Fowey
Encyclopedia
Fowey is a small town
, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey
in south Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.
survey at the end of the eleventh century records manors at Penventinue and Trenant, and a priory
was soon established nearby at Tywardreath
. Circa 1300 the prior granted a charter to people living in Fowey itself. This medieval town ran from a north gate near Boddinick Passage to a south gate at what is now Lostwithiel Street; the town extended a little way up the hillside and was bounded on the other side by the river where merchants had their houses backing onto the waterfront. The natural harbour allowed trade to develop with Europe and local ship owners often hired their vessels to the king to support various wars, although the town also developed a reputation for piracy
, as did many others at this time. In the fourteenth century the harbour was defended by 160 archers; after these were withdrawn, two blockhouses were built on either side of the harbour entrance. Despite these defences the town was attacked by French forces in 1457. Place House
, by the church, was successfully defended against the French but subsequently strengthened. This building still exists, but much remodelled. A small castle was built on St Catherine’s Point, the western side of the harbour entrance, around 1540. The defences proved their worth when a Dutch attack was beaten off in 1667.
The people of Fowey generally sided with the Royalists during the English Civil War
, but in 1644 the Earl of Essex
brought a Parliamentarian army to Lostwithiel
and occupied the peninsula around Fowey. In August a Royalist army surrounded Essex’s troops and King Charles I
himself viewed Fowey from Hall Walk above Polruan, where he came close to being killed by a musket
shot. On 31 August the Parliamentarian cavalry forced their way through the Royalist lines and retreated towards Saltash
, leaving the foot soldiers to be evacuated by sea from Fowey. Essex and some officers did indeed escape, but the majority of the force surrendered a few days later near Golant
and were then marched to Poole
, but most died before reaching there.
and elsewhere instead. Fishing became more important, but local merchants were often appointed as privateer
s and did some smuggling on the side. Tin, copper and iron mines, along with quarries and china clay pits became important industries in the area which lead to improvements at rival harbours. West Polmear beach was dug out to become Charlestown
harbour circa 1800, as was Pentewan
in 1826. Joseph Austen
shipped copper from Caffa Mill Pill above Fowey for a while before starting work on the new Par harbour in 1829. Fowey had to wait another forty years before it saw equivalent development, but its natural deep-water anchorage and a rail link soon gave it an advantage over the shallow artificial harbours nearer to the mines and china clay works. Meanwhile, a beacon tower was erected on the Gribben Head
by Trinity House
to improve navigation into Fowey and around Par bay.
The Fowey Harbour Commissioners were established by an Act of Parliament
in 1869 to develop and improve the harbour. On 1 June in that year the broad gauge
Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway
was opened to new jetties situated above Carne Point, and in 1873 the standard gauge
Cornwall Minerals Railway
(CMR) opened a line from Newquay and Par
to further jetties between Caffa Mill Pill and Carne Point. Both of these railways initially carried just goods, but on 20 June 1876 a passenger station was opened on the CMR on land reclaimed from Caffa Mill Pill. The Lostwithiel line closed at the end of 1879 but was reopened by the CMR as a standard gauge line in 1895, and the short gap between the two lines at Carne Point was eliminated. Passenger trains from Par were withdrawn after 1934 and from Lostwithiel in 1965. The Par line was subsequently converted to a dedicated roadway for lorries bringing china clay from Par after which all trains had to run via Lostwithiel
.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution
established Fowey Lifeboat Station
near the Town Quay in 1922 to replace an earlier station at Polkerris
. This was replaced in 1997 by a new facility in Passage Street. Two lifeboats
are stationed at Fowey: Maurice and Joyce Hardy, a Trent Class
all weather boat that is kept afloat opposite the lifeboat station, and Olive Two, an IB1
inshore lifeboat kept inside the station and launched by davit
.
until the Reform Act 1832
stripped it of its representation as a rotten borough
, it having lost its borough corporation a few years before. It was restored as a municipal borough
in 1913, and then was merged with the nearby and much larger St Austell
in 1968 to form the borough of St Austell with Fowey. This was itself in 1974 replaced with the Restormel
Borough, which was replaced by Cornwall Council in 2009.
In local government terms, Fowey is now a civil parish
with a town council
and a mayor
. Local government responsibilities are shared by the town council and Cornwall Council. Besides the town of Fowey itself, the parish includes the coastal area between the mouth of the River Fowey
and St Austell Bay
, including Gribben Head
and the small settlements of Menabilly
, Polkerris
, Polmear
and Readymoney
.
The parish of Fowey lies within the St Austell and Newquay constituency of the United Kingdom Parliament
, and the South West England constituency
of the European Parliament
.
. It lies at the end of the Saints' Way
and has ferries across the river to Polruan
(foot) and Bodinnick
(vehicle). There are many historic buildings in the town, including the ruins of St Catherine's Castle
, while Readymoney Cove
possesses a local beach
.
visited Fowey as a child, along with Joseph of Arimathea
who was a merchant visiting local tin mines in which he had a commercial interest. At the entrance to the River, on the eastern side below the cliffs to the south-west of St Saviour's Point, there is a cross to commemorate this supposed visit. This cross is marked on very early charts and was maintained by monks from Tywardreath
. The cross is known locally as "Punches Cross", supposedly derived from the name of Pontius Pilate
.
A hundred yards west of the lighthouse on the west of the harbour entrance, about thirty feet below the top of the cliff edge and broadly concealed, is a small grass area known as "Johnny May's Chapel". This name is believed to be that of a Methodist
preacher at the time when Nonconformism was persecuted.
, when the clerestory and the north and south aisles were rebuilt. There is a nave and two aisles with a clerestory, and the aisles are unusually wide; the aisles and the clerestory may be additions of the 15th century. The tower, of the 16th century, is of four stages and has buttresses and bands of ornament. There is an exceptionally fine 15th century carved wagon roof. The south porch has open arches to the west and east and an eight-ribbed vaulted roof. The font is Norman, of Catacleuze
stone, and similar to those of Ladock, Feock and St Mewan. The hexagonal pulpit was made in 1601. The monuments include two brasses of the mid 15th century and those of John Rashleigh, 1582, and Alice Rashleigh, 1602. The most interesting are two later Rashleigh monuments: John Rashleigh, ca. 1610, and another of 1683. The church was used as a town hall for a period up to 1684.
for hundreds of years, initially as a trading and naval town, then as the centre for china clay exports. Today Fowey is busy with trawlers and yacht
s. Tourism is also an important source of income, contributing £14m to the local economy and accounting for more than half of the jobs in the town.
and First Devon and Cornwall operate regular bus services, numbered 25, 524 and 525, between Fowey, Par railway station
and St Austell
. The combined frequency varies from one bus per hour on Sundays to four buses per hour on weekdays. From St Austell Bus Station
connecting buses operate to other places in Cornwall. Town Bus is a frequent and regular service running from outside the church in the town centre to the main car park on Hanson Drive.
Both vehicle and foot ferry
services cross the river to Bodinnick and Polruan. A ship to shore water taxi
service operates from Easter until the end of October and a foot ferry to the fishing village of Mevagissey runs fom 1 May to 1 October, weather permitting.
Although Fowey railway station
closed to passengers in 1965, the Lostwithiel to Fowey branch line
remains open for goods traffic, carrying bulk china clay to the jetties at Carne Point. The nearest passenger station is at Par
, whence there are trains to Penzance
, Newquay
, Plymouth
, Bristol
, and London Paddington.
, Daphne du Maurier
and Kenneth Grahame
. The town was Q's main residence from 1892 onwards and a number of his stories are set in 'Troy Town', a thinly-disguised Fowey. The Daphne du Maurier Festival is held in Fowey each May, the month of her birth. The town hosts a Christmas market over the last weekend in November.
, bass
, mackerel
, lobsters and cuttlefish
. Many of the species can be seen in the Fowey Aquarium in the heart of the town, which includes a very rare Albino Bull Huss. The seafood served in many of Fowey's restaurants comes from the Fowey estuary, or the sea just outside it. The Royal Fowey Yacht Club
is based on the harbour front.
A Pilot Gig Rowing Club that races in and around Cornwall, with an event at Fowey being held the same week as the Regatta. The club launches from Caffa Mill slip.
1879–1964) was a British illustrator. She was known for her cute, nostalgic drawings of children, based on her daughter, Peggy. Her drawings are featured on many postcards, advertisements, posters, books and figurines.
Mary Bryant
(born 1765) was born in Fowey before being transported
as a convict
to the colony of New South Wales
, where she became one of the first escapees.
Daphne du Maurier
(1907–1989) English author and playwright. Her works include Rebecca, an adaption of which won the best Picture Oscar in 1941, Jamaica Inn
and numerous short stories including The Birds
and Don't Look Now that were turned into films.
Kenneth Grahame
(1859–1932) most famous for The Wind in the Willows
(1908) lived for part of the year in Fowey during the 1890s and into the early part of the 20th century.
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch
(1863–1944) settled in Fowey in 1891 and remained there for the rest of his life. Quiller-Couch was an author and professor of English literature primarily recalled for his influential literary criticism.
A number of wealthy entertainers have second homes around the town, which pushes up house prices to a level that local people cannot afford. These include married couples Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan
and Lenny Henry
and Dawn French (who paid around £2 million in October 2006 for a mansion at Readymoney Cove), Gloria Hunniford
, and former Blue Peter
presenter Janet Ellis
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey
River Fowey
The River Fowey is a river in Cornwall, United Kingdom.It rises about north-west of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, passes Lanhydrock House, Restormel Castle and Lostwithiel, then broadens at Milltown before joining the English Channel at Fowey. It is only navigable by larger craft for the last ....
in south Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.
Early history
The Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
survey at the end of the eleventh century records manors at Penventinue and Trenant, and a priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
was soon established nearby at Tywardreath
Tywardreath
Tywardreath is a small hilltop village in southern Cornwall, United Kingdom. about north west of Fowey. It is located in a sheltered spot overlooking a silted up estuary opposite Par and near the beach of Par Sands...
. Circa 1300 the prior granted a charter to people living in Fowey itself. This medieval town ran from a north gate near Boddinick Passage to a south gate at what is now Lostwithiel Street; the town extended a little way up the hillside and was bounded on the other side by the river where merchants had their houses backing onto the waterfront. The natural harbour allowed trade to develop with Europe and local ship owners often hired their vessels to the king to support various wars, although the town also developed a reputation for piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
, as did many others at this time. In the fourteenth century the harbour was defended by 160 archers; after these were withdrawn, two blockhouses were built on either side of the harbour entrance. Despite these defences the town was attacked by French forces in 1457. Place House
Place House
Place House is a Grade One listed building located in Fowey, Cornwall, England.Home of the Treffry family since the thirteenth century, the original structure was a fifteenth century tower, which was defended against the French in 1475 by Dame Elizabeth Treffry...
, by the church, was successfully defended against the French but subsequently strengthened. This building still exists, but much remodelled. A small castle was built on St Catherine’s Point, the western side of the harbour entrance, around 1540. The defences proved their worth when a Dutch attack was beaten off in 1667.
The people of Fowey generally sided with the Royalists during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, but in 1644 the Earl of Essex
Earl of Essex
Earl of Essex is a title that has been held by several families and individuals. The earldom was first created in the 12th century for Geoffrey II de Mandeville . Upon the death of the third earl in 1189, the title became dormant or extinct...
brought a Parliamentarian army to Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739...
and occupied the peninsula around Fowey. In August a Royalist army surrounded Essex’s troops and King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
himself viewed Fowey from Hall Walk above Polruan, where he came close to being killed by a musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
shot. On 31 August the Parliamentarian cavalry forced their way through the Royalist lines and retreated towards Saltash
Saltash
Saltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by...
, leaving the foot soldiers to be evacuated by sea from Fowey. Essex and some officers did indeed escape, but the majority of the force surrendered a few days later near Golant
Golant
Golant is a village in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the west bank of the River Fowey and lies in the civil parish of St Sampson....
and were then marched to Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
, but most died before reaching there.
Later history
The fortunes of the harbour became much reduced, with trade going to PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and elsewhere instead. Fishing became more important, but local merchants were often appointed as privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s and did some smuggling on the side. Tin, copper and iron mines, along with quarries and china clay pits became important industries in the area which lead to improvements at rival harbours. West Polmear beach was dug out to become Charlestown
Charlestown, Cornwall
Charlestown is a village and port on the south coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom, in the parish of St Austell Bay. It is situated approximately south east of St Austell town centre....
harbour circa 1800, as was Pentewan
Pentewan
Pentewan is a coastal village and former port in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at three miles south of St Austell at the mouth of the St Austell River....
in 1826. Joseph Austen
Joseph Treffry
Joseph Austen Treffry was an engineer, mining adventurer, and industrialist who became a significant landowner in Cornwall, United Kingdom.-Biography:...
shipped copper from Caffa Mill Pill above Fowey for a while before starting work on the new Par harbour in 1829. Fowey had to wait another forty years before it saw equivalent development, but its natural deep-water anchorage and a rail link soon gave it an advantage over the shallow artificial harbours nearer to the mines and china clay works. Meanwhile, a beacon tower was erected on the Gribben Head
Gribben Head
Gribben Head is a promontory on the south coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It separates St Austell Bay from the estuary of the River Fowey and is marked by a large tower used to aid navigation of ships approaching the local harbours. The nearest town is Fowey.-Location:Gribben Head is the most...
by Trinity House
Trinity House
The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters...
to improve navigation into Fowey and around Par bay.
The Fowey Harbour Commissioners were established by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in 1869 to develop and improve the harbour. On 1 June in that year the broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway
Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway
The Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway opened in 1869 as a broad gauge railway and links the port of Fowey in Cornwall with the Cornish Main Line at Lostwithiel...
was opened to new jetties situated above Carne Point, and in 1873 the standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
Cornwall Minerals Railway
Cornwall Minerals Railway
The Cornwall Minerals Railway operated a network of railway lines in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Based at St Blazey, its network stretched from Fowey to Newquay and lasted as an independent company from 1874 to 1896, after which it became a part of the Great Western Railway.-Authorisation:The...
(CMR) opened a line from Newquay and Par
Par, Cornwall
Par is a town and fishing port with a harbour on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated in the civil parish of Tywardreath and Par and is approximately east of St Austell. Par has a population of around 1,400.....
to further jetties between Caffa Mill Pill and Carne Point. Both of these railways initially carried just goods, but on 20 June 1876 a passenger station was opened on the CMR on land reclaimed from Caffa Mill Pill. The Lostwithiel line closed at the end of 1879 but was reopened by the CMR as a standard gauge line in 1895, and the short gap between the two lines at Carne Point was eliminated. Passenger trains from Par were withdrawn after 1934 and from Lostwithiel in 1965. The Par line was subsequently converted to a dedicated roadway for lorries bringing china clay from Par after which all trains had to run via Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel railway station
Lostwithiel railway station serves the town of Lostwithiel in Cornwall. First Great Western operate the station along with every other station in Cornwall.The station is on the banks of the River Fowey in Cornwall...
.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on selected inland waterways....
established Fowey Lifeboat Station
Fowey Lifeboat Station
Fowey Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution search and rescue operations at Fowey on the south coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The first lifeboat was stationed in the area in 1859 and the present station was opened in 1997...
near the Town Quay in 1922 to replace an earlier station at Polkerris
Polkerris
Polkerris is a small village on the south coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It forms part of the civil parish of Fowey.The village was formerly part of the Rashleigh estate which is commemorated in the name of the pub, 'Rashleigh Inn'...
. This was replaced in 1997 by a new facility in Passage Street. Two lifeboats
Lifeboat (rescue)
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...
are stationed at Fowey: Maurice and Joyce Hardy, a Trent Class
Trent class lifeboat
The Trent class lifeboat is an all-weather lifeboat operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from 30 stations around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland to provide coverage up to out to sea...
all weather boat that is kept afloat opposite the lifeboat station, and Olive Two, an IB1
IB1 class lifeboat
IB1 class lifeboats are inflatable boats serving in the UK's RNLI Inshore Lifeboat fleet. Although they are known as the "IB1" at times, they are the latest development of the D class lifeboat and as such are mainly referred to as a "D-Class"....
inshore lifeboat kept inside the station and launched by davit
Davit
A davit is a structure, usually made of steel, which is used to lower things over an edge of a long drop off such as lowering a maintenance trapeze down a building or launching a lifeboat over the side of a ship....
.
Governance
Fowey elected two members to the unreformed House of CommonsUnreformed House of Commons
The unreformed House of Commons is the name generally given to the British House of Commons as it existed before the Reform Act 1832.Until the Act of Union of 1707 joining the Kingdoms of Scotland and England , Scotland had its own Parliament, and the term refers to the House of Commons of England...
until the Reform Act 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
stripped it of its representation as a rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....
, it having lost its borough corporation a few years before. It was restored as a municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
in 1913, and then was merged with the nearby and much larger St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
in 1968 to form the borough of St Austell with Fowey. This was itself in 1974 replaced with the Restormel
Restormel
Restormel was a borough of Cornwall, United Kingdom, one of the six administrative divisions that made up the county. Its council was based in St Austell . Other towns included Newquay....
Borough, which was replaced by Cornwall Council in 2009.
In local government terms, Fowey is now a civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
with a town council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
and a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. Local government responsibilities are shared by the town council and Cornwall Council. Besides the town of Fowey itself, the parish includes the coastal area between the mouth of the River Fowey
River Fowey
The River Fowey is a river in Cornwall, United Kingdom.It rises about north-west of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, passes Lanhydrock House, Restormel Castle and Lostwithiel, then broadens at Milltown before joining the English Channel at Fowey. It is only navigable by larger craft for the last ....
and St Austell Bay
St Austell Bay
St Austell Bay is a bay on Cornwall's south coast which is bounded to the east by Gribbin Head and to the west by Black Head.Since 1 April 2009 it has also been the name of a civil parish, one of four new parishes created on for the St Austell area. It lies southeast of the town of St Austell and...
, including Gribben Head
Gribben Head
Gribben Head is a promontory on the south coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It separates St Austell Bay from the estuary of the River Fowey and is marked by a large tower used to aid navigation of ships approaching the local harbours. The nearest town is Fowey.-Location:Gribben Head is the most...
and the small settlements of Menabilly
Menabilly
Menabilly is an Elizabethan house on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, on the Rashleigh Estate, seat of the Rashleigh family. Menabilly is situated on the Gribben peninsula about west of Fowey...
, Polkerris
Polkerris
Polkerris is a small village on the south coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It forms part of the civil parish of Fowey.The village was formerly part of the Rashleigh estate which is commemorated in the name of the pub, 'Rashleigh Inn'...
, Polmear
Polmear, Cornwall
Polmear is a hamlet in Cornwall, England, UK. It is located on the A3082 road close to Par Sands and the village of Par, but forms part of the civil parish of Fowey. The centre of Fowey is some distant, whilst Par railway station is less than away...
and Readymoney
Readymoney Cove
Readymoney Cove is a sandy beach to the south of the harbour town of Fowey, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is sheltered by cliffs close to the mouth of the River Fowey Estuary and bounded, on one side, by the medieval part of the town of Fowey and, on the other, by St Catherine's Castle....
.
The parish of Fowey lies within the St Austell and Newquay constituency of the United Kingdom Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, and the South West England constituency
South West England (European Parliament constituency)
South West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation, reduced from 7 in 2004.-Boundaries:...
of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Geography
Fowey is in the South Coast (Eastern Section) of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural BeautyArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
. It lies at the end of the Saints' Way
Saints' Way
The Saints' Way is a long-distance footpath in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom.The footpath runs from Padstow in the north to Fowey in the south, a distance of 26 miles . The path is well marked and guide books are available....
and has ferries across the river to Polruan
Polruan
Polruan is a small fishing village in the parish of Lanteglos-by-Fowey in Cornwall, England, UK. It is bounded on three sides by water: to the north by Pont Creek, to the west by the River Fowey and to the south by the English Channel and neighbours village Bodinnick to the north, connected by a 4...
(foot) and Bodinnick
Bodinnick
Bodinnick is a riverside village in south Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It is a fishing village situated on the east bank of the River Fowey opposite the town of Fowey, also on the banks of the Fowey River. The ferry crossing is from Fowey to Bodinnick and the "Old Ferry Inn" is located on its...
(vehicle). There are many historic buildings in the town, including the ruins of St Catherine's Castle
St Catherine's Castle
St Catherine's Castle is a small fort commissioned by Henry VIII. It is a two-storey building built to protect Fowey Harbour in Cornwall, United Kingdom. A twin battery of 64-pdr RMLS was added on a lower terrace in 1855...
, while Readymoney Cove
Readymoney Cove
Readymoney Cove is a sandy beach to the south of the harbour town of Fowey, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is sheltered by cliffs close to the mouth of the River Fowey Estuary and bounded, on one side, by the medieval part of the town of Fowey and, on the other, by St Catherine's Castle....
possesses a local beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
.
Religious sites
Popular legend has it that JesusJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
visited Fowey as a child, along with Joseph of Arimathea
Joseph of Arimathea
Joseph of Arimathea was, according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion. He is mentioned in all four Gospels.-Gospel references:...
who was a merchant visiting local tin mines in which he had a commercial interest. At the entrance to the River, on the eastern side below the cliffs to the south-west of St Saviour's Point, there is a cross to commemorate this supposed visit. This cross is marked on very early charts and was maintained by monks from Tywardreath
Tywardreath
Tywardreath is a small hilltop village in southern Cornwall, United Kingdom. about north west of Fowey. It is located in a sheltered spot overlooking a silted up estuary opposite Par and near the beach of Par Sands...
. The cross is known locally as "Punches Cross", supposedly derived from the name of Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
.
A hundred yards west of the lighthouse on the west of the harbour entrance, about thirty feet below the top of the cliff edge and broadly concealed, is a small grass area known as "Johnny May's Chapel". This name is believed to be that of a Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
preacher at the time when Nonconformism was persecuted.
Fowey Parish Church
The church is dedicated to Saint Finbarr and is listed Grade I. It was built in the early 14th century and rededicated in 1336, replacing a previous Norman church. The church was damaged by the French in 1457, and repaired in 1460 by the Earl of WarwickEarl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...
, when the clerestory and the north and south aisles were rebuilt. There is a nave and two aisles with a clerestory, and the aisles are unusually wide; the aisles and the clerestory may be additions of the 15th century. The tower, of the 16th century, is of four stages and has buttresses and bands of ornament. There is an exceptionally fine 15th century carved wagon roof. The south porch has open arches to the west and east and an eight-ribbed vaulted roof. The font is Norman, of Catacleuze
Elvan
Elvan is a name used in Cornwall and Devon for the native varieties of quartz-porphyry. They are dispersed irregularly in the Upper Devonian series of rocks and some of them make very fine building stones...
stone, and similar to those of Ladock, Feock and St Mewan. The hexagonal pulpit was made in 1601. The monuments include two brasses of the mid 15th century and those of John Rashleigh, 1582, and Alice Rashleigh, 1602. The most interesting are two later Rashleigh monuments: John Rashleigh, ca. 1610, and another of 1683. The church was used as a town hall for a period up to 1684.
Economy
Fowey has thrived as a portHarbor
A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
for hundreds of years, initially as a trading and naval town, then as the centre for china clay exports. Today Fowey is busy with trawlers and yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
s. Tourism is also an important source of income, contributing £14m to the local economy and accounting for more than half of the jobs in the town.
Transport
Both Western GreyhoundWestern Greyhound
Western Greyhound is a bus operator based in Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It operates many services throughout the county and also into Devon...
and First Devon and Cornwall operate regular bus services, numbered 25, 524 and 525, between Fowey, Par railway station
Par railway station
Par Station is a railway station serving the village and port of Par, Cornwall, England in the United Kingdom. It is the junction for the Atlantic Coast Line to Newquay. The station is operated by First Great Western, and served by trains operated by both First Great Western and...
and St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
. The combined frequency varies from one bus per hour on Sundays to four buses per hour on weekdays. From St Austell Bus Station
St Austell Bus Station
St Austell bus station is the main bus and coach terminus for the town of St Austell, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The bus station is located in the forecourt of the railway station, formerly a railway goods yard.-History:...
connecting buses operate to other places in Cornwall. Town Bus is a frequent and regular service running from outside the church in the town centre to the main car park on Hanson Drive.
Both vehicle and foot ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
services cross the river to Bodinnick and Polruan. A ship to shore water taxi
Water taxi
A water taxi or water bus, also known as a commuter boat, is a watercraft used to provide public transport, usually but not always in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or on demand to many locations, operating in a similar...
service operates from Easter until the end of October and a foot ferry to the fishing village of Mevagissey runs fom 1 May to 1 October, weather permitting.
Although Fowey railway station
Fowey railway station
The railway from Fowey to Newquay was opened by the Cornwall Minerals Railway on 1 June 1874. Fowey railway station was opened on 20 June 1876 when a passenger service was introduced, the next station being at Par....
closed to passengers in 1965, the Lostwithiel to Fowey branch line
Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway
The Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway opened in 1869 as a broad gauge railway and links the port of Fowey in Cornwall with the Cornish Main Line at Lostwithiel...
remains open for goods traffic, carrying bulk china clay to the jetties at Carne Point. The nearest passenger station is at Par
Par railway station
Par Station is a railway station serving the village and port of Par, Cornwall, England in the United Kingdom. It is the junction for the Atlantic Coast Line to Newquay. The station is operated by First Great Western, and served by trains operated by both First Great Western and...
, whence there are trains to Penzance
Penzance railway station
Penzance railway station serves the town of Penzance, Cornwall, UK. The station is the western terminus of the Cornish Main Line from London Paddington station. The current journey time to or from London is about five hours....
, Newquay
Newquay railway station
Newquay railway station is the terminus of the Atlantic Coast Line that runs from Par railway station. It is operated by First Great Western and is situated close to the town centre and beaches in Newquay, Cornwall, England, UK.-History:...
, Plymouth
Plymouth railway station
Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is situated on the northern edge of the city centre close to the North Cross roundabout...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, and London Paddington.
Education
Fowey has two schools: Fowey Primary School and Fowey Community College, both of which are in Windmill Road.Culture
Fowey has been the inspiration for many authors including Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch ('Q')Arthur Quiller-Couch
Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch was a Cornish writer, who published under the pen name of Q. He is primarily remembered for the monumental Oxford Book Of English Verse 1250–1900 , and for his literary criticism...
, Daphne du Maurier
Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning DBE was a British author and playwright.Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Her elder sister was...
and Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame was a Scottish writer, most famous for The Wind in the Willows , one of the classics of children's literature. He also wrote The Reluctant Dragon; both books were later adapted into Disney films....
. The town was Q's main residence from 1892 onwards and a number of his stories are set in 'Troy Town', a thinly-disguised Fowey. The Daphne du Maurier Festival is held in Fowey each May, the month of her birth. The town hosts a Christmas market over the last weekend in November.
Sports
The surrounding coastline of Fowey is popular with fishermen and spear-fishermen. Many sea creatures can be seen all around the Cornish shoreline, including mulletMullet (fish)
The mullets or grey mullets are a family and order of ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and in some species in fresh water. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since Roman times...
, bass
Bass (fish)
Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...
, mackerel
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
, lobsters and cuttlefish
Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda . Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs....
. Many of the species can be seen in the Fowey Aquarium in the heart of the town, which includes a very rare Albino Bull Huss. The seafood served in many of Fowey's restaurants comes from the Fowey estuary, or the sea just outside it. The Royal Fowey Yacht Club
Royal Fowey Yacht Club
The Royal Fowey Yacht Club is located in a waterfront setting at Fowey, on the south coast of Cornwall one of the UK's most secure harbours.Its antecedents can be traced back to 1880; its third Honorary Secretary, from 1893, was Arthur Quiller-Couch, who became Sir Arthur. The minutes and...
is based on the harbour front.
A Pilot Gig Rowing Club that races in and around Cornwall, with an event at Fowey being held the same week as the Regatta. The club launches from Caffa Mill slip.
Public services
A Doctors' surgery called the 'Fowey River Practice', is situated in Rawlings Lane, and is part of a group including two other surgeries in the Fowey River Practice group, which are situated at Par and Polruan.Notable residents
Mabel Lucie AttwellMabel Lucie Attwell
Mabel Lucie Attwell was a British illustrator. She was known for her cute, nostalgic drawings of children, based on her daughter, Peggy. Her drawings are featured on many postcards, advertisements, posters, books and figurines...
1879–1964) was a British illustrator. She was known for her cute, nostalgic drawings of children, based on her daughter, Peggy. Her drawings are featured on many postcards, advertisements, posters, books and figurines.
Mary Bryant
Mary Bryant
Mary Bryant was a Cornish convict sent to Australia. She became one of the first successful escapees from the fledgling Australian penal colony.-Life:...
(born 1765) was born in Fowey before being transported
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
as a convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
to the colony of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, where she became one of the first escapees.
Daphne du Maurier
Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning DBE was a British author and playwright.Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Her elder sister was...
(1907–1989) English author and playwright. Her works include Rebecca, an adaption of which won the best Picture Oscar in 1941, Jamaica Inn
Jamaica Inn (novel)
Jamaica Inn is a novel by the English writer Daphne du Maurier, first published in 1936. It was later made into a film, also called Jamaica Inn, by Alfred Hitchcock...
and numerous short stories including The Birds
The Birds (story)
"The Birds" is a famous novelette by Daphne du Maurier, first published in her 1952 collection The Apple Tree. It is the story of a farmhand, his family, and his community, who are attacked by flocks of seabirds who have organized themselves into avian suicide warriors. The story is set in...
and Don't Look Now that were turned into films.
Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame was a Scottish writer, most famous for The Wind in the Willows , one of the classics of children's literature. He also wrote The Reluctant Dragon; both books were later adapted into Disney films....
(1859–1932) most famous for The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters in a pastoral version of England...
(1908) lived for part of the year in Fowey during the 1890s and into the early part of the 20th century.
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch
Arthur Quiller-Couch
Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch was a Cornish writer, who published under the pen name of Q. He is primarily remembered for the monumental Oxford Book Of English Verse 1250–1900 , and for his literary criticism...
(1863–1944) settled in Fowey in 1891 and remained there for the rest of his life. Quiller-Couch was an author and professor of English literature primarily recalled for his influential literary criticism.
A number of wealthy entertainers have second homes around the town, which pushes up house prices to a level that local people cannot afford. These include married couples Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan
Richard and Judy
Richard and Judy is the name informally given to Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, a married couple who are both British television presenters and columnists. Since their marriage, their television appearances have been largely made as a couple. They are best known for presenting This Morning and...
and Lenny Henry
Lenny Henry
Lenworth George "Lenny" Henry, is a British actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
and Dawn French (who paid around £2 million in October 2006 for a mansion at Readymoney Cove), Gloria Hunniford
Gloria Hunniford
Gloria Hunniford is a Northern Irish TV and radio presenter, and formerly a singer.-Biography:...
, and former Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
presenter Janet Ellis
Janet Ellis
Janet Ellis is a British television presenter and actress, who appeared on BBC children's television in the 1980s, including a four year period as a presenter on Blue Peter, a role she won after hosting the award-winning children's programme Jigsaw.- Early life :Ellis's father was a soldier,...
.
Further reading
- Henderson, Charles (1935) Fowey. In: Essays in Cornish History edited by A. L. RowseA. L. RowseAlfred Leslie Rowse, CH, FBA , known professionally as A. L. Rowse and to friends and family as Leslie, was a British historian from Cornwall. He is perhaps best known for his work on Elizabethan England and his poetry about Cornwall. He was also a Shakespearean scholar and biographer...
and M. I. Henderson; pp. 26–43