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Mevagissey (Cornish: Lannvorek) is a village and fishing port situated six miles south of St Austell in Cornwall, England, UK. In recent years tourism has passed fishing as the dominant industry in the village.
The village nestles in a small valley near the centre of east-facing Mevagissey Bay. The inner and outer harbours are busy with a mixture of pleasure vessels and working fishing boats, the remains of a once major industry. The old centre consists of very narrow, picturesque streets with a wide choice of places to eat and shops aimed at the tourist trade. The outer, newer parts are mostly residential and built on the steep slopes of the surrounding hillsides.
[edit] Early history and name
The first recorded mention of Mevagissey dates from 1313 (when it was known as Porthhilly), although there is evidence of settlement dating back to the Bronze Age. Towards the end of the 17th Century, Porthhilly merged with the hamlet of Lamoreck to make the new village. It was named after two Irish saints, St Meva and St Issey (the "g" comes from hag, the Cornish word for "and"). At this time the main sources of income for the village were pilchard fishing and smuggling and the village had at least ten inns, of which two (the Fountain and the Ship) still remain.
Andrew Pears, the founder of Pears' Soap was born in the village in 1768 and set up a barber shop here until he moved to London in 1789.
Mevagissey had a power station built in 1895, powered by pilchard oil, which provided electricity for the lighthouse and surrounding streets. Local sources claim that it was the first town in the country to have electric street lighting.
[edit] Mevagissey Harbour
Mevagissey harbour at dusk
The current harbour is built on the site of a medieval quay. The first Act of Parliament allowing the new port to be built was passed in 1774. The inner harbour, consiting of the current East and West Quays was constructed from this time. An outer harbour was added in 1888, but seriously damaged in a blizzard in 1891. The outer walls were rebuilt by 1897. The harbour was given charitable trust status in 1988.
There are currently 63 registered fishing vessels in the harbour worked by 69 fishermen. The harbour also offers tourist fishing trips and there is a regular summer passenger ferry to Fowey.
[edit] Trivia
Each year at the end of June, Mevagissey celebrates Feast Week, a week of family fun, music, floral dances through the streets and finally at the end of the week the carnival and fantastic firework display.
A small park in Mevagissey is popularly known as "Hitler's Walk". It was named for a district councillor in the 1930s who was nicknamed after the Nazi leader for his officious habit of walking up and down checking on the boats moored in the harbour.
The writer Susan Cooper based two of her books ('Over Sea, Under Stone' and 'Greenwitch') from her awarded 'The Dark Is Rising' series in Mevagissey where she used to holiday as a child. In the books she just changed the name to Trewissick. Mevagissey House is the vicarage from the first book 'Over Sea Under Stone' where Jane first meets the mysterious Mr Hastings.
The Wurzels wrote a song called "Mevagissey".
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Coordinates: 50°17'N, 4°47'W
(Source: Wikipedia) |