Mevagissey

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About Mevagissey

Mevagissey is a working fishing village on Cornwall's south coast built around a distinctive double harbour, where a narrow entrance leads into inner and outer basins. It retains one of the largest fishing fleets in Cornwall, landing mainly crab, lobster and cuttlefish, with tight ranks of slate-hung cottages clustered above the quays.

The story of Mevagissey

The village takes its name from two Cornish saints, Meva and Issek, and grew around the medieval parish church dedicated to them, with the earliest stone harbour built around 1430. The pilchard seine fishery drove Mevagissey's prosperity, and in the 19th century it was one of the busiest pilchard ports in Cornwall, exporting salted fish to Italy and the Mediterranean. The inner harbour was constructed in 1774 and the outer pier added in 1888, giving the double-harbour shape seen today, while the Mevagissey Museum in the old dock building preserves the village's fishing past. Mevagissey Feast Week, held each late June, is one of Cornwall's longest-running traditional festivals.

Visiting with care

Park in the upper car parks and walk down to the harbour, where you can watch boats land their catch and buy fresh fish from the quayside. Time a late-June visit for Mevagissey Feast Week, with its music, dancing and carnival procession.

Interesting facts

• Mevagissey is named after the saints Meva and Issek, to whom its medieval parish church is dedicated.
• The inner harbour was built in 1774 and the outer pier added in 1888, forming the double harbour.
• The village retains one of the largest working fishing fleets in Cornwall.
• Mevagissey Feast Week, held each late June, is among Cornwall's longest-running traditional festivals.