This is the first in a series of drawings which showcase Plymouth's architectural gems and will be turned into an illustrated map.

During WWII, Plymouth was so badly damaged by years of Luftwaffe bombing raids that the council decided to pull the majority of the remaining city centre down and start over again. Patrick Abercrombie was the architect/planner of a new modernist-style city centre which was built over the 50s and 60s. The city centre has been slightly altered over the years, but has been remarkably well preserved.

Architecturally, Plymouth is very significant. Although other cities erected buildings in the modernist style, Plymouth was the only one to attempt a full city-centre redevelopment. Nowhere else exists like this, yet the significance of the city's architectural heritage is relatively unknown even within Plymouth, and is often vastly under-appreciated.

In 1962, Plymouth opened it's new Civic Centre - the building in my illustration. The building was a source of civic pride and was seen as a cutting edge architectural icon in it's day, with the giant gull-wing roof soaring over the city.

However, as recently as 2007 the building was nearly demolished by the city council, before some forward-thinking residents managed to get the building listed and saved from destruction. Sold by the city council to developers Urban Splash, the Civic Centre is due to get a new lease of life as a multi-purpose building with residential accommodation, eateries and leisure activities.