Plaques Commemorating Where Ships Left for Australia and New Zealand

For the most part, this area of the Plymouth Barbican is dominated by the Mayflower Steps. However, these plaques, almost hidden in plain sight draw attention to another facet of Plymouth’s fascinating maritime history.Focusing on the British Empire’s relationship with Australia, this site marks the location from which a number of ships departed for the ‘other’ new world. It details how the transport ships, the ‘Charlotte’ and the ‘Friendship’ ferried make and female convicts to the penal colonies - a well-known but seldom explored moment of history in the face of the Mayflower. The plaques also described how nine other ships left Plymouth to establish a working colony at Port Jackson, which would later become Sydney, under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip - dubbed the father of Modern Australia.For those that stop and savor the information that the plaques provide, the historical importance of the site will be revealed as more than simply the site of the departure of the Mayflower and the question will be raised: what other ships departed from these steps?One of the only downsides of the plaques is that they’re almost over-shadowed by the nearby Smeaton’s tower on one side and the Mayflower Steps on the other. There have been countless occasions that I have seen tourists walk from one sight to the other and miss the plaques that seem to camouflage into the stone walls on which they sit. Unless visitors are aware of their existence, or are keeping a sharp eye out as they walk, it would be easy to miss these opportunities for learning and admiration of local history.

Excellent place to visit with lots of great outdoor views of Plymouth Barbican.