The building of Newlyn Harbour.

Inspiration to develop Newlyn Harbour came from a number of people whose interests ranged between concern for the well-being of fishermen to commercial interest concerned with the landing and sale of fish. The vicars at St Peter's Church, best represented by the Rev Wladislaw Lach-Szyrma motivated by humanitarian concerns played a key role in the initial fight for the harbour while commercial interests perhaps represented best by the entrepreneur and land owner Thomas Bedford Bolitho continued the impetus. The photograph above shows a proud Thomas Bedford Bolitho in top hat surrounded by other dignitaries at the opening of the North pier on July 3rd 1894. 1894.

This Open Day covers the full development of Newlyn Harbour from the election of its first harbour commissioners in 1884 to the present time. It spans the building of the South and North Piers, the erection of two fish markets in 1908 and 1988 and the building of the Mary Williams Pier. It highlights the Newlyn Riots and their aftermath when for nine years from 1897-1906, the management of the harbour was taken over by the Public Works Loan Board. 

From 1906, when the harbour was returned to its elected commissioners and was becoming more prosperous, there were considerable developments in its infrastructure with a new trawl fish quay, a coastguard boathouse, new harbour offices, new market facilities and RR Bath's new ice house where Newlyn made its own ice for the first time. Alongside this, the fishing fleet was becoming larger with foreign boats using harbour facilities alongside the growing fleet of Newlyn boats, the most prominent of which, was the post WW2  c Stevenson fleet.

Hopefully, the exhibition pinpoints some of the key figures along the way, including the harbour masters, William Oats Strick in 1886, to our present Rob Parsons. But we rely on our visitors to add to the growing dossier of information we have amassed about Newlyn Harbour.

All over Newlyn, hanging on walls, stashed away in cupboards or loft spaces there must be all kinds of documents and relics form Newlyn's past - like this mooring plan of the harbour...

drawn up in 1912 ...

by local surveyor B**** Maddern (maybe someone can idenify the man?)...

- not sure what or why the hulks are there - maybe used as gear stores or places to work from.
The Open Day 'The Building of Newlyn Harbour' is at Trinity Centre, Chywoone Hill, Newlyn on April 2016, from 10am until 3pm - come alomg and ask more questions, bring your own photos, documents or relics to be identifed or even provide some answers!