Drake's Hill, Burrington

The name Drake has long been a feature of local place names, and before the war there were even more Drake-related names than there are today. Among the few which have endured, along with Drake's Island, is Drake's Hill at Burrington.

One of the few individually-named hills in Plymouth, it is not readilly obvious why it was so called. But when in 1986 the Land Registry - one of the major residents of the Burrington Way industrial estate - was looking for a name for its new premises, the winner of its in-house competition was Drake's Hill Court.

The staff member who suggested the name was Rod Pickles, and he says the runner-up was not too happy because they had, independantly, come up with Drake's Hill House. But, as Rod maintains, 'court' is a more appropriate term for 'a place of record', as the Land Registry is, thatn 'house'.

While the comparatively recent developments of Burrington and the sale of the farms have changed the area for the first time in a major way since the days of Drake, the views from the hill are still impressive.

EH 14 August 2001