History of Penzance

The history of West Cornwall is fascinating. It is a Celtic region with links to the cultures of Brittany, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. It has its own Cornish language with a few enthusiasts keeping it alive today, although it was last spoken regularly in the late 1700s.

West Cornwall has a concentration of ancient monuments from the Iron and Bronze Ages. Penzance has a long commercial history and was granted a charter for the harbour in 1512 and a charter for the town in 1614.

West Cornwall was invaded by the Spaniards in 1595 and many buildings in Penzance were destroyed at that time. During the eighteenth century tin mining developed and became a major export business as the harbour was extended. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the other main occupations were fishing and farming. In the mid-nineteenth century the railway line was constructed to Penzance and tourism developed, with the town becoming a popular winter destination owing to the mild climate.

 

History in Chapel Street

The Chocolate House is located in Chapel Street, the oldest street in the town, with many buildings dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is the main thoroughfare from the harbour to the town centre and runs from Queens Square in the middle of town to the top of ancient Quay Street.

Buildings of historical interest include the Egyptian House built in 1836 and now owned by the Landmark Trust. it was originally built in 1836 by John Lavin, a Penzance mineralogist, to house a geological museum.

The Union Hotel was originally built as a public assembly room by public subscription in 1791 and still contains the dilapidated remains of a Georgian Theatre built in 1787 .

The Turks Head is the oldest public house in the town and was built in the fourteenth century.

In 1585 the Dolphin Tavern, in Quay Street, served as recruiting place for the Armada and was also used as a courtroom in its long history.

Maria Branwell, mother of the Bronte sisters, is commemorated by a plaque on a 1780s house and the Branwell family grave is in Penzance churchyard.

St Mary’s Church was built in 1832 on the site of the fourteenth century St Mary’s Chapel.