About Fowey

The Domesday Book survey at the end of the eleventh century records manors at Penventinue and Trenant, and a priory was soon established nearby at Tywardreath. Circa 1300 the prior granted a charter to people living in Fowey itself. This medieval town ran from a north gate near Boddinick Passage to a south gate at what is now Lostwithiel Street; the town extended a little way up the hillside and was bounded on the other side by the river where merchants had their houses backing onto the waterfront. The natural harbour allowed trade to develop with Europe and local ship owners often hired their vessels to the king to support various wars, although Fowey has also developed a reputation for piracy, as did many others at this time. In the fourteenth century Fowey harbour was defended by 160 archers; after these were withdrawn, two blockhouses were built on either side of the harbour entrance. Despite these defences Fowey was attacked by French forces in 1457. A small castle was built on St Catherine’s Point, the western side of the harbour entrance, around 1540. The defences proved their worth when the townsfolk of Fowey beat off a Dutch attack in 1667.

The people of Fowey generally sided with the Royalists during the English Civil War, but in 1644 the Earl of Essex brought a Parliamentarian army to Lostwithiel and occupied the peninsula around Fowey. In August a Royalist army surrounded Essex’s troops and King Charles I himself viewed Fowey from Hall Walk above Polruan, where he came close to being killed by a musket shot. On 31 August the Parliamentarian cavalry forced their way through the Royalist lines and retreated towards Saltash, leaving the foot soldiers to be evacuated by sea from Fowey. Essex and some officers did indeed escape, but the majority of the force surrendered a few days later near Golant and were then marched to Poole, but most died before reaching there.

The fortunes of Foweyharbour became much reduced, with trade going to Plymouth and elsewhere instead. Fishing became more important, but local merchants were often appointed as privateers and did some smuggling on the side. Tin, copper and iron mines, along with quarries and china clay pits became important industries in the area which lead to improvements at rival harbours. West Polmear beach was dug out to become Charlestown harbour circa 1800, as was Pentewan in 1826. Joseph Austen shipped copper from Caffa Mill Pill above Fowey for a while before starting work on the new Par harbour in 1829. Fowey had to wait another forty years before it saw equivalent development, but its natural deep-water anchorage and a rail link soon gave it an advantage over the shallow artificial harbours nearer to the mines and china clay works. Meanwhile, a beacon tower was erected on the Gribben Head by Trinity House to improve navigation into Fowey and around Par bay.

The Fowey Harbour Commissioners were established by an Act of Parliament in 1869 to develop and improve Fowey harbour. On 1 June in that year the 7 ft 01⁄4 in (2,140 mm) broad gauge Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway was opened to new jetties situated above Carne Point, and in 1873 the 4 ft 81⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Cornwall Minerals Railway (CMR) opened a line from Newquay and Par to further jetties between Caffa Mill Pill and Carne Point. Both of these railways initially carried just goods, but on 20 June 1876 a passenger station was opened on the CMR on land reclaimed from Caffa Mill Pill. The Lostwithiel line closed at the end of 1879 but was reopened by the CMR as a standard gauge line in 1895, and the short gap between the two lines at Carne Point was eliminated. Passenger trains from Par were withdrawn after 1934 and from Lostwithiel in 1965. The Par line was subsequently converted to a dedicated roadway for lorries bringing china clay from Par after which all trains had to run via Lostwithiel.

Fowey has been the inspiration for many authors including Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch ('Q'), Daphne du Maurier and Kenneth Grahame. Fowey was Q's main residence from 1892 onwards and a number of his stories are set in Fowey 'Troy Town', a thinly-disguised Fowey. The Daphne du Maurier Festival is held in Fowey each May, the month of her birth.

The Fowey regatta is held in the third week of August every year and there is a Christmas Market each year held over the first weekend in December. The main market is located on the Fowey Town Quay, with other events in and around the town itself. The Fowey Fringe Festival started in 2007. This is an acoustic musical festival that takes place in the pubs, restaurants, sailing clubs and streets in the town during the Du Maurier Festival. Being situated in close proximity to the Sawmill Studios in Golant, Fowey often plays host to many musicians.

The surrounding coastline of Fowey is popular with fishermen and spear-fishermen. Many sea creatures can be seen all around the Cornish shoreline, including mullet, bass, mackerel, lobsters and cuttlefish. Many of the species can be seen in the Fowey Aquarium in the heart of the town, which includes a very rare Albino Bull Huss. The seafood served in many of Fowey's restaurants comes from the Fowey estuary, or the sea just outside it. The Royal Fowey Yacht Club is based on the harbour front. A Pilot Gig Rowing Club that races in and around Cornwall, with an event at Fowey being held the same week as the FoweyRegatta. The club launches from Caffa Mill slip.