PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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It was Mr Alfred Rooker who brought the YMCA movement to Plymouth, when he called a meeting on Monday January 17th 1848 to discuss the matter. By 1862 there was a YMCA in Fore Street, Devonport. Although it had been formed in 1849, it had apparently been dissolved by 1870. The original premises in Plymouth were in Frankfort Street but in 1872 it was moved to Union Street and then again, in 1880, to Bank Street. Devonport's YMCA must have been re-formed because it is recorded that in 1886 it moved into its own premises, in St Aubyn Street. On Wednesday October 6th 1887 Mr Williams visited Plymouth to open the new YMCA building at 14 Bedford Street, on the corner Westwell Street. Earlier that day, at around 11am, he had attended the first conference of the newly-formed south western district. This was held at the St Andrew's Hall and brought together representatives from Bristol, Exeter, Sidmouth and Totnes in the east and Redruth and Penzance in the west. Then at 2pm they all gathered at the entrance to the new building to witness the opening ceremony. After the singing of the hymn "All People That on Earth Do Dwell", accompanied by Mr H Gratton Guinness on the silver trumpet and Mr Roberts on the harmonium, there were prayers and speeches. The chairman told how the site had been purchased for £3,750 and Messrs Snell and Reed had been engaged to design the new building. The foundation stone had been laid in January by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese. Many local tradesmen were thanked for their support, Messrs Page & Son, in particular. A Mr Goulding had presented the clock, Mr Reed had given the plate glass for the windows on the second floor, and Mr J Kinton Bond had donated many engravings to adorn the rooms. Mr Williams was then presented with an engraved key, the gift of Messrs Searle and Son, of Bedford Street, and the building was duly opened. In 1890 the Devonport YMCA purchased the Devonport Public Hall in Fore Street and used that as its hostel. The following year, the Plymouth YMCA took over the Kitto Institute in Stillman Street. Sometime after 1880 a branch of the Plymouth Association was opened at Laira, on the south side of Old Laira Road between Gordon Place/Railway Cottages and Alvington Terrace. It was certainly in existence by 1897 but was closed by 1935. During the Great War the Association opened a Servicemen's hostel in Union Street. By 1921 the YMCA had moved to 104 Old Town Street but the residential home was at 13 Lockyer Street, where Mrs Stockwell was the matron. They also ran the Kitto Institute in Palace Street. Mr T D Johnston was the general secretary at that time. In 1932 the YMCA sold its premises at the old Devonport Public Hall to a cinema company and moved back to St Aubyn Street again. During the night of Saturday March 8th 1941, the YMCA's air raid shelter at Lockyer Street got hit and killed 26-years-old Doris Ilka Southern, who was resident at 5 Alfred Place, nearby. She was the wife of Sergeant Edward Southern of the Royal Artillery. Also perished during that incident were their 15-months-old sons, Anthony Martin Southern and Michael Abraham Southern and four-years-old daughter, Ann Elizabeth Southern. The boys were presumably twins. But a more destructive incident took place during the first night of the Plymouth Blitz, Thursday/Friday March 20th/21st 1941, when the whole of the City Centre was set ablaze. The Association's headquarters in Old Town Street was destroyed, the last man to leave the burning building being the general secretary, Mr Thomas D Johnstone. The residential hostel in Lockyer Street was hit and the following lost their lives: Staff -
Residents -
Visitor -
It is not clear whether these people were resident in the hostel, or were in the YMCA's shelter, or just happened to be in the area of the YMCA when the bombs fell. Devonport also lost its YMCA in St Aubyn Street but it would appear that no-one was killed as a result. For the remainder of the War the YMCA was housed at Peverell Park Villa, the home of Mr Henry Hurrell JP, in what was then Tavistock Road at Peverell Corner. It fitted in well with the Doctor Barnardo's Home next door at Welby and the St Gregory's Church of England Home for Waifs and Strays at Highbury, on the corner with Ham Lane. During the Second World War the YMCA along with some 30 other organisations operated mobile canteens, some of which ventured out on to Dartmoor to search out those taking shelter away from the City. It was reported by the Western Evening Herald that to ensure a steady supply of milk to the City, farmers were calling their cows to milking much earlier than they used to. After the War, in June 1946, they took over the Hoe Mansions and the Cobourg Memorial Hall in Ebrington Street. Devonport's YMCA was not replaced because the Royal Dockyard authorities decided to take over the area in which it had been situated, thus removing any plans to rebuild that part of the City. During the 1950s Plymouth City Council let Boxhill House at Pennycross to the YMCA for use as a youth centre. This also became the home of the revived 15th Plymouth (YMCA) Scout Troop in 1959. The new YMCA in Cobourg Street was opened by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh on Wednesday May 14th 1958. It had 102 bedrooms.
A room at the YMCA.
The restaurant at the YMCA. When the old Kitto Centre in Stillman Street was demolished by the City Council in 1970 as part of the reconstruction of the area, the YMCA were allowed to demolish Boxhill House to make way for a sports centre, which was opened in 1974. It was replaced by the present Kitto Centre in 1990. The residential wing of the building in Cobourg Street is now known as Beckley Court and belongs to a housing association. The upper four storeys were let to the Legal & General Insurance Company.
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