[1] It is an area with mixed terraced housing, some subdivided into bedsits and flats and a public open-space called 'Freedom Fields', a Civil War battle site where the townsfolk of nearby Plymouth resisted substantial Cavalier raiding parties and enabled the town to sustain the royalist siege.

Freedom Fields existed before the Civil War and acquired its name after the defeat there of a French invasion force two hundred years earlier.

The park was the inspiration behind the title of local folk singer-songwriter Seth Lakeman's third album and currently has a small cafe, numerous benches and flower-beds.

Due in part to its proximity to the city's university and the size of some of the older properties, some of the housing towards Greenbank has been subdivided into homes of multiple occupancy and flats.

Because of its hilly position, much of the area offers panoramic views in most directions, not least south across Plymouth Sound.