Sutton Harbour, formerly known asSutton Pool, is the original port ofPlymouth inDevon,England. It is still a busyfishing port andmarina and is bounded on one side by the historicBarbican district. It is famous as the last departure point in England of theMayflower, the ship that carried thePilgrim Fathers to theNew World.
Sutton is the original name for Plymouth, which was originally settled in about 700 AD[1] and is recorded in theDomesday Book asSudtone,[2] meaning "south settlement" in theOld English language. In 1588, the harbour was the base for the English fleet that sailed to challenge theSpanish Armada. Although theRoyal Navy moved most of its operations toDevonport in the 18th century and larger commercial shipping moved toMillbay Docks, Sutton Harbour continued in use by the fishing fleet andcoastal trading vessels.Lock gates were added to the harbour entrance in 1993.[1]
The Barbican is the historic district on the western and northern sides of Sutton Harbour and takes its name from a15th century fortification which once guarded the harbour mouth. The Barbican claims to have the largest concentration ofcobbled streets in England and has more than 100listed buildings, many dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries.[1]
On the west pier of Sutton Harbour standsThe Leviathan, a largesculpture of an imaginary sea creature, made up of the parts of various marine animals and birds. It is the work ofGlossop based sculptorBrian Fell; it is made from mild steel coated with copper paint and is 33 feet (10 metres) tall. It is known locally as "The Prawn".[1]
Originally, Plymouth'sfish market was on the quayside at The Barbican; a purpose-built market building was opened there in 1892. In 1995, a new building was opened on the other side of Sutton Harbour. Theturnover of the market has increased from £250,000 a year in 1995 to £19.4 million in 2015.[citation needed] The market now sells 6,000 tonnes of fish andshellfish annually, and is the second largest fish market in England. Around 40fishing boats unload their catch at Sutton Harbour daily, but up to 70 per cent of fish sold in Plymouth arrives by road from other fishing ports in the South West of England.[3]
In 1972, the first 70 berths were opened for recreationalyachts;[1] today Sutton Harbour has 420.[4] The Marina is managed by Sutton Harbour Holdings PLC.[5]
The National Marine Aquarium is the largestmarine aquarium in the United Kingdom, with around 400 marine species, including a deep tank holding 2.5 million litres (550,000Imperial gallons) of water.[6] The aquarium opened in 1998,[1] replacing one at the Plymouth Laboratory of theMarine Biological Association, adjacent to theRoyal Citadel.[7]