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Residence One & Two
Officers’ homes at the Yard.
Officers’ homes at the Yard.
Standing just south of the Porter’s residences, Residences 1 and 2 are a matching pair of grand, three-storey detached houses built between 1830 and 1832 to provide comfortable accommodation for Royal William Yard’s most senior officials. Their commanding position and generous proportions reflect not only the authority of their residents, but also the social expectations and hospitality required of senior officers in the nineteenth-century naval service.
Who lived here?
Residence 1: Home to the Superintendent, the Yard’s chief official.
Residence 2: Home to the Chief Clerk, responsible for administration and record-keeping.
Each house was designed with spacious rooms for family life and formal entertaining, service rooms in the basement, and a layout suited to both privacy and public duties. The imposing architecture and leafy setting symbolised rank and order within the yard, helping reinforce the social structure that underpinned everyday work.
Did you know?
The continuous occupation of Residences 1 and 2 as officers’ homes lasted until the late twentieth century. Residence 1 is now boutique short-stay accomodation, while Residence 2 has been adapted for offices – ensuring both buildings remain at the heart of the Yard’s community life today.
Historical Images
Image References
- Image 1 - Residence 1 and 2 1991 (Royal William Yard Exhibition/Real Ideas 2018)
- Image 2 & 3 Residence 1
- Image 4 Residence 2 Gardens
- Image 5 The look out - Residence 1 Gardens
- Image 6 & 7 Residence 1 Gardens
If you’ve followed our trail from Stops 1-11, then you’ve now reached the end.
Come back and join us again; the trail is evolving as the year goes on, with more content set to be added.
Visit our 200 Exhibition this September, a two-week curated showcase of two centuries of fascinating history. See, read, touch, and experience Royal William Yard’s extraordinary journey.
Date: 13th – 28th September
Location: Melville Corner, opposite the Marina.
Elements of this exhibition will make it into to the History Trail - creating a lasting legacy. You can be part of the trail too, if you have a tale to tell about Royal William Yard, email 200@royalwilliamyard.com
Thank you for celebrating this iconic part of Plymouth’s past — Here’s to the next 200 years.
Enjoy the rest of your visit.
