(Above) The steps from which the Founding Fathers boarded the Mayflower sit along the Barbican in the oldest section of Plymouth, England. What is rarely reported is that they stayed in a building known as the Island House for several weeks while awaiting the arrival of others who were forced to return on the Speedwell which proved unseaworthy. Click here for a one-minute video of the location and here for a 40-minute virtual tour and introduction to the Plymouth 400 events that were planned for 2020.

The Island House sits about 150 feet from the departure steps and today is an ice cream shop.

The story is told in plaques along the sea wall and in the Mayflower Museum that sits across the street.

A tour offered in Southampton on May 29, 2022 tells the story of the Pilgrim Fathers’ departure on the Mayflower. Click here for a 98-second video relating what happened in Southampton.