OLD DEVONPORT . UK
www.olddevonport.uk
 

©  Brian Moseley, Plymouth
Webpage created: September 12, 2018
Webpage updated: September 12, 2018

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THE ROYAL NAVY IN OLD DEVONPORT

ADMIRALTY HOUSE (new)

During 1934 the Government decided to transfer the General Officer Commanding Wessex District from Government House, Mount Wise, Devonport to Salisbury, in Wiltshire.  The new local commending officer would in future be a rank lower.  But the Government also decided that it would be too costly to maintain Government House for a lower ranking officer and thus released the property for other use.

Luckily the Admiralty thought it would make a better residence for their Commander-in-Chief so they took over the property, refurbished it and renamed new Admiralty House, replacing old Admiralty House.

On June 1st 1935 this more modern residence was taken over by the Admiralty and, as the new Admiralty House, became the new offices of the Commander-in-Chief.

At Sunset on Tuesday June 11th 1935 the Flag of the outgoing  Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Sir Eric Fullerton, was struck amidst traditional ceremony and at 8am the following morning, Wednesday June 12th 1935, the Flag of the incoming Commander-in Chief, Vice-Admiral Sir Reginald A R Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, was transferred from the aircraft carrier HMS "Glorious" to the new Admiralty House, also amidst traditional ceremony.

During the Second World War a partly underground extension was constructed to form a combined forces control centre for the joint maritime operations undertaken by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.  This was known as the Maritime Headquarters.  It was extended to provide a large bomb-proof bunker underneath the garden of Admiralty House.  It was partially closed in the 1950s.

In 1969 Admiralty House became the residence of the Flag Officer, Plymouth, who replaced the Commander-in-Chief Plymouth Command.  That post was disbanded in 1996 and new Admiralty House was eventually sold to the private sector.