Mevagissey is a fishing village about 5 miles south of St Austell, facing east across its bay and up the hill from the harbour. In Kernewek it is Lannvorek, and the place is first recorded in 1313 as Porthhilly. It has worked for its living ever since, and the record describes it as Cornwall's second biggest fishing port.
Fish and contraband
Income came from pilchards and, it must be said, from smuggling, and the greatest annual catch was landed in 1724. The harbour's modern shape was set by the Mevagissey Pier Act of 1775; an outer harbour opened in 1888, was damaged in the blizzard of 1891, and was rebuilt by 1897. The lighthouse came in 1896, and the RNLI station served the bay from 1869 to 1930.
The village
The church was dedicated to Saints Meva and Ida in 1259, and the village was later named Meva hag Ysi for them. Andrew Pears, founder of Pears' Soap, was born here in 1768 and kept a barber's shop in the village until he moved to London in 1789. Feast Week still closes June, and the Lost Gardens of Heligan sit above the village.
Sources
Last checked: 2026-10-11