Things you didn't know about... Plymouth

Plymouth's dockyard is the biggest
Devonport Royal Naval Dockyard is the largest in Western Europe. The base generates 10 per cent of Plymouth's total income.

The Plymouth Brethren didn't originally come from Plymouth (nor did the Pilgrim Fathers)
In fact, they came from Dublin. The Plymouth section of the religious movement didn't start until two years after it was formed. And the Pilgrim Fathers weren't from Plymouth either—even though the colony they founded in America was called the Plymouth Colony. In fact they came originally from Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire via Holland.

The White Rajahs of Sarawak are buried near Plymouth
In the 19th century, this Malaysian state was ruled by the British, and specifically by the Brooke family, three of whom, two Charleses and a James, became known as the "White Rajahs". They are buried in the village of Sheepstor near Plymouth.

Plymothians know what a "janner" is
A local paper asked a Plymouth candidate to define this curious word during the 2005 General Election. (Unfortunately, she didn't know the answer.) A janner is a nickname for somebody from Plymouth (the official word is "Plymothian") or Devon in general.

The mother of all lighthouses is in Plymouth
In two places to be precise. In the Atlantic to the south-west (but still technically within the city limits of Plymouth) stands the Eddystone Lighthouse, perhaps the most famous lighthouse of them all. And on Plymouth Hoe you can find Smeaton's Tower. It stood on the same rocks as the Eddystone from 1759 to 1877, and has been the model for lighthouse construction ever since.

Plymouth has a giant metal prawn
And there aren't many cities that can say that. Plymouth's one is on top of a column in the historic Barbican district. Local people have mixed feelings about the prawn.

Nancy danced on Plymouth Hoe
In World War II—during which Plymouth was bombed terribly—Nancy Astor (the first woman MP in Britain) famously danced with local servicemen on Plymouth Hoe in defiance of the bombers.

Plymouth gin was favoured by...
... Sir Winston Churchill, Ian Fleming and Alfred Hitchcock. Produced in an ex-monastery in Southside Street, it's said to be sweeter than the London variety.

If the River Tamar were four miles longer...
...it would form the complete boundary between Devon and Cornwall. The Royal Albert rail bridge over the river (built by Brunel) is an engineering wonder, simple and graceful.