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Newlyn
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  Newlyn Location withinCornwall | |
| Population | 4,432 [1] |
| OS grid reference | SW460283 |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PENZANCE |
| Postcode district | TR18 |
| Dialling code | 01736 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Cornwall |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°06′04″N5°33′11″W / 50.101°N 5.553°W /50.101; -5.553 | |
Newlyn (Cornish:Lulynn) is a seaside town and fishing port in south-westCornwall, England, United Kingdom.[2] It is the largest fishing port in England.
Newlyn lies on the shore ofMount's Bay and forms a smallconurbation with the neighbouring town ofPenzance. It is part of the Penzancecivil parish. The principal industry isfishing, although there are also a variety of yachts and pleasure boats in the harbour, as Newlyn has become a popular holiday destination with pubs and restaurants. Although the parish is now listed under Penzance, there is an electoral ward in separate existence calledMousehole, Newlyn and St Buryan. The population as of the 2011 census was 4,432.[1]
The settlement is recorded asNulyn in 1279 and asLulyn in 1290, and the name is thought to be derived from theCornish for"pool for a fleet of boats" which is thought to refer to the shallows offshore known asGwavas Lake, traditionally the principal mooring for the fishing fleet in the area.[3]
Before the rise of Newlyn as an important settlement the landing rights and most properties within the Newlyn area were owned by theManor of Alverton. Newlyn's history has been strongly linked to its role as a major fishing port. The natural protection afforded by theGwavas Lake (an area of seawater inMount's Bay) led to many local fishermen using this area as a preferred landing site.[4]
TheSpanish Raid of 1595 destroyed Penzance,Mousehole and Paul as well as Newlyn.
In 1620 theMayflower stopped off at Newlyn old quay to take on water.[5] A plaque on the quay reads:
To the memory of Bill Best Harris 1914 – 1987 Historian and son of Plymouth whose researches indicated that the MAYFLOWER 16 – 8 – 1620 docked at the Old Quay Newlyn for water and supplies making it the last port of call in England The water supply at Plymouth being the cause of fever and cholera in the city Let debate begin[6]
In 1755, theLisbon earthquake caused atsunami to strike the Cornish coast more than 600 miles (970 km) away from the epicentre. The sea rose ten feet (3 m) in ten minutes at Newlyn, and ebbed at the same rate. The 19th-century French writer, Arnold Boscowitz, claimed that "great loss of life and property occurred upon the coasts of Cornwall".[7]
Before the 19th century, "Newlyn" referred only to the area near the old quay. The part of the village that now contains the fish market was known as "Streetanowan", this was separated at high tide from "Newlyn Town" the site of the lower part of the modern harbour being reclaimed land and formerly a beach. In fact Newlyn comprises three discrete hamlets all previously separated by bodies of water, being Tolcarne (Tal Carn: Brow of the Rocks), Street-an-owan (Street-an-Owan: Oxen Street) and Trewarveneth (Farm/Manor on the Hill).[8]
Newlyn (like Mousehole) was part of theancient parish ofPaul. It was common for villagers to climb the relatively steep route from "Newlyn Cliff" to Paul via the area which is now known as Gwavas to worship at Paul Church. Until the mid-20th century an ancient stone cross was present on this route at "Park an Grouse" (The Field of the Cross), this cross was one site of veneration of the Cornish sea deityBucca, (others were the beaches of Newlyn and Mousehole) the name 'Bucca' has often been used as a nickname for people who reside in Newlyn: the location of the cross is now unknown.[9]
In 1851 Newlyn became the separate ecclesiastical parish of Newlyn St Peter.[10] The church of St Peter was built in the Early English style in 1859–66. The interior is embellished with various works of art including the altarpiece and a statue of the Madonna and Child (by the then vicar the Rev.Allan G. Wyon). "The ensemble is an outstanding example of Anglo-Catholic embellishment of the period [1936–55]" (Peter Beacham).[11] Father Wyon was the vicar from 1936 until his retirement in 1955. There is a Cornish cross by the road near the churchyard; it was found at Trereiffe about 1870 and much later placed near the church by the Rev.W. S. Lach-Szyrma.[12]
In the 1880s a number of artists moved to the town and formed an artists' colony.[13] The painters of Newlyn came to be known as theNewlyn School.
In 1896 Newlyn was the scene of theNewlyn riots following protests over the landing of fish on a Sunday by fishermen from theNorth of England, the local Cornish fishermen being members of theMethodist church and as such strong supporters ofsabbatarianism.
From 1915, theOrdnance Survey tidal observatory was established in the harbour and for the next six years measurements of tidal height were taken every 15 minutes.[14] This tidal gauge data was used to calculate themean sea level at Newlyn,Ordnance Datum Newlyn, which became thevertical datum the Ordnance Survey uses to map altitudes throughout Great Britain.[15]
In 1937, the fishing vesselRosebud sailed to London to deliver a petition to theMinister of Health on behalf of those villagers whose homes were threatened under the government'sslum clearance scheme.
During the Second World War Newlyn was a base for the Air Sea Rescue craft covering theWestern Approaches. The harbour was bombed during the war, hitting the collierGreenhithe, which was beached in the harbour at the time and supplied coal to the east coast drifters, which travelled to Newlyn during the mackerel fishing season between the wars.[16] Reporting the event on the"Germany Calling" propaganda broadcastLord Haw-Haw announced that theLuftwaffe had sunk a British cruiser in Newlyn Harbour.
The 2014 LPCornish Pop Songs by indie band theHit Parade contains several songs referencing Newlyn fishing industry including "The Ghost of the Fishing Fleet", a comment on the declining investment in the area, neglect by central government and the recent influx in tourist trade.[17][18]
Newlyn, along with nearbyMousehole and Paul, was the last stronghold of theCornish language, presumably due to the strength of its fishing fleet.William Gwavas,James Jenkins,[19]Nicholas Boson,Thomas Boson,John Boson,John Keigwin, and John Kelynack Jnr had roots in or strong links with the district. Subsequently, several antiquarians including PrinceLouis Lucien Bonaparte,[20]Daines Barrington,Georg Sauerwein andHenry Jenner who all collected Cornish writings or sayings, and the latter two became proficient in its use.
In 1894 Newlyn became part ofPaul Urban District, while Tolcarne on the eastern side of the stream was inMadron Urban District. The urban districts were abolished in 1934 and Newlyn and Tolcarne were absorbed into themunicipal borough of Penzance.[21] Penzance Municipal Borough was itself abolished in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, and Newlyn became part of the newPenwith District. The former borough wasunparished until 1980. The unparished area was formed into a civil parish in 1980,[22] and the new Penzance parish council chose to call itself a town council. Newlyn returns five councillors to Penzance Town Council.[citation needed] Penwith District was abolished in 2009, and Newlyn now falls under the unitaryCornwall Council, with the town being shared between two divisions,Penzance Promenade in the east andNewlyn and Mousehole in the west. Since 2021, the town has been part of the newMousehole, Newlyn and St Buryan division.[23]
Newlyn is located in western Cornwall, just south ofPenzance. It lies along the B3315 road which connects it toLand's End.Paul andMousehole lie to the south.
TheOrdnance Survey, the United Kingdom'smapping agency, bases allelevations including mappedcontour lines and spot heights on the meansea level at Newlyn (seeOrdnance Datum).[24] The mean sea level data was calculated from hourly readings of the sea level between 1 May 1915 and 30 April 1921.[24]
Newlyn's economy is largely dependent on its harbour and the associated fishing industry[citation needed]; Newlyn Harbour is the largest fishing port in England.[25] The port was a major catcher ofpilchard until the 1960s. Today, a few vessels have resumed pilchard fishing and use a modern version of the ring net. The largest vessels are beam trawlers owned by W Stevenson and Sons Ltd, one of Cornwall's largest fish producers;[26] most of the other vessels are owned by their skippers. The company based in the Old Pilchard Works today are major supplies of Cornish sardines and mixed-species fish.[25] The fishing industry is hard work and markets are seasonably variable;Lamorna Ash experienced it for herself.[27][28]
Newlyn RFC was formed in 1894 (or 1895) by the curate of St Peter's Church, the Rev Fred Peel Yates.[29] The club amalgamated withPenzance RFC in 1944 to form Penzance and Newlyn RFC (The Pirates), currently known as theCornish Pirates.[30]
Newlyn Non-Athletico FC was formed in 1990 by a group of friends playing on Sunday mornings. They initially played in the West Penwith League, before joining theMining League in 2002, theTrelawny League in 2011 and now theSt Piran League in 2023.[31]
Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes, have been held in Newlyn for centuries.[32] Amongst other place, tournaments were held at Trewarveneth Farm.[33]
Newlyn is home to the Newlyn fish festival[34] which hosts live music, cooking demonstrations, and various marquees selling local produce.
The UKNational Tidal and Sea Level Facility (NTSLF) maintains atidal observatory at Newlyn, and the UK FundamentalBenchmark is maintained there.[35]
Newlyn was made famous in the 1880s and 1890s for itsNewlyn Schoolartists' colony, including the paintersThomas Cooper Gotch,Albert Chevallier Tayler andHenry Scott Tuke. The current largest collection of work by the Newlyn School is held byPenlee House Gallery and Museum in nearbyPenzance. A collection ofNewlyn Copper, produced from circa 1890–1920, is on view at Penlee House.[citation needed] Newlyn is the home ofNewlyn Art Gallery[36] which houses a collection of modern art.
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