Port Isaac, North Cornwall

Port Isaac, North Cornwall.

Eight miles north of Wadebridge.

Port Isaac developed in medieval times. It was once known as Porthissick, which probably means 'corn port', although from the beginning it was mainly a fishing port.

The present piers date from the 1930s, but the remains of one built in the reign of Henry VIII can still be seen. A plethora of fish cellars and houses followed its buildings and the village flourished with the pilchard fishing industry. During this time Delabole slate was first exported from the port - mainly to France and Belgium. The slate trade continued until the 19th century, when ships of 50 to 80 tons were plying a more local coastal trade. This was lost to the railways in the 1890s, which fortunately brought the tourist trade to replace it.

The fishing industry declined from about 1820, when herring shoals began to decrease in size. In 1850 there were about 50 fishing boats, each bringing in 200-300 fish at a time. These were sorted in four fish cellars. Fish were sold locally or sent to Billingsgate and pilchard oil sold to Italy. Herrings were smoked in kipper lofts, but there were few by the 1870s, when railways made it possible to substitute fresh mackerel and shellfish by reaching markets more rapidly.

There were boat building yards on both sides of the harbour. The population grew during the 19th century and a school was built in 1804 and a church in 1889. This was a chapel of ease to save the villagers the two mile walk up Church Hill to the parish church at St Endellion, until Port Isaac became a parish in 1913. John Wesley visited several times between 1748 and 1789. He had a rough reception at first, partly because of his views against smuggling, but Methodism gained great popularity and Methodist and Wesleyan chapels still exist.

Despite tourism and many new houses at the top of the hill, down in the old part of the village the character has changed little since Wesley's time. Cottages, whitewashed or slate-hung and roofed with pale grey Delabole slate are separated by 'opes, drangs and courts'. They cluster around the small harbour and mill stream which threads through and under them.

Middle Street.

Wesley House stands at the top of the street. Early Methodist meetings were held at ,church houses'. The owner of the first house barred Wesley from it, lest it be attacked by villagers. The first Wesley chapel was built near here in 1750. A window in the shed of No.31 opposite may have come from this. Down the street is Pump Cottage, with its housed pump in use for drinking water until recently. Further down is The Bakehouse, one of two operating in the 19th century with large cloam (clay-lined) ovens where housewives brought their meals to be baked.

Roscarrock Hill.

'Northcliff' stands on the site of the former carpenter's yard for boat repair. In an exposed position at the top of the street, its roof timbers are tied to the foundations with an anchor chain. Below this 'Halwyn' stands on the site of the main boatyard whose last boat, Bessy Jane, was built in 1850. The yard was converted to a house after the First World War.

The Platt.

This is the centre of the village where boats were hauled up, fish landed, lobster pots stored and markets held. The Market House incorporates 15th-century corner stones of Lundy granite. The Wheelhouse is an old meeting house with galley inside. Opposite, the fish cellars are still used for storing and processing fish and to house the inshore lifeboat. They were built for curing herrings and salting pilchards, which were pressed in barrels to extract the oil. This was done by levering down the lids with poles using holes in the cellar walls as anchor points, the lids as pivots and boulders from the beach as weights. One weight has been built into the wall below Port Isaac Stores. To the east of the harbour old fishermens' 'linneys' or stores lean against the 'Pentus', a wall supporting Fore Street above.

Dolphin Street.

The street took its name from the Dolphin Inn now a private house. Opposite this is Trevan House, named after a Doctor Trevan, who owned it in the 19th century and probably built Bark House, which partly blocks it, and Vesta Cottage next door. Bark House was the Doctor's coach house and surgery, later converted for' barking' fishing nets - preserving them in a hot solution of oak bark.

'Squeeze-ee-belly-alley'

Further up is Temple Bar, an alley under Temple Cottage commonly known as 'Squeeze-ee-belly-alley'. At an average width of 18 inches, it is claimed to be Britain's narrowest thoroughfare.

Fore Street.

The post office is in what was the lifeboat house from 1869 to 1927. The boat was guided down the narrow street on a carriage held back by many men with ropes. Corners of buildings were cut away to help it round the bend in the street and the wall of the newsagents was scored by the ropes. Cliff Cottage was built in 1868 with ships timbers.

Port Gaverne

In the 19th century slates came by oxcart from Delabole along the 5-mile Great Slate Road. Women loaded them into sailing boats, which brought in coal and lime for the limekiln which can still be seen. It was a boat-building centre and busy pilchard fishing port with four cellars. The Rashleigh cellar is preserved by the National Trust. The cottage named Chimneys, backing on to the stream, was where the fish were salted.

Port Isaac Mill

Now just a farm, this was a corn mill and bakery in the 19th century. The owner had a shop in Middle Street, to which he carried his produce by donkey.

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