Description

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1978 Drake’s Island local stamp issue, commemorating what was expected to be the final journey of HMS Ark Royal past the island, on her way to Devonport Dockyard.

The set featured “Farewell H.M.S Ark Royal” overprints on three values (2½p, 5p and 7½p) from the previous 1973 definitive issue.

Issued on 4 December 1978.

U/M / Unmounted Mint / MNH / Mint Never Hinged (invisible gum).

About Drake’s Island

Drake's Island is a 6.5-acre island located within Plymouth Sound, close to the city of Plymouth in Devon.

The island's location has long afforded it a strategic and defensive importance, with new gun emplacements erected during the Second World War. By the 1960s, the island was no longer required for military purposes, and from 1963 until 1989 it operated as an "adventure centre". It was during this period, in 1973, that the first Drake's Island stamps were issued, to cover the cost of ferrying mail from the island to the nearest post office on the mainland, and occasional new issues continued to be produced until 1981.

After the adventure centre closed, the island was eventually put up for sale and bought by former Plymouth Argyle chairman Dan McCauley in 1995, but his plans to convert the island's historic buildings into a luxury hotel and resort failed to come to fruition, with planning permission only granted in 2017.

The current owner is another local businessman, Morgan Phillips, who bought the Island in 2019. Plans involve opening a small hotel and wedding venue, but the new owners emphasise that Drake's Island has been "reclaimed for the people of Plymouth", with public access a priority. Two-hour guided tours were offered for the first time in 2022 - though it remains to be seen whether a new generation of Drake's Island stamps might be produced as a service and souvenir for these latest visitors!