A Stroll Through the History of Penzance in Cornwall

Penzance is situated on the rugged coast at the tip of the English county of Cornwall. It is the largest town on Mount’s Bay which is famous for the tidal island, St Michael’s Mount. This island is the site of a stately home and garden that incorporates the ruins of a medieval castle and a monastery. An option for an interesting excursion from Penzance but the town itself has plenty to offer its visitors due to a fascinating history involving smugglers, Judge Jeffries and tin mining. Despite its affinity with the sea Penzance does not have a natural harbour but the town has supported a fishing fleet since the fourteenth century. And there is evidence that a pier was in existence by the beginning of the sixteenth century. During the eighteenth century Penzance became busy with the tin trade and its designation as a coinage town (taxing the tin) was a turning point that led to the establishing of the harbours that operate today. The arrival of the railway in 1852 was also a significant event. Today some of the town’s oldest and most interesting buildings are in the harbour area. A short walk from the railway station, along Wharf Road, is the Old Lifeboat House.

The Old Lifeboat House in Penzance

In 1803 Penzance became the first port to have its own lifeboat. But the lifeboat did not have a permanent home until 1885 when a private donation to the RNLI facilitated the building of the Old Lifeboat House as its permanent home. But difficulty in launching the lifeboat meant basing one at Penzance was not successful. In 1917 the lifeboat was re-located to Penlee Point which is just outside Mousehole and its old home was sold to the local council. Penlee was its home until a tragic accident in the 1970s when both the boat and crew were lost at sea. The service was then based at Newlyn Harbour and has remained there to this day. In 2018 this single-story granite building was given a Grade II Listing. It is one of the best examples of this type of building in Cornwall. Today it is in use as a restaurant. Next door is the Abbey Basin.

The Abbey Basin in Penzance

The Abbey Basin its quays, slipways, warehouse and dry dock are also Grade II listed. All built around the mid-nineteenth century it is an unusually complete group of harbour structures. And the dry dock was the first to be built in Europe. A causeway across the entrance from the sea to the basin came later as did the Ross Swing Bridge which was built in 1881. This bridge swings to one side to allow shipping to enter and leave the dry dock which is just inside the basin. The swing bridge was rebuilt in 1981. Beyond the Abbey Basin is the popular Boatshed Café & Bar.

Boatshed Café & Bar in Penzance

The building occupied by the Boatshed Café & Bar was built as a harbourside warehouse around 1720. It was used for the export and import of goods from all over the world and vital to the increasing importance of Penzance as a trading port during the period of sailing ships. The Bosuns Locker, as it was known then, was run by the Mathews family. This powerful family of merchants, sail-makers and ship owners would store diverse cargoes from their own ships on the three floors of the building. They also used timber salvaged from ship wrecks to enhance the interior of the building and some of these can still be seen today. The area around the Boatshed was the medieval harbour and one of the oldest parts of Penzance. Inside the entrance there is a mural painted by local artist Clive Carter portraying the harbour as it was more than a century ago. Until relatively recently the Bosuns Locker was used as a Sail Loft and the old gantry and old cargo doors have been incorporated in the top floor holiday apartment above the café. Trinity House, a large distinctive white building, lies just beyond the Boatshed Café.

Trinity House in Penzance

Initially Trinity House was responsible for the building and maintenance of lighthouses. It then became the Trinity House buoy store and a part of the Penzance depot which stored and repaired buoys. But it also housed a collection of lighthouse memorabilia which members of the public could enjoy. And in 1989 a museum, the National Lighthouse Centre, was created in the building featuring this collection and recounting the history of Trinity House. This museum was closed in 2005 and it was announced the collection would be relocated to Plymouth. But that never happened and eventually in 2009 this plan was abandoned and the collection was not going on public display. Since then, some of the collection has gone to the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth where some of it has been put on display. Close to Trinity House is the Dolphin Inn, one of several historic pubs typical of the Cornish coastline.

The Dolphin Tavern in Penzance

The old granite walls decorated with shipping artefacts inside the Dolphin Tavern have been witness to the fascinating history of Penzance since it was built sometime during the fifteenth century. Some highlights include its use as a recruitment headquarters towards the end of the sixteenth century to repel the Spanish Armada. It has also served as a courtroom where Judge Jeffries passed sever sentence on smuggles during the Bloody Assizes. A ‘hanging room’ in the basement is still there which may account for rumours of hauntings. It’s location on the quay guaranteed its popularity with sea-farers and merchants as the town prospered following the grant of a Charter of Incorporation by King James 1 in the early seventeenth century. There are many tales to be told to visitors in what is now a popular pub offering a warm welcome and good food. It is convenient for passengers waiting for the ferry to the Isles of Scilly which departs from the passenger harbour across the road. On the same side of the road beyond the sea wall is one of Penzance’s real treasures, the Jubilee Open Air Pool, one of the few remaining Art Deco structures in the town.

The Jubilee Open Air Pool in Penzance

The unusual triangular shape of the Jubilee Pool is due to its location on top of the Battery Rocks – the remains of an old fort that stood here during the Napoleonic Wars. It was opened in 1935 and since then like many outdoor lidos of this nature it has suffered storm damage. The worst damage occurred during a terrible storm in 2014 when the severity of the damage caused threatened its very existence. However, in 2017 the future of the pool was secured when Jubilee Pool Penzance Ltd undertook its operation. This charitable Community Benefit Society translates as the community running the pool for the community and had to find ways to ensure its self-sufficiency. Today it remains a popular attraction for all ages due to its proximity to the sea and being safer than swimming in open water. A geothermal pool, warmer than the main seawater pool, was opened in 2020. There is also an on-site café but no seating – users have to bring their own. Dominating the skyline above the pool and the entire seafront of Penzance is St Mary’s Church in the upper town.

St Mary’s Church in Penzance

The Gothic-style parish church of St Mary was built between 1833-5 replacing St Mary’s Chapel. This fourteenth century chapel had become too small for a burgeoning population as Penzance achieved popularity as a seaside resort. It was built near the site of a sixth-century chapel which was the source of the town’s original name of Pen Sans meaning holy headland. This imposing granite structure is surrounding by a large churchyard from which there are stunning views of the coast below. Features from the fourteenth century St Mary’s Chapel, which was demolished to make way for the new church, have been incorporated in the furnishings inside. These include a seventeenth century alms box and a carved seventeenth century organ case from St Mary's, the University Church in Oxford. This magnificent Grade II listed building was re-ordered after a serious fire in 1985 and today it is not just a place of worship but is also regularly used by musicians, artists and schools. A gate on the far side of the churchyard leads into Chapel Street. One of the oldest streets in the town and home to the famous Admiral Benbow Pub.

The Admiral Benbow in Penzance

The Admiral Benbow is one of the oldest inns in Penzance and its name is synonymous with smuggling. This activity was once rife around the town, a reaction to the high taxes charged by the Crown. Sharp eyes will notice the smuggler on the roof keeping an eye on everyone passing by. Roland Morris, a local wreck diver, once owned this inn. He recovered many treasures from ship wrecks in the area and some of these still decorate the interior. A side street across the road leads to the lovely Regent Square surrounded by pastel-coloured Georgian houses. There is an entrance to Morrab Gardens from here.

Morrab Gardens in Penzance

Originally Morrab Gardens were a private walled garden surrounding Morrab House that was built in 1841. The house and gardens were acquired by the Penzance Corporation in 1888. The gardens were converted into a much needed public park for the increasing number of visitors to the town. A competition was held to decide the design of the park and much of the original layout is still in place. Highlights amongst the large collection of sub-tropical plants include an elaborate cast-iron fountain, a cast iron bandstand and the Boer War Memorial statue. Along one side of the garden is the Gardeners’ House, a community hub occupying the old stable block. The original house was leased by the Penzance Private Library, later to become the Morrab Library.

The Morrab Library in Penzance

The large, independent Morrab Library was first established in 1818 as a private library in the Victorian Mansion inside Morrab Gardens. This large, independent library is a rarity as only sixty still exist in the United Kingdom. It houses several large collections relating to different themes from literature to modern history. Its extensive Cornish collection includes runs of Cornish newspapers since before 1850. The aim of the library is to provide a resource for the local community and a venue for cultural events. Both members and visitors are welcome at the library which is now a registered charity. Next to Morrab Gardens is another building dedicated to local history and the art of West Cornwall, Penlee House Gallery and Museum.

Penlee House Gallery and Museum in Penzance

n 1864 a wealthy merchant and miller built the Italianate-style Penlee House for himself and his family. The house was surrounded by parkland. When the estate was acquired by public subscription in 1946 it was intended to be a War Memorial incorporating a local history museum (founded in 1839) and the town’s collection of art. It opened as the Penzance and District Museum in 1949. During the 1990s, thanks to funding from a variety of sources, the museum and art gallery was redeveloped. The museum was refurbished, gallery spaces were added, a lift was installed and new facilities included a café and shop. A sensitive renovation has preserved the original gentility of this old Victorian home now reflected in its current name, Penlee House Gallery and Museum. Today the features temporary exhibitions in its galleries as well as a permanent collection of art highlighting local artists. The museum includes collections relating to six centuries of West Cornwall history and a fascinating social history gallery. The house also features an extensive programme of events and workshops. The history of the local museum actually started in the historic Market House in the centre of Penzance.

The Market House in Penzance

The granite Market House was the first municipal building in Penzance. The white dome of this distinctive, colonnaded building makes it one of the most recognisable in the town. It was never a single use building but was adaptable to whatever the community needed. It was built in 1838 specifically for a market in one half and a guildhall in the other. The Corn Exchange occupied the top storey at the western end and was also used as a theatre. There were cells for prisoners in the basement under the guildhall. When the council chambers moved to a new building in 1867 that area was used by the Penzance Grammar School until 1898. After that it was used by small retail units but then lapsed into vacancy. In 2022 the whole building was bought by PZRC (Penzance Regeneration Company Limited) facilitated by central government funding. Lloyds bank moved into the front of the building in 1925. There are plans to renovate and rejuvenate the rest of the building with food outlets on the top two floors. It is intended to use the ground floor as a town hub providing offices and other facilities for local organisations. When the council moved to its new home, St John’s Hall, the Penzance Museum also moved there.

St John’s Hall in Penzance

Once known as the Public Buildings, Penzance the initial plan for this huge purpose-built, granite municipal building was a geological museum in the west wing, municipal offices, courtrooms and a police station in the east wing and an assembly hall in the centre to be called St John’s Hall. The entire building is now known as St John’s Hall. Since it opened in 1867 this building has been used as a magistrate’s court, police cells and a public ballroom. But after 1974 it was no longer the seat of local government following the re-organisation of local councils. The building was refurbished at the beginning of the twenty-first century and today it houses the town’s Library and Information Service as well as the Registration Office. Also in this building, which is open to the public are artefacts of the Royal Geological Society and a significant collection of Fine Arts. The Main Hall is available to book for functions. And the East Wing is now used as a community centre.

Many pass through Penzance on the way to the Isles of Scilly but this pretty town is well-worth a stop-over to explore its historic streets and relax in its smugglers’ haunts.

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