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The Mayflower Steps are close to the site in The Barbican area of Plymouth, from which the Pilgrim Fathers are believed to have finally left England aboard the Mayflower, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to settle in North America on 6 September 1620.
The 'Steps' today consist of a commemorative portico with Doric columns of Portland stone that was built in 1934,and a small platform over the water with a brushed steel rail and a shelf with some nautical bronze artwork and historical information. It is on a small pier that was built about a century ago when some very old houses that were blocking construction of a road around the seaward side of the Citadel leading to the Hoe were cleared together with the significant Watch House. Today, boat trips leave the Mayflower Steps for trips around the Sound and up the Tamar for sight of the 'Dockyard and Warships'.

The Barbican is the name given to the western and northern sides of the old harbour area (Sutton Harbour) of Plymouth. It was one of the few parts of the city to escape most of the destruction of The Blitz during the Second World War. Two or three streets still retain some of the architecture of an old fishing port.
The present Barbican district is generally regarded as being roughly equivalent to the location and size of the medieval walled town of Sutton. A barbican is a fortified gate, and here the name probably derives from the 'Castle Barbican' which was an entrance to the late medieval fortress that guarded access to the Cattewater, prior to the building of the Royal Citadel.
For centuries the Barbican was home to Plymouth's fish market (now relocated to the other side of the harbour) and is still home to many fishermen.
Today the Barbican is mostly pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants.