Mevagissey whose name in Cornish is Lannvorek, is a village and fishing port and civil parish in Cornwall, England.
Whilst the village nestles in a small valley and faces east to Mevagissey Bay, the inner and outer harbours are busy having pleasure vessels and working fishing boats that are and the second biggest fishing port in Cornwall. The village centre has narrow streets with many eateries and tourist shops. The outer areas are built on the steep slopes of the surrounding hillsides and are mostly residential The first recorded mention of Mevagissey dates from 1313 (when it was known as Porthhilly), although there is evidence of settlement dating back to the Bronze Age. The old name of the parish was Lamorrick, part of the episcopal manor of Tregear. The church was dedicated to Saints Meva and Ida in 1259 by Bishop Bronescombe but the church was more or less rebuilt in the 15th century. Mevagissey is home to three holy wells. Towards the end of the 17th century, Porthhilly merged with the hamlet of Lamoreck (or Lamorrick) to make the new village. It was re-named "Meva hag Ysi", after two saints; St Mevan/Mewan, a Welsh man and an Irish woman, St Issey or Ida/Ita, (hag is the Cornish word for "and"). The modern Cornish name is Lannvorek, after the old parish name. At this time the main sources of income for the village were pilchard fishing and smuggling and the village had at least ten inns, of which the Fountain and the Ship still remain. Andrew Pears, the founder of Pears' Soap was born in the village in 1768 and set up a barber's shop here until he moved to London in 1789. The harbour is built on the site of a medieval quay, though the first Act of Parliament allowing the new port to be built was passed in 1774. The inner harbour, consisting of the current East and West Quays, was constructed from this time. An outer harbour was added in 1888, but seriously damaged in a blizzard in 1891. The outer walls were rebuilt by 1897. The harbour was given charitable trust status in 1988. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) stationed a lifeboat at Portmellon in 1869,
Size: 6632px × 4912px
Location: Mevagissey, Cornwall, UK
Photo credit: © Philip Chapman / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
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