmen. The centre was run with over 15 instructional staff and ran week long camps which often included canoe / sailing and walking expeds. often with o/night camps.
A popular trip was for groups to sail into Cawsand Bay via the Breakwater, a group to canoe there and meet with a couple of walking groups who went there via Milbay Dock over to Edgcumbe Park. After lunch, we’d all swop over our groups and make the return journey.
Our Marine Biologist had virtually every child snorkelling by the end of their first day with his team & were often visited by ‘Sammy’ our local seal.
In the casements at the East end of the island we had a series of canoe building and repair units where the glass fibre and glues permeated the air; whilst on the roof of the casements we ran various exercise classes especially for the Probationary Service who sent some youngsters to us for an opportunity to address their life choices and avoid further engagement with the police. Once with us, not one of the young offenders ever caused any issues…but that’s another issue for social psychology.
Deep inside the tunnels, we created an artificial caving system where the youngsters crawled through the ammunition runs - we created some safety openings to enable us to remove anyone who was feeling unsettled by the confines.
The island also hosted daily visits by official guided tours from the old harbour.
At low tide, especially in the evening, small beaches were great play areas for the guests and staff who were allocated evening duties often ran activities there.
The island provided a truly unique experience for the young people who came here from around England: especially the Primary schools in Plymouth. There must be a generation of older parents if not now grandparents who had their week with us.
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!
Easu enough to get there. Think 1000s have done the same we used to go over just to have a bbq for the day
Dan, thanks so much for introducing us to Bob, what a mine of information he is about the history of this fabulous place.
HOPEFUULY, the metal parts of the hoist's and the barrels of those built up guns WILL be preserved, there must be museums and private individuals who would give anything to own one of those massive guns!
Bob, thanks for all the info, you are a real wizard about this historic place PLEASE write an illustrated book about it!
Thanks so very much for this, MORE than fascinating!
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!
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.
Yep, I picked up on that as well 😞
That guide is amazing, well done to him!
Used to live in plymouth & heard many wild stories about drakes island. Great video, very nostalgic!
As a boy I stayed on Drakes Island for a few days when it was an adventure centre and I visited the Island again last year when all the memories came flooding back. It's an Island that few Plymothians ever get to visit, but it's also very precious to every Plymothian.
Great video. Wonderful island and tour guide.
Bob is an incredible guide!
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!
1st scuba trip Bovy 1978..came back with 2 large cannonballs just off Drakes Island,still got em!
that's cool as hell
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?
Probably the most educated gatekeeper in history
I find that HH videos are basically really good every time, but Bob’s knowledge gave this video that little bit more. Thanks for sharing guys!
Best video I've seen on an interesting part of British History for ages. More like this please.
Bob is a absolute legend wow he knew everything about the island l really enjoyed watching that best thing on TH-cam for ages. Thanks from Carlisle Cumbria
It's absolutely fascinating to hear Bob passionately recounting the rich history of Drake's Island. However, it's deeply saddening to witness the neglect of such an important historic landmark, and see how much the island has deteriorated over the past 50 years.
.
Having been born just across the water from Drake's Island, I have fond childhood memories of staying at the Youth Adventure Center a number of times in the early '70s. I will never forget the excitement of arriving there by small boat as a youngster to what seemed such a special place. And the fun we had sailing and exploring around the island during the holidays - magical times.
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Unfortunately, it seems that plans to redevelop the island are once again on hold, as the current owner has evidently had to recently put it back on the market.
I wonder if there's any hope that the National Trust or Lottery funding might step in to help restore it to its former glory...?
What a superb little video. Thanks History Hit!
I’m Plymouth “born & bred” and very proud of my City & it’s heritage. I have been on the island 3 times. The most recent was three weeks ago with a guided tour which was brilliant. I recommend the tour as it was a really interesting couple of hours.
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.
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
This was fantastic, very knowledgeable gatekeeper/grounds historian as well.
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 - th-cam.com/video/1ee3VNt-JTg/w-d-xo.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.!
I visited Drakes Island in my younger years and went through some of the tunnels. It hasn’t changed in the slightest. Wherever you view the island it just looks so beautiful and peaceful.
I was on the staff as a sailing instructor in around 1972/3. Enjoyed some fine sailing and canoeing around the island and the sound. The accommodations were all very basic, harking back to its most recent time as a military base. My first berth was in the centre battery right on top of the island. It would certainly not be regarded as fit accommodation there days, little better than a concrete cave. I did have some great sailing and happy times . Very font memories of a beautiful place and nice people
All I can say is absolutely amazing 😊
I went to a Scout camp on Drake's Island in about 1968, there were a lot of tunnels we could wander around in, but nobody to interpret the history for us, so this was most interesting, thank you.
What a place and what an amazing memory of historical details.
Lived in Plymouth for the first 21 years of my life and never understood how important the island was to our military history.
Would love to visit there one day if they ever open it up to the public.
Was fortunate enough to go out there a few times as a kid. My grandfather was part of the Fortress Study Group for many years and they ran a few tours out there.
He was also stationed there for a while during WW2... had some great stories to tell about their escapades!
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.
Awesome video, Thank you. From Texas
Brilliant and informative
The Gatekeeper has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the history of the island
A great view!
Amazing. In the 70s i went there twice on school adventure holidays. Climbing, kayaking, absailing. We had a great time
Fantastic video. I lived in Plymouth for over 30 years and never fully knew what secrets Drake's island held.
Amazing to see my home city featured! I can see Drakes Island from my window but have never actually seen it up close
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.
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.
I've always been curious about Drake's Island as my Dad was a Janner..
Extra interesting! Nice one Dan and team. 🌟👍
Nice Video - I am a Janner.... Bob knows his stuff.
These longform videos are incredible, great work
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.
Fascinating and informative 👍 I grew up in Plymouth and Drake's Island was always a mystery.
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.!
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.
True expert in the history of that island...It became a passion of his that brings the island history to life!
Took the trip boat and tour to Drakes Island yesterday. What a fantastic history trip. The video is great but I thoroughly recommend going there to see it for yourself. One thing though, I am sure the guide said his name was Chris not Bob. Please shed some light?
22:19 These were brand new canoes (kayaks), GRP was what carbon fibre epoxy is today. Many canoes during the sixties were... wood!
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.
As a Plymouth resident, I have been on the island twice. In the 1980's I attended the Adventure Centre and had fun with the artificial caves and water sports. I got a further trip to the Island in the 1990's when it was under care of Groundwork Trust. I remember they were clearing vegetation and found a what they said to be an old bell prison which would have dated back many years. This was not linked to any other building and was a separate hole in the ground. I suspect this is still under the vegetation now as the Island was left for 20+ years after Dan McCaully purchased it.
Dan's such a peacock. He didn't really have anything to add to the episode, tbh. The tour guide is, however; brilliant.
Clearly, that is the point!
I am not a huge Dan-fan, but, he made it clear, he had only seen the island from the water; never been on it; and just knew a little bit of its history, (a bit more of its history than your average pub-crawler, because he is a history 'buff'...).
If he 'came on strong', spouting all sorts of blather that he read in books, you would be coming down hard on him for rudely 'upstaging' his host/guest/topical expert!
Try to be smarter than a 'bot! 😮
When you know your place is to mostly keep your mouth Shut then you keep it shut.
my late wife went to drakes island on an adventure course in the late 70's she did a qualifying scuba dive there, something she never forgot as she was swimming quite close to basking sharks.
Friends in Plymouth bought me a tour here for my birthday last year. Really interesting and a couple of used blank cartridges as souvenirs.
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.
At about 16.00 he says "ledges holding various bits and pieces" then pans up to the arch and a vent. Im fairly certain those ledges held the form work to build the arch as seen on the construction of bridges over St Levan Road and at Calstockover the River Tamar.
If you want to see a very similar lighting and Casemate setup complete with guns and ropes to aim them Dartmouth Castle is not to far away and is open to the public.
I live in Plymouth and really hope I get to do a tour with this man who has a wealth of knowlege.
I got married at Mount Edgecombe in 2016. This episode was fantastic for me and I can’t wait to visit.
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
wow! that was awesome! this was an example why I love this channel. : )
Hello from Plymouth!
We went there for a weeks adventure holiday, when I was in senior school back in the 80’s…good times!
Amazing location and history. It remends me in a little way of a fantastic fortress in Menorca named La Mola. If ever you get the opportunity to go there please do, it is incredible.
Greetings from Australia. Of course Dan is the man.....a bloody legend.
1:43 I'm pretty sure that is a mortar, not a howitser.
Hi, Bob again just to address a few comments. A couple of people have asked why I hadn't got more of the Island cleared. Although I was the Warden/Tour Guide I had no budget nor any workforce. Whilst I could make suggestions as to work to be done the decision as to what to do was entirely the owners and was mainly limited to keeping tour routes clear or clearing areas for any events. They had a centralised works team that also had to work on other projects the owners had so when work was done on the Island was again an owners decision. The final year I was working as a guide I was put on a zero hours contract and was only asked to lead tours. I believe there is no longer a work force and they rely on the Airsoft company to keep the vegetation down and have a couple of guides they use.
Of course the tunnel to the Citadel has been mentioned , there isn't one!! Pure myth. It wasn't technically possible until the 1840's and even then would have to have been a deep shaft leading down to a tunnel which would have needed to be at least 10 metres below the sea bed to prevent collapsing. There are no tunnels marked on any plans or surveys since 1600 (that includes those marked secret) and both the WWI defence plan and WWII fort log state the island would be resupplied by boat. The telegraph cable laid in around 1900 and the telephone cable laid later were both laid on the sea bed indicating no tunnel.
The Island was a State Prison after the English Civil War from 1660 to 1684 and held a few high profile prisoners including the first prisoner Colonel Robert Lilburn (1 of the 59 regicides) and last prisoner Maj Gen John Lambert both of whom died on the Island. There were no more than 13 prisoners and they weren't held on the Island at the same time. They were kept in the basements and cells of the existing Tudor fort on the Island at the time and were allowed visitors. King Charles II and Samuel Pepys both visited John Lambert who was something of a celebrity prisoner. One of the other rumours that there was an oubliette to hold prisoners is also false. The building thought to be an oubliette was in fact a Tudor Artillery Tower.
As for ghosts, I'll admit I'm a non believer but no ghosts were mentioned until the Adventure Training years and there is documentary evidence in the minutes of the centre held in the Box that the staff made up the stories about the Lady in White etc to entertain/scare the students. There have been ghost whisperers across the Island who swear there are ghosties on the Island but I haven't heard a single story that can't be explained more rationally but if you believe then I'm sure I won't have dissuaded you!!
Very Interesting '' Another Great Video 💯, thanks 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.
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
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.
Really interesting video, thanks😊
My dad and his brothers grew up in Stonehouse, he told me stories about going to Drake's island on school trips.
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.
I remember going onto Drakes Island when I was in the RN. Only live in Torquay, so very local to me.
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.
It was an informative and wonderful historical coverage video about a British military frontier island as a constant naval frontier castle..
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.
Gatekeeper: what an incredible job to have overlooking the historic island.
I’ve been to England once and spent most of my time in and around the Plymouth shores. This was fun to watch.
Bob is brilliant at his job. Shame on Plymouth city council for allowing the island to get in such a state.
Izak, thanks for the compliment but in fairness it's not really PCC fault. They have never owned the Island although stepped in and took over the lease to stop the Adventure Centre from closing at one point. The Duchy of Cornwall were the owners until 1996 when it was bought by Dan McCauley, then the Chairman of Plymouth Argyle. He finally got planning permission in 2017 but was an ill man and it was put up for sale and bought by the current owners in 2019.
Fantastic video well presented brilliant.
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.
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.
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.
I love these videos! So cool!
Went there on a school trip whilst staying in Devon. Saw Drakes Drum, reportedly haunted and beats on its own.
I learned to dive at Bovisand. Dived here a lot in the 80s.
I spent a week on the island two years running with out school. Sailing, canoeing and climbing. The food was atrocious but it was good fun.