Why doesn’t Devonport Road (Plymouth) appear on old maps?

While researching local history in Stoke Village, we came across a peculiar problem – depending on which maps we looked at, Devonport Road (which runs through Stoke Village) was previously named Tavistock Road (1906-1914 OS maps), or Tavistock Street (1857 / 1861 OS maps) and all of the house numbers were quite different from what they are today!

This made it particularly difficult for us to work out details about which businesses had operated in different buildings on the street over time. While looking at historical directories, we needed to know where the buildings listed (with the old street names and house numbers) would be today.

Methodology

To solve this problem, we used the details in the historical directories (these usually mention road intersections & run through house numbers), compared these with the OS maps from the time (looking at street layout & outlines of buildings), and overlaid the details we could match from these sources on a present-day map.

Find out more about local street names & their meanings

Local resident looking at the details of our “What Was Here Before?” display at The Village Hub

After this work, we felt it might be useful to share these workings – so that others who are researching Stoke Village can find the relevant present-day buildings on Devonport Road, if referring to sources that use Tavistock Road (post 1900s) or Tavistock Street (1800s) house numbers.

Woking Notes

ABOVE: Rachel’s hand-drawn notes & annotations from the ca. 1854-1863 OS Map & 1852 edition of Brendon Directory – A Directory of Plymouth, Stonehouse, Devonport, Stoke, and Moricetown (page 228 – listings from Tavistock Street, Stoke) – overlaid onto present-day OpenStreetMap map.

BELOW: Rachel’s hand-drawn notes & annotations from the 1906-1914 OS Map & 1914 edition of Kelly’s Directory of Devonshire & Cornwall (page 574 – listings for Tavistock Road, Stoke) – overlaid onto present-day OpenStreetMap map.

Here’s a rundown of how the old & new house numbers on Devonport Road (Stoke Village) relate.

West side of Devonport Road

Devonport Road
(present-day aka 2025)		Tavistock Street
(before 1890s)		Tavistock Road
(1890s onwards)
No. 72-74 Devonport RdMethodist Chapel10 & 11 Tavistock Road
No. 68 Devonport Rd13 Tavistock St13 Tavistock Road
No. 66 Devonport Rdno buildings here – opening onto Wesley Place14 Tavistock Road
No. 64 Devonport Rdno buildings here – opening onto Wesley Place15 Tavistock Road
No. 62 Devonport Rdno buildings here – opening onto Wesley Place 16 Tavistock Road
No.60 Devonport Rdno buildings here – opening onto Wesley Place17 Tavistock Road
No. 58 Devonport Rd18 Tavistock St18 Tavistock Road
No. 56 Devonport Rd19 Tavistock St19 Tavistock Road
No.52-54 Devonport Rd20 & 21 Tavistock St20 & 21 Tavistock Road
No. 46-48 Devonport Rd11 & 12 Tavistock St24 & 25 Tavistock Road
No. 44 Devonport Rd13 Tavistock St26 Tavistock Road
No. 42 Devonport Rd14 Tavistock St27 Tavistock Road
No. 36-40 Devonport Rd15, 16 & 17 Tavistock St28, 29 & 30 Tavistock Road
No. 34 Devonport Rd18 & 19 Tavistock St31 Tavistock Road
No. 32 Devonport Rdpreviously not numbered on Tavistock St – No.19?32 Tavistock Road
No. 30 Devonport Rdpreviously not numbered on Tavistock St – No.20?33 Tavistock Road
No. 28previously not numbered on Tavistock St – No.20?33 Tavistock Road
No. 26 Devonport Rdpreviously not numbered on Tavistock St – No.20?33 Tavistock Road
No. 24 Devonport Rdpreviously not numbered on Tavistock St – No.20?33 Tavistock Road
No. 22 Devonport Rdpreviously not numbered on Tavistock St – No.21?34 Tavistock Road
No. 20 Devonport Rdpreviously not numbered on Tavistock St – No. 22?35 Tavistock Road
No. 18 Devonport Rdpreviously not numbered on Tavistock St – No. 23?36 Tavistock Road
No. 16 Devonport Rdpreviously not numbered on Tavistock St – No.24?37 Tavistock Road
No. 12-14 Devonport Rdend of this building nearest Bromley Place, previously marked as “CoH” on Tavistock St – No. 25 & 26?38& 39A Tavistock Road
No. 8 Devonport Rdpreviously part of land belonging to Stoke Villapreviously part of land belonging to Stoke Villa
No. 6 Devonport Rdpreviously part of land belonging to Stoke Villapreviously part of land belonging to Stoke Villa
Site of Bromley House – Packington Street Flatspreviously part of land belonging to Stoke Villapreviously part of land belonging to Stoke Villa

East side of Devonport Road

Devonport Road
(present-day aka 2025)		Tavistock Street
(before 1890s)		Tavistock Road
(1890s onwards)
No. 3 Devonport Roadsite of the old Pear Tree Inn on Tavistock Street – No. 3239B& 39C Tavistock Road
No. 5 Devonport Roadsite of the old Pear Tree Inn on Tavistock Street – No. 3240 Tavistock Road
No. 7 Devonport Road3 x buildings marked as “ST” on Tavistock Street – No.??41 Tavistock Road
No. 9 Devonport Roadpreviously not numbered on Tavistock St – No.33?42 Tavistock Road
No. 11 Devonport Road34 Tavistock St43 Tavistock Road
No. 15 Devonport Road35 Tavistock Street44 Tavistock Road
No. 17 Devonport Road36 Tavistock Street45 Tavistock Road
No. 19 Devonport Roadpreviously part of 37 Tavistock Street46 Tavistock Road
No. 21 Devonport Roadpreviously part of 37 Tavistock Street + part of 38??? Tavistock Road
No. 23 Devonport Roadpreviously part of 38 Tavistock Street with half of next door ??? Tavistock Road
No. 25 Devonport Roadpreviously unnumbered on Tavistock Rd, with “Smithy” at the rear – No. 39??? Tavistock Road
No. 27 Devonport Roadunnumbered building part of 40 Tavistock Rd?48 Tavistock Road
No. 29A Devonport Roadpreviously part of unnumbered building on Tavistock Rd with “Smithy” at rear – 41?49 Tavistock Road
No. 31 Devonport Roadpreviously part of unnumbered building on Tavistock Rd with “Smithy” at rear – 41?50 Tavistock Road
No. 33 Devonport Road
unnumbered building on Church Street?? Church Street
No. 37 Devonport Road42 Tavistock St51 Tavistock Road
No. 39 & 41 Devonport Road43 & 44 Tavistock St52 & 53 Tavistock Road
No. 43 Devonport Road45 Tavistock St54 Tavistock Road
No. 47 Devonport Road46 Tavistock St55 Tavistock Road
No. 49 Devonport Road47 Tavistock St56 Tavistock Road
No. 51-53 Devonport Roadpreviously part of The Cross Keys Inn 48 Tavistock St57 & 57A Tavistock Road
No. 55 Devonport Roadpreviously part of The Cross Keys Inn 48 Tavistock St58 Tavistock Road
No. 57 Devonport Road49 Tavistock St59 Tavistock Road
No. 59-61 Devonport Road50 Tavistock St, no. 51 old Blockhouse Inn & no. 52 Tavistock St60 & 61 Tavistock Road
No. 63 Devonport Road53 Tavistock Street62 Tavistock Road
No. 65 Devonport Road54 Tavistock St63 Tavistock Road
No. 67 Devonport Road55 Tavistock Street64 Tavistock Road
No. 69 Devonport Road56 Tavistock Road65 Tavistock Road
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Contributors:

  • Rachel Dobbs