Portmellon
Portmellon photos (58 available)
Portmellon maps (2 available)
Map of Cornwall
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
Personalised maps
Create an historic map centred directly on any postcode!
Portmellon books (12 available)
Truro Town Walk Guide
Paperback
Cornwall Living Memories
Paperback
St Austell Bay Photographic Memories
Paperback
- 1 photos on Portmellon appear in 1 Frith books - View photos of Portmellon
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Portmellon and Cornwall
Portmellon memories
Read and share memories of Portmellon and Cornwall inspired by Frith photos
Thame Cottage Portmellon
I was born in 1975 and spent nearly every birthday until I was 16 years old at Thame Cottage, Portmellon with my Mum, Dad, younger Brother, Uncle, Auntie and 3 cousins. One day, when I have my own children, I hope to take them there so that they too can have the special memories that I hold so dear.
Memories of Thame Cottage; The electric meter running out, the cold shower room beyond the kitchen with the blue cupboards and the biscuit tins; the twin room in the middle with the view of the stream which used to rise in high tide; dodging the waves during windy high tides at Easter and laughing as cars tried to do the same; battonin ...read more here
Contributed by Elizabeth Collier
Cornwall memories
Thame Cottage Portmellon
I was born in 1975 and spent nearly every birthday until I was 16 years old at Thame Cottage, Portmellon with my Mum, Dad, younger Brother, Uncle, Auntie and 3 cousins. One day, when I have my own children, I hope to take them there so that they too can have the special memories that I hold so dear.
Memories of Thame Cottage; The electric meter running out, the cold shower room beyond the kitchen with the blue cupboards and the biscuit tins; the twin room in the middle with the view of the stream which used to rise in high tide; dodging the waves during windy high tides at Easter and laughing as cars tried to do the same; battonin ...read more here
A memory of Portmellon contributed by Elizabeth Collier
My Mevagissey
I worked as a tech rep for Rylands, Whitecross, Warrington and I stayed at The Hollies, Mevagissey every six weeks. Mr Jackson was the owner, "Jacko". His daughter was married to a local fisherman. During one visit I arranged for a wire rope to be collected for the fishermen's Co-Operative from British Rope At Par .
For that action the Co-Operative made me an Associate Member of the Fishermen's Social Club. I befriended one fisherman in particular, his name was Ken Billing and when my son was born Ken insisted that I bring him to Meva. Together with my wife we came to Meva and Ken took us out beyond the Dodman and baptized my son with sea water, calling him ...read more here
A memory of Mevagissey contributed by malcolm thurston
Notes from the Frith files.
Lady on the left in the white apron is Miss Douch selling fish.
A memory of Mevagissey contributed by The Frith Memory Archivist
Extracts From Portmellon & Cornwall books
This scene has hardly changed for many years; the
beach at Polridmouth is still only accessible on foot.
Although we are just around the corner from St Austell
Bay, this photograph gives us a good view of the
prominent day mark erected in 1832 on the Gribbin
Head as an aid for shipping entering the bay.
An extract from from"St Austell Bay Photographic Memories".
The old pilchard-curing
cellar, or ‘palace’, beside the
shore in the foreground was
one of the largest in
Cornwall. However, by the
time of this early
photograph the harbour
seems already deserted by
the fishing fleet, perhaps in
favour of Mevagissey on the
far side of the bay.
An extract from from"St Austell Bay Photographic Memories".
A boat sails across the bay, which was known as Polkerris or Par Bay in the late-18th century.
The little village of Polkerris is situated at the end of a sheltered valley on the east shore of
St Austell Bay. There was an important pilchard fishery here, and the pier (left) was built in
about 1735 for sheltering the fishing boats rather than for trade.
An extract from from"St Austell Bay Photographic Memories".
Polkerris has hardly
changed, with virtually
no new houses in 70
years. Here we see the
village tucked away in
its valley, with the
great expanse of the
bay reaching beyond
to Black Head (centre)
and the Dodman Point
(left). The garden plots
of the houses are
prominent, sheltered
by hedges and mostly
on the south-facing
slope on the right.
An extract from from"St Austell Bay Photographic Memories".
The gable end of the lifeboat house is seen in the background, almost
at the end of the road through the village. Stone cottages, teas for sale
and no unsightly road markings are the delights of this village.
An extract from from"St Austell Bay Photographic Memories".