Mevagissey
Mevagissey is a quaint old fishing village just 8 km from St Austell. Many Cornish villages are named after a saint but Mevagissey has the distinction of being named after two such holy men: St Meva and St Issey.
The harbour lies at the end of a small valley with white-washed cottages climbing to the summit of the surrounding hillsides. Inner and outer harbours bustle with the coming and going of boats, boats and more boats. In days gone by the village earned its living from pilchard fishing and smuggling. Pilchard oil was as useful as the fish itself and the village once had a power station run on pilchard oil. Some even say that Mevagissey was the first place in Britain to light its streets with electricity.
Always a sociable place, the village once boasted some ten pubs; but today only the Fountain and the Ship remain open. Back in 1768, Andrew Pears, the founder of Pears' Soap is said to have been born in the village and once ran a barber's shop here before shipping out to London and fresh-faced fame. Today the narrow streets with their cafes, shops and restaurants welcome the passing tourist trade. In fact, Mevagissey is just the place to sit in the sun with a glass of local cider in hand and watch the world float by.
Map of Mevagissey
South West England
