The area currently known as Stonehouse in Plymouth began as East Stonehouse prior to the conjuction with Devonport and Plymouth in 1914 which became the Plymouth we know now. The suburb began as a fishing village placed between the two larger towns of Devonport and Plymouth and due to the introduction of the Navy hospital and depots has grown in prosperity and popularity. The most major historical event of the Stonehouse region was the destruction cause during the Plymouth blitz to the area. Due to the major naval involvement in the area Plymouth and its surroundings were heavily targetted and much of the area was lost. Since then the area has slowly been regenerating and now consists of both poorer and richer communities with the richer becoming the more dominant society. This is having a major effect on both the economy and general character of the area which was previously known to be an overly poor community. The city council has been a major aid in regenerating the area and continues to put money into projects that will help it to improve. The Parish Church restoration was recently completed in 2007 and many more plans have been created since then for the regeneration of the area. The main aims documented for the council between 2006 and 2021 cover 7 different areas of the Stonehouse region, including developing areas such as the Royal Williams Yard, Union Street and the Docks. This shows the amount of work there still is to do is very extensive. For more information see the city council links below:
The topography of the Stonehouse area has also changed over time. During the existence of the East Stonehouse region the area was separated from Devonport via a lake area known as Mill Lake or Stonehouse Lake. Part of this area is now a grassy plain known as Victoria Park. This is therefore a very different area to what it used to be when the lake still existed. Below is an image when the lake existed. Click on the image to view a larger version. Compare this image with the one in the introduction below, where Victoria Park is shown.
This short overview shows that there are many different areas that can be studied around Stonehouse, not only physically but also socially and economically. Changes over time are also very important to the area and these are continuing to occur which will be an important factor to consider during the project.
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