Town TRAIL
Historic Penzance Town Trail
Penzance started as a small fishing village in the lee of Pensans, the Holy Head, where St Mary’s Church now stands. In 1595 a small force of Spanish soldiers landed from four galleys near to Mousehole. They set fire to Mousehole and then moved towards Penzance, driving back a hastily gathered force of local defenders. Having burned and looted Penzance they returned to their ships before reinforcements were mustered and English naval ships reached Mount’s Bay.
In 1614 Penzance received a Charter from King James I to become a Borough, and started to prosper. Penzance became a ‘Coinage Town’ where locally produced tin had to be assayed before it could be sold, and shipped from the port. For many years pilchards caught in Mount’s Bay, salted in Newlyn, were exported from Penzance mainly to the Mediterranean.
In 1859 Penzance was connected by rail to the rest of the country and became a ‘watering place’ (a holiday resort) noted for its mild climate. Also perishable produce such as locally caught fish, early flowers and potatoes could be speedily transported to major markets within a day.
Penzance still flourishes as a tourist destination and departure point for the Isles of Scilly.
Allow one hour for this short trail that will take you to some of the historic sites in the town and harbour, and past many independent traders that flourish in the town.
Penzance Railway Station was built in 1852 for a train service to Truro, and in 1859 the line from Paddington to Penzance was completed. The station was rebuilt in 1880 and again 1983. The murals inside the station of local scenes are by Kurt Jackson, a renowned local artist.
Cross the road towards the Sullivan’s Diner and continue along Wharf Road by the side of the car park, cross the road at the pedestrian crossing (Wharfside).
Continue to the Old Lifeboat House (now a café) built in 1885 for Penzance’s second lifeboat, Dora.
Continue along the road with the Abbey Basin and Abbey Slip to your right,
to your left you can see St Michael’s Mount between the Albert and South Piers.
Walk over Ross Bridge, that gives ships access to the Dry Dock, pass the old Customs House and the Trinity House Depot that serviced lighthouses and lightships around the coast, to the Dolphin Tavern.
The Dolphin Tavern is the Penzance pub with the best legends – including the first place where tobacco was smoked in Britain, and three ghosts.
By the 1780s, it was one of the harbour’s main commercial sites and a meeting place for prosperous local traders who had sideline interests in smuggling, with net-lofts, cellars, warehouses and a secret room in the roof, and a hidden cupboard found in the 20th century, full of old barrels.
Boats could be drawn up just below the pub until a protective sea wall was built and in 1853-5 the South Pier extended to its current length, and the Lighthouse built. The ferry to the Isles of Scilly sails from here.
Cross the road, carefully, to the high sea wall, turn right and continue towards the obelisk, the memorial to those killed the First World War 1914-1918, built on the old
Battery of 1739
Battery Rocks
In 1739 Penzance Corporation asked the government for “some great guns” to protect the town and harbour from possible attack by the Spanish, but they had to pay for the battery to be built and the maintenance of the guns. The guns were only ever fired as salutes for Royal Birthdays and state occasions.
Swimming in the sea from Battery Rocks just behind the Jubilee Pool has been popular for many years. In 1887, to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, the Town paid for a concrete footpath to improve access to the bathing place and a diving board was erected.
Return to the road and the Jubilee Pool.
The Jubilee Pool & St Anthony Gardens
The Jubilee (Bathing) Pool opened in 1935 is the UK’s largest Art Deco seawater lido. It is filled at high tide with sea water and is usually a couple of degrees warmer than the surrounding seawater.
The new small geothermal pool was opened in 2020, the first of its kind in the UK, the water being thermally heated to 28-30oC .
The site opposite, St Anthony Gardens, has recently been remodelled as part of the Coinagehall Street redevelopment. Opened in 1933, a year before work started on the Jubilee Pool. The large granite fountain, made from a single slab of granite in once stood in front of St John’s Hall until it was moved here in 1933.
Walk up the road next to the curvaceous Art Deco Yacht Inn, through the archway,
up the steps to St Mary’s Church.
Or from here you can continue to walk along the recently refurbished Promenade to Newlyn, 1 mile, with fine views over Mounts Bay.
St Mary’s Church
St Mary’s Church was built in 1836 on the site of the old Chapel of Ease, and was almost destroyed by fire in 1985. Its tower is a landmark at sea and inland.
In the graveyard are two granite ‘stones.’ The old, weathered stone ‘cross’ thought to be from the old chapel of St Anthony, was found in an old fish cellar and set up here in 1850. The other granite object is the top of the spire of the old St Mary’s Chapel demolished in 1832. In the NW corner of the churchyard is a burial pit dating from the cholera outbreak of 1832.
Leave by the gate by the church entrance and turn left into Chapel Street.
Chapel Street was once known as Our Lady Street, but later became Chapel Street. It is the main street linking the harbour to the centre of Penzance.
Many of the building were set on fire when the Spanish soldiers ‘invaded’ in 1595. On the left, the red brick house is where the Branwell family lived, including Maria the mother of the Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, and brother Bramwell.
The Admiral Benbow tavern with an armed smuggler on the roof. The interior is furnished with artefacts salvaged from old shipwrecks. Further up is the Turk’s Head, one of the oldest buildings in Penzance.
The Methodist Chapel is one of the largest in Cornwall, built in 1814, enlarged in 1864 with seating for 1,400.
The Union Hotel is one of Penzance’s oldest buildings, first recorded as The Ship and Castle in 1787. In its time it boasted stables, cock pit, Assembly Room, and a theatre. Legend has it that the news of Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar and his death, was first announced here in the Assembly Room, in October 1805.
Opposite is the Egyptian House, constructed in 1835 for John Lavin the mineralogist. The façade inspired by the fashionable interest in Egypt after Napoleon’s campaigns in Egypt.
Walk all the way up Chapel Street towards the Market House, with its large dome; then turn left into The Greenmarket. You will return to the Market House later in the tour.
The Green Market where the Market Cross once stood, and the weekly market was held. The livestock market was moved in 1811 to the edge of town at the top of Causewayhead (paved or ‘caunsed’ street), and the market area became the place for vegetables stalls …the Green Market
At the bottom of Causewayhead, next to the bank, once stood a public water shoot supplied with water from Madron Well via the reservoir at the top of the hill.
The grand building opposite with the red and cream terracotta was built in 1905 for The Public Benefit Boot Company.
Venture up Causewayhead with many independent businesses and the Savoy Cinema opened in 1912, the longest running cinema in the country, formerly a Victorian music hall.
Then return to the Greenmarket, turn right along Alverton Road to St John’s Hall.
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Garden Loop- allow another hour to visit the Gardens.
To visit Penlee Gardens, Art Gallery & Museum, and the Morrab Sub-tropical Gardens
turn left at the traffic lights just before getting to St John’s Hall.
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St John’s Hall, faced with local Lamorna granite, was opened in 1867, then known as the Public Building.
The three wings once housed the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, founded in 1814; St John’s Hall, the large hall for public meetings; and the Guildhall and offices for the Town Council.
The whole building was extensively renovated in 2015 and now houses local government offices, the Registry Office and Public Library.
Retrace your steps and return to the Green Market. Walk down the side of the imposing domed Market House which is currently being renovated.
Market House & Sir Humphry Davy’s Statue
The impressive Market House opened in 1838, to replace one that had stood on the site since 1592. The east end of the building once contained the Guildhall and above that was the Boy’s Grammar School. The upper storey was used as the Corn Exchange and later a theatre.
In 1925 Lloyd’s Bank leased the western end, which was shortened and the corners rounded when the banking hall was constructed. The bank closed in 2026.
Sir Humphry Davy was born in Penzance, invented the miner’s safety lamp, discovered 7 new elements and laughing gas. He died in Geneva in 1829. The statue, unveiled in 1872, shows him holding a ‘safety lamp’.
Market Jew Street (from Marghas Yow –Thursday market) is the main shopping street with many local independent shops and cafes. The raised terrace is paved with granite – note the patterns on the stones to reduce the risk of slipping when wet.
Continue to the bottom of Market Jew Street turn right back to the Station.
Garden Loop -Penlee House Gallery & Gardens, The Morrab Sub-Tropical Gardens & Library
Having turned left at the traffic lights walk for 100 yards, cross the road and walk down the path next to the Penzance Art School building into Penlee Park,
turn left by the café. Then take time to explore the gardens and visit Penlee gallery.
Penlee House was built in the 1860’s for the Bramwell family who lived in it for 80 years before it was purchased in 1946 by Penzance Town Council as a memorial for those lost in World War II.
The house is now occupied by the Penlee Art Gallery & Museum, with its renowned collection of works of art by the Newlyn School of Artists.
Also in Penlee Park there is the Memorial Garden and the Open Air Theatre. The old Market Cross, that once stood in the Green Market, is now outside Penlee House.
Turn left to leave the gardens, cross Morrab Rd at the crossing & walk along the alley to Morrab Place, then turn right to Morrab Sub-tropical Gardens
Morrab House was built in 1841 by a wealthy brewer, Samuel Pidwell.
The three-acre site -once a market garden- was bought by Penzance Corporation in 1887 to mark Quenn Victoria’s Golden Jubilee and laid out as a public garden complete with ponds and a bandstand. In the garden you will find a collection of many sub-tropical plants from all around the world.
The large house is home to The Morrab Library (founded in 1818) one of the few surviving subscription libraries in the country, with a collection of rare books and a photographic archive; visitors always welcomed. The Gardeners House, recently restored, celebrates the local landscape and stories.
Walk around the gardens & leave by side gate into St Mary’s Terrace, turn left,
or retrace your steps to Prince’s Street, turn right towards Chapel Street,
past The Acorn, the local Arts & Music venue.
Turn left by the Co-op, to the Market House, turn right towards the Humphry Davy statue
Walk down to the bottom of Market Jew Street, turn right back to the Station.
This short guide to the historic centre of Penzance was prepared as part of the Centenary celebrations of the Penzance Old Cornwall Society founded in 1926.