Small Harbours, Big Stories: Porthoustock, Stone and Lifeboat Courage

Small Harbours, Big Stories - Part 3 of 4

Porthoustock, on the eastern side of the Lizard near St Keverne, offers a different view of Cornish maritime life. Alongside small boats and a shingle shore, substantial industrial structures hint at a harbour shaped by stone as well as fishing.

Stone sent out by sea

Quarrying and the shipment of stone developed here in the 1890s. The jetty and the imposing concrete structure beside the beach give the cove a distinctive outline. They are clues to the practical purpose of this coast: a place where material could move from land to ship.

Look at the shore with that trade in mind. The size of the structures makes more sense when you imagine the harbour as part of a transport system. Cornwall's coastal heritage includes these places of loading, industry and hard work, as well as the fishing scenes that usually fill postcards.

The night the Charlotte went out

The harbour also has a moving lifeboat story. In October 1898, the steamship Mohegan struck the Manacles. The RNLI's contemporary account describes the coxswain of Porthoustock's lifeboat Charlotte spotting a light in a dangerous position and calling out his crew.

In heavy seas, they found survivors, brought people ashore and returned to the wreck. The account credits the lifeboat with saving 44 lives. Coxswain James Hill received the RNLI's Silver Medal. Reading that record before a visit changes the way you see this apparently modest landing place: it was the starting point for extraordinary courage.

Porthoustock suits a day exploring the Lizard from St Ives Bay. Spend time looking at the contrast between the boats, beach and industrial remains. Observe signs and boundaries around working areas, and view the heritage from public access points.

This is a harbour with two powerful stories: stone leaving Cornwall by sea, and a small community going out to bring strangers safely home.

Sources: Visit Cornwall: Porthoustock; RNLI archive: The S.S. Mohegan.

Explore Small Harbours, Big Stories

Penberth • Portloe • Porthoustock • Port Quin

Make your self-catering stay in St Ives Bay a base for discovering Cornwall's smaller coastal communities.

Photo: Nilfanion / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph taken in 2011; resized for web. The photograph remains available under the same licence.