A Post for Thought.....

We've had some interesting feedback for Hidden Plymouth in the past few weeks & since relaunching the blog back in May, quite a few new readers have appeared so we just thought it would be nice to welcome all of you who are reading this for the first time. We hope our research & discoveries that we document brings you good viewing & even inspires you to interact & be a part of uncovering our heritage.

To the people who have seen our findings via the Facebook page over the past 3 years, we thank hugely for your support that gives us the inspiration to dig deeper & find new sites, alongside building a historic archive for each site. Since 2006, literally hundreds of hours have been spent in libraries, online, outdoor field research & documenting sites, some of which no longer exist. Over 200 sites in & around Plymouth alone...okay, it's not all about fortresses or a neglected island with the excitement & added adrenalin rush of dark dank tunnels.

The majority of locations are of military & WWII heritage, our specialist subject if we had to do Mastermind, but infused will be a splattering of industrial heritage, lost & demolished buildings that have been swept away for development. Just to keep it fresh we may even have a few posts dedicated to street furniture that we have captured. If you find that boring & only want the underground stuff, then skip & just follow what you like, simple as that really.

Some people term what we do as 'Urban Exploration', my I wish I was 17 again! Some find it odd that we potter about in bunkers - others are fascinated. All we know is we like to investigate & document our heritage to help build a better history for others to learn from. The amount of Plymothians who have approached us & wasn't aware of some of the stuff under their feet is incredible & it makes us feel very privileged to share our adventures & pictures with them.

Urban Explorer Playground?

We need as many people who have connections with Plymouth to connect with Hidden Plymouth & help build a detailed history for each site. To make this work we need as much interaction as possible & urge you to spread the word via sharing this blog with your parents, friends, family, neighbours & social media links. Even small snippets of stories or information have led to a bigger picture & we are so grateful for family members of ex-forces that have shared their memories. Each month, we will be posting a call for help in researching some of the sites & will keep you updated with our findings.

Until then, we still have the relaunched blog to carry on with much to come in the form of lost railways, forgotten ruins, forts, WWII heritage & lost buildings. Tracking down old soldiers from wartime graffiti, & people of Plymouth who sought refuge in underground passages. Creating an archive of stories from local adventure camps.....passing on them stories to future generations. Maybe dropping into that derelict local on the way home to have one last time at the bar!