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Towns and Villages in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
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Pentewan is a small village with an east facing wide sandy beach and a disused landlocked harbour.
400 yards of land now separate the harbour basin from the sea. The beach is private but can be accessed from the village. Kitesurfing and surfing are popular at Pentewan, the beach is popular for all surfing abilities.
Pentewan in History
Stone quarried in the area has been used for centuries in some of Cornwall's most famous houses and many of its churches.
An important harbour town for many centuries, during the 13th and 14th centuries Pentewan overshadowed Mevagissey in importance as a harbour. At this time it was famous for shipping stone from Polrudden Quarry.
In the 19th century Pentewan was a port for the shipping of Cornish china clay. Work on the present harbour began in 1818, the brainchild of Sir Christopher Hawkins, MP, businessman and local mine owner. Sir Christopher needed an outlet for shipping clay from his own mines. By 1826 the current harbour was finished. A trade of coal for the local mines and export of china clay ensued. Unfortunately, it was mining activities which brought about the downfall of Pentewan as a harbour. Silting caused by a build up of sand and possibly even clay would often leave the channel unnavigable for weeks on end, stranding ships in the basin. It struggled on into the 20th century but in the 1920s it saw its last shipment of china clay.
In 1829 a narrow guage railway was built between St Austell and Pentewan to more easily transport the china clay to the port but the railway was never extended inland to the china clay pits themselves and it too suffered from the effects of silting as sections of it would be washed away when a build up of sand caused the river to flood.
Today the course of the old railway has become a walking trail, the Pentewan Valley Trail, which extends from London Apprentice to Pentewan, a distance of about 4km. You can enjoy woodland and river views.
The name Pentewan is from the Cornish 'Pen' meaning 'end' and 'tewyn' 'sand dune' or 'sandy beach'. The name was in use as early as the 1300s. It is pronounced Pen-tuan.
Do you have information of a historic or community interest about Pentewan which you would like featured on this page please email us with your information.
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Places of interest in or around PentewanTowns, villages and other locations
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