Pennycomequick is the site of a former Devonport prison that today forms part of the inner suburbs of the city of

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, England. It is mostly known for its eccentric name, taken, locals believe, from The Penny pub situated by the roundabout north of the railway bridge over Saltash Road. A Brythonic derivation of the name ''Pen y cwm coet'', meaning the head of a wooded valley, or ''Pen y cwm gwyk'', referring to the nearby creek, is a possibility.Pen y cum gwic: Head of the valley of the creek. Cornish Names, TFG Dexter, Longmans Green and Co Ltd, London, 1926 (p 58) The roundabout is near the end of the former Deadlake, a sea inlet reclaimed at the end of the 19th century to form Victoria Park. It is located behind and above the

Plymouth railway station Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is on the northern edge of the city centre, close to the North Cross roundabout. It is the third busiest station in the county of Devon and the largest of the six survivi ...

and south of

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

. The area is an assembly point for supporters of Plymouth Argyle Football Club, which is located nearby in Central Park. The pub closed in 2009 and after changing hands many times, has now been converted into student accommodation. Most younger Plymothians attach the name only to the large busy roundabout beside the old pub building. In the centre of the roundabout is a prominent curious stunted statue of

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel ( ; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history", "one of the 19th-century engi ...

with his trademark stovepipe hat. The one-time MP for Plymouth and then Plymouth Sutton

Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor, DL (19 May 1879 – 30 September 1952) was an American-born English politician and newspaper proprietor. He was a member of the Astor family. He was active in minor political roles. He was devoted to charita ...

, named a racehorse he bred after this area of Plymouth (as he did many others) and the filly won the 1929

Oaks Stakes The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 y ...

References

Suburbs of Plymouth, Devon {{Devon-geo-stub