It is possibly the safest place in Plymouth to live, with next to no crime reported, according to the police.uk website.

The Millfields estate in Stonehouse, created in the 18th century as a military hospital and one-time POW camp, has slowly been re-developed in recent years and has become well-known for its isolated luxury properties and work spaces.

Originally housing French POWs, the Millfields became a military hospital in 1760, at its peak housing 1,200 patients in 60 wards, in 10-ward blocks arranged around a courtyard with a central block containing a chapel, staff housing – and the dispensary.

The hospital was used by the Royal Navy for 235 years, providing care for wounded servicemen from the Battle of Trafalgar to the Falklands War.

The modern conversion of the whole site into residential and business space began in 2000.

It is now a community of mixed use development set in secure landscaped, walled grounds of about 26 acres.

According to the police.uk's crime map site the Millfields estate, bordered by Eldad Hill, Stoke Road and Clarence Place - and the Devonport High School for Boys playing field - appears to suffer almost no crime, despite being part of the Stonehouse neighbourhood, which as a whole has long been plagued by all manner of offences.

In April this year the Stonehouse neighbourhood suffered 232 incidents of crime, including drugs, criminal damage, sexual assault, arson and violence. However, withing the Millfields wall, there was not one crime reported. During the same month there were 2,304 crimes across the entire Plymouth basic command unit, which includes Plymouth, Plympton and Plymstock.

The previous month there were 234 crimes in Stonehouse - but again, none within Millfields.

Crime map Millfields February 2019

In February 2019 there were 215 crimes across the neighbourhood - and just one incident of public order "on or near Mary Seacole Road" within the Millfields estate.

And in January 2019, as police looked into 218 crimes in just Stonehouse alone, a total of three offences took place within Millfields - again "on or near Mary Seacole Road". Two were incidents of anti-social behaviour and one was fell under the heading of "violence and sexual offences" which includes common assaults, grievous bodily harm and a range of sexual offences.

Millfields from the air
Millfields from the air

However, according to the police.uk website, police were unable to prosecute an identified suspect, noting that this could be for a number of reasons, including: "Insufficient evidence; the prosecution time limit having expired; the named suspect being below the age of criminal responsibility; the victim or witness is dead or too ill to give evidence; the victim declining or being unable to support the police investigation further; or the person involved has died."

Crime map Millfields January 2019

No crimes occurred in December 2018 in the Millfields estate, but in November 2018 one incident took place near Constance Place, under the heading "violence and sexual offences".

October and September 2018 were similarly devoid of crimes while in August 2018 there was just one incident of crime near Craigie Drive, again under the heading of "violence and sexual offences". Meanwhile, Stonehouse saw 239 reports of crimes. The entire Plymouth basic command unit - according to the police.uk crime map - suffered 2,570 incidents of crime.

Nobody from the Millfields Trust was willing to respond to Plymouth Lives requests for comment and did not reply as to why security guards were still in place at the entrance of the Millfields estate. Residents have said they pay an annual fee to live within the Millfields estate, which pays for grounds keeping and the special level of security.

Pc Mark Rothwell, neighbourhood beat manager for the area said it was unsurprising the police.uk website stated there had been next to no crimes reported in Millfields.

Crime map Millfields March 2019

He said: "This is not really a surprise when you consider the combination of a wall around the entire development and the security guards at the front entrance, effectively making it a gated community. In addition, you can also consider the nature of the demographics of the Millfields estate and that it is a mix of both residential and business."

The Millfields estate literally has a bloody history, seeing thousands of injured servicemen come through the Royal Naval Hospital's doors from 1760 onwards.

Crime map Millfields April 2019

At the time, the design of the facility was so far advanced as to make it the finest establishment of its kind in Europe. It offered care for the sick and injured marines who helped forge the greatest Naval Force the world had ever seen. 

The estate was also victim to the Blitz during the Second World War, with the site hit by 24 bombs between 1941 and 1942. 

Eventually the hospital closed down and the surgeons and nurses finally amalgamated with the main hospital at Derriford in March 1995. 

The site underwent gradual redevelopment over the two decades, and at one stage saw members of Plymouth police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) set up in a purpose built office. The city's first Sexual Assault Referral Centre was also initially based within the Millfield's estate and the upmarket offices and meeting rooms were used by both businesses and adult education groups.

The Millfields is a gated community in Stonehouse
The Millfields is a gated community in Stonehouse

The high hospital wall remains in place, effectively making the estate the largest gated community in the city and giving residents one of the best crime prevention tools around.

The low-crime is a point of pride by the Millfield's owners, and their website boasts "peace of mind afforded to residents within Millfields is exceptional" adding "the gated entrance with 24 hour security, for both vehicles and pedestrian access, provides a wonderfully relaxed and secure atmosphere to the whole community."