Mevagissey, United Kingdom
Mevagissey is a town of 2,117 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Mevagissey
Townapedia lists 7 museums and landmarks, 19 parks and trails, 42 places to eat, 12 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Hemmick Beach, Vault Beach, Mevagissey Museum and Boddington’s Berries.
Weather in Mevagissey
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Mevagissey
Mevagissey (; Cornish: Lannvorek) is a village, fishing port and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is approximately five miles (8 km) south of St Austell. At the 2021 census the population of the parish was 2,160 and the population of the built up area was 1,749.
From the Wikipedia article Mevagissey (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Mevagissey on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Mevagissey
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Things to do4
Museums and landmarks7
WW2 D-Day Training Area for American Army & Navy
Monument and historic site · 1.1 mi
WW2 D-Day Training Site of American Field Hospital
Monument and historic site · 1.3 mi
Parks, trails and playgrounds19
7 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes42
Central Cafe
Cafe · Fish And Chips
2-4 Market Square, St Austell
Into the Woods
Bar and pub · 1.3 mi
West End, Pentewan
Mo-We 15:00-20:00; Th 15:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 15:00-23:00; Su 13:00-22:30
30 more on the map.
History
The first recorded mention of Mevagissey dates from 1313 (when it was known as Porthhilly), although there is evidence of settlement dating back to the Bronze Age.
The old name of the parish was Lamorrick, and it was part of the episcopal manor of Tregear. The church was dedicated to Saints Meva and Ida in 1259 by Bishop Bronescombe and in 1329 Sir Otho Bodrugan appropriated it to Glasney College. The Norman church was cruciform and some Norman work remains but the church was more or less rebuilt in the 15th century. In the Commonwealth period the tower became ruinous and the bells were taken down and sold to a Quaker of St Austell. According to tradition there has been a church on the same site since about 500 AD. Meva may well be the same as St Mewan and Issey is also the patron saint of St Issey.
Mevagissey is home to three holy wells. The Brass Well and Lady's Well are both situated in the manor of Treleaven, and the third is within the gardens of Mevagissey House, the old vicarage.
Read more of the history
Towards the end of the 17th century, Porthhilly merged with the hamlet of Lamoreck (or Lamorrick) to make the new village. It was renamed "Meva hag Ysi", after two saints; St Mevan/Mewan, a Welsh man and an Irish woman, St Issey or Ida/Ita, (hag is the Cornish word for "and"). There is no evidence for why this new name was adopted but it may have been due to the Church replacing a Cornish name with a Christian one. The modern Cornish name is Lannvorek, after the old parish name. At this time the main sources of income for the village were pilchard fishing and smuggling and the village had at least ten inns, of which the Fountain and the Ship still remain. In early modern times there was already a thriving pilchard industry; great numbers of the fish were caught, cured and exported to Italy, the West Indies and as Royal Navy provisions; the greatest annual catch being in 1724.
Andrew Pears, the founder of Pears' Soap was born in the village in 1768 and set up a barber's shop here until he moved to London in 1789.
Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes, were held in Mevagissey in the 1800s and 1900s.
A local legend relates that during the Napoleonic Wars a ship was wrecked with the loss of all on board; however a monkey who grabbed a spar came to land. The suspicious villagers had not seen such a creature before so decided to treat it as a French spy so it was duly hanged on the beach. (A more elaborate version has been found at Hartlepool whose inhabitants are colloquially known as monkey hangers.)
From the History section of Mevagissey on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Mevagissey
- Georgina CooksonBritish actress (1918-2011)
- Andrew PearsBritish barber and soap innovator
- John TremayneEnglish lawyer and politician
- Henry Rowe Hocking KennerCanadian teacher
Born in Mevagissey, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay12
Churches and places of worship5
Shopping20
Schools, colleges and libraries1
Healthcare1
Map of Mevagissey
111 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Cornwall Airport Newquay (NQY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 15 miles away.
- St Austell 5 mi north, about 8 min by car
- Saint Stephen 7 mi northwest, about 11 min by car
- Probus 7 mi west, about 12 min by car
- Portscatho 11 mi southwest, about 17 min by car
- Truro 12 mi west, about 19 min by car
- Polperro 13 mi east, about 20 min by car
- Bodmin 14 mi north, about 23 min by car
- Mylor Bridge 14 mi southwest, about 23 min by car
- Falmouth 15 mi southwest, about 24 min by car
- Newquay 16 mi northwest, about 25 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Mevagissey
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Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Mevagissey, Unknown author, Public domain
- Fire statrion from rear, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026, Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- Fire statrion, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026, Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- Valley Road Park, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026 (1), Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- Valley Road Park, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026 (2), Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- Play equipment, Valley Road Park, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026 (5), Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- Play equipment, Valley Road Park, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026 (6), Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- The Parish Church of St Peter, Mevagissey 05, Paul the Archivist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Parish Church of St Peter, Mevagissey 06, Paul the Archivist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Play equipment, Valley Road Park, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026 (1), Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- Play equipment, Valley Road Park, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026 (2), Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- Play equipment, Valley Road Park, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026 (4), Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- The Parish Church of St Peter, Mevagissey 03, Paul the Archivist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Parish Church of St Peter, Mevagissey 04, Paul the Archivist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Parish Church of St Peter, Mevagissey 02, Paul the Archivist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Parish Church of St Peter, Mevagissey 01, Paul the Archivist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sundial on the Church of St Peter, Mevagissey, Jowaninpensans, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Play equipment, Valley Road Park, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026 (3), Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- Play equipment and sports area, Valley Road Park, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026, Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- Hardcourt area, Valley Road Park, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026, Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- Skatepark, Valley Road Park, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026, Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- Shelters, Valley Road Park, Mevagissey, Cornwall - July 2026, Mutney, CC BY 4.0
- Mevagissey Museum (cropped to listed building), Paul the Archivist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Rising Sun Inn, Portmellon 01, Paul the Archivist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 5 Polkirt Hill, Mevagissey, Paul the Archivist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fountain Inn, Mevagissey 01, Paul the Archivist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lost Gardens of Heligan - Cornwall, England - DSC02746, Daderot, CC0
- Hemmick Beach near Boswinger, Geertivp, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, WaggyDog, CC BY-SA 4.0
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