The Warehouse
Dating from 1814, this large granite building has three floors, each with a central loading door for hoisting produce and products on and off waiting vessels. At 56 feet by 25 feet, it’s a vast space. Many trades sprang up around the harbour when it was flourishing and several of the buildings here were multi-functional. The building has stored a variety of cargoes throughout the decades. In 1817, 59 casks of port were rescued from the wreck of London brig The Resolution and custom’s officers impounded the casks here.
Many trades sprang up around the harbour when it was flourishing and several of the buildings here were multi-functional, as were the local population who would have had overlapping and seasonal occupations in common with the men and women of most maritime environments. As well as fishermen you’d find coopers, net, rope and crab-pot makers, blacksmiths, carters, cobblers (kept busy with the fishermen’s long leather boots), shop-keepers, knitters of ganseys (the sweaters worn by the fishermen – also known as guernseys), coal merchants, sawyers and boat makers, fish hawkers, huers (who looked out for pilchard shoals), coastguards, customs men and more.
Perhaps surprisingly, imports were more significant than exports in Porthleven and ships rarely achieved the ideal of an equal load, often having to sail out under ballast. Coal, one of the biggest imports, was brought in during the summer months at a rate of up to 10,000 tonnes a year until the 1950s. The precious load was stored in two coal yards, one behind what are now the public toilets on Shute Lane and the other at St Elvan’s courtyard (now home to luxury holiday flats!) Before a steam crane was installed in 1907 (scrapped in 1959, it stood where the tables outside the Harbour Inn now sit), men would have hauled the great loads in baskets and barrows. Exports included fish, silver lead and copper ore from local mines and china clay from Tregonning Hill.
Porthleven has always had a draw for artists and painters and this huge granite building now houses large studio spaces for several professional artists. Open days are sometimes held during Cornwall’s Open Studios in May/June and at Porthleven’s Annual Food Festival in April. The large 17th century anchor leaning against the building was brought up from the seabed and placed here by two local fishermen in 1977.