History
Barne Barton in the sixteenth century was a farm (the words 'Barne Barton' actually mean 'Barne Farm') and produced essentials such as meat, wheat, grain and potatoes. Its situation by the Tamar enabled its produce to be transported up stream to old settlements such as Tavistock.
At one time Barne Barton was one the largest naval estates within England providing accommodation for those serving in HMNB Devonport, Plymouth and on those warships stationed there. As the might of the Royal Navy reduced, so did the number of sailors. This reduction in manpower subsequently necessitated a reduction in the number of military married quarters required for serving personnel. As the size of the Navy continued to shrink, the first part of the military estate in the Bull Point area was sold by the MOD at a discounted purchase scheme to serving members of HM Forces with Naval Personnel given first priority and they ended up in private ownership. After further reduction in the size of the royal Navy a large chunk of flats in Savage Road and Roberts Road and Wilkinson Road were passed over initially to Plymouth City Council and about 2 years later houses in Kelly Close along with the Plymouth City Council Flats were passed over to Devon and Cornwall Housing Association. The MOD retained a number of houses in Roberts Road, Poole Park Road and Gray Crescent which were refurbished with new kitchens and bathrooms but kept empty for over 3 years. These houses were subsequently sold along with all other MOD homes to a private enterprise who were tasked with maintaining them in case they were required for future MOD use. They were eventuality refurbished by Anniston Homes and were sold off to the general public. None of the former MOD homes are owned by Plymouth City Council, however they do have a large housing stock in the area surrounded by Barne Road, Scott Avenue and the lower end of Foulston Avenue this housing stock is now owned by Plymouth Community Homes and is shorty due for modernisation and the end of 2010-2011.
The belief is held by long standing residents in the area that this transition from military ownership to civilian ownership was the start in the decline of the area. Barne Barton is known locally as "The forgotten island" due to lack of funding and maintenance by successive councils. However, the South West Regional Development Agency released a "vision" for Barne Barton in 2002, which has yet to come to fruition.
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—Milan Kundera (b. 1929)
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—Jonathan Raban (b. 1942)
“Let us not underrate the value of a fact; it will one day flower in a truth. It is astonishing how few facts of importance are added in a century to the natural history of any animal. The natural history of man himself is still being gradually written.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)