Welcome to the Cornwall Tourism Magazine - Towns in Cornwall page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cornwall - Towns, Cities and villages.

 

Being on the very southern end of England and with its long, thin shape and over 365 miles of coastline, Cornwall has a very long and historic association with the sea and this is reflected in the number of major towns and villages dotted all along the coast. However, Cornwall's mineral wealth and related mining history has also changed the landscape over the last three centuries and significant demographical changes came about through mining, both Tin and other minerals, which created a number of towns and villages in the inland areas to accommodate the various workers. You can read more about this on the Cornish Mining World Heritage page accessed on this link.

 

Historical evidence.

 

You will see many industrial related landmarks throughout Cornwall, from old mine workings through to Victorian railway viaducts as well as old ports and harbour's that show Cornwall's historical importance as a trading centre over many centuries. Most of the towns and villages date back at least three hundreds year and you can see this in their layout and the manes of the street. Incidentally, you will find that many towns and villages ( over 70 in fact ) have a street called Fore Street. This is the Cornish equivalent of the High Street and also used in other counties in the South West, but Cornwall has the largest usage of the term. Although not an hard and fast rule, the term Fore Street usually indicates a town or village that has been in existence for at least 300 years.

 

Coastal towns and villages.

 

With over 365 miles of coastline, Cornwall has had a thriving import and export sector for many centuries. In actual fact, Cornwall's recognition as an important trading centre goes back over 3500 years as our Tin and Copper was exported across the sea to northern Europe during the Bronze Age from about 1800 BC, although this did decline in the Iron Age and subsequent years. Most of the costal communities and harbour's that we see today grew as a result of the fishing industry which gained prominence from around the time of King John ( of Magna Charter fame ) and continued to grow up until recent times. Many of the larger coastal towns were also major ports and evidence of this can be seen around them,although these days many have also become marina's for modern sailing boats, etc such as Falmouth for example, as their uses have changed.

 

Fishing villages and harbour's.

 

The quaintest villages are by far the old fishing ports and harbours and there are many examples of them such as Newquay, Port Isaac, Mullion, Boscastle and many others. Most of them still have their stone built harbour walls which protect them from the stormy seas in the winter and most have old houses that date back to the 17th and 18th centuries and beyond. In fact some, like Port Isaac, have barely changed over the centuries and they all have small, narrow streets and passage ways and they all have a pub on the harbour area so they are all worth a visit.

 

Towns in Cornwall - by map.

 

Please use the map to locate the town of your choice and click on the appropriate icon and link which will take you to the relevant towns page where you can find out about its history, what to do and see there, local villages, images and other interesting items and facts. Alternatively, you can use the manual selection section below where we have alphabetically listed most of the major towns in Cornwall in their appropriate region. To use it, just click on a Town name button and the link will take you to its relevant page.

 

Using the map.

 

To locate a town, please put your curser on the map face, left click your mouse and then use it to move a scroll around the map. The towns will all have a small white balloon icon so when you wish to view a town page, left click on the towns icon, and then click on the link that will appear with the towns name on it. You will then be taken to the towns relevant page. You will find the map on all town pages so if you want to look up another town, just locate it on the map and click on the appropriate icon as described here.

 

Map of Cornwall - Click on the balloon icon link to a town and click on the link when it opens.

 

 

 

Towns in Cornwall - by region.

 

Below we have alphabetically listed most of the major towns in Cornwall in their appropriate region. Just click on a Town name button to go to its relevant page where you can find out about its history, what to do and see there, local villages, images and other interesting items and facts. Alternatively, you can use the map below and click on the appropriate icon on the map which will take you to the towns page.