The Voice of Independent Accommodation Providers

Visit Mevagissey Cornwall and the surrounding villages and stay in bed breakfast, hotel or vacation rental accommodation provided by BedPosts members.

Mevagissey in Cornwall, lies on the bay of the same name, 5 miles south of St Austell. It is a solidly built little fishing port, first recorded as such in 1410. Facing east, Mevagissey had the advantage in the old days that boats could be launched when the weather closed harbours facing south or south-west. The village enjoyed prosperity in the 18^th century, the great days of pilchard fishing, when many millions of pilchards were exported each year, mostly to Italy. Mevagissey was also at times much involved in smuggling. In the fishing trade it was strongly rivalled by the tiny village of Gorran Haven, some 3 miles south. The larger, Georgian, houses in Mevagissey bear witness to its past success, but fishing, although still carried on today, is now much less important and more reliance is placed on tourism. The outward signs of this are sadly evident, and there is also a great deal of unsightly modern development around Mevagissey. If to this extent the village has been spoilt, the place still has a “saltiness” and an attractive maritime atmosphere. It is probably the double harbour and the wonderful coastline which make Mevagissey most worth visiting. The inner harbour is full of boats, and nets hang over the wall to dry. One can still see examples of the old fish “cellars” or “palaces” - ground floors of houses or courtyards with lean-tos where fish were smoked, pressed and pickled - though some have been converted to other uses.

The fishermen of Mevagissey now run a co-operative, and locally caught fish can be bought. There is usually a tangle of traffic in the twisting, congested streets around the Market Square and it is quieter walking among the old cottages which line the steep lanes on the north side of the harbour: many of these are three-storeyed and have slate or plank-hung walls.

At the harbour in the old lifeboat shed is Mevagissey aquarium.

Gazing out from Mevagissey, with fishing smells and the cries of gulls carried on the breeze, the sea looks quite blue even on a dull day. The coastline here is rocky and, especially to the S, very beautiful.

The name “Mevagissey” is a combination of two saints' names - the Welsh St Meven, or Mewan, and the Irish St Itha, or Issey.

The church at Mevagissey is dedicated to St Peter. It was built in 1259 and much restored in the 19^th century, but it stands on the site of churches going back to 550.