Fowey - a port for all seasons PDF Print E-mail

Impressions of Fowey
Peter Stephens sits back and relaxes in one of his favourite Cornish ports. I'm not exactly sure what woke me up that night, but when I ran over to the window and looked out, the sight that met my eyes held me spell-bound. A huge china clay ship, illuminated from end to end and certainly the largest ship I had ever seen, was slowly making its way into Fowey harbour and partially blocking my view of Polruan on the other side of the estuary. I was about six years old at the time, but that early memory of Fowey stamped itself indelibly on my mind and has drawn me back to the place more times than I care to remember.

Peaceful, relaxing and beautiful, are all adjectives that could be used to describe this historic Cornish town that nestles at the mouth of the River Fowey, watched over by the village of Polruan on the far side of the estuary. Thanks presumably to strict planning controls, it still retains many of its original features and a walk along the Esplanade with its panoramic sea views takes the visitor past some beautiful examples of its Georgian and Victorian architecture, to the beautiful beach at Readymoney Cove. In the middle of town, stands the impressive St Finbarrus Church, with its tower reaching proudly above all the buildings around it. The original church was built by St Finn Barr when he passed through Fowey in the 6th century, while behind its successor, surrounded by a maze of narrow cobbled streets, is Place House, the home of the Treffry family for over 600 years.

Because of its historical infrastructure, there is very little if any, on-street parking in Fowey, but the town's car park facilities more than adequately make up for this fact. Nevertheless, while gravity makes the down-hill walk to the centre of town relatively easy, the return trip is considerably more demanding! Two ferries operate across the estuary, one taking pedestrians to Polruan from the centre of Fowey, while the other, a few hundred yards upstream, gives vehicles a means of crossing the river to and from Bodinnick.

The town's colourful history stretches back almost as far as that of man himself and after Iron Age tribes had stamped their mark on the area, the Romans arrived to take advantage of its ready made natural port. However, Fowey's proximity to the sea meant that during the first three or four centuries of the last millennium, it was regularly visited by foreigners whose intentions were often far from friendly and in 1380 and 1457 in particular, marauding Spanish and French pirates wreaked considerable damage on the town. In an attempt to keep unwanted visitors out, two blockhouses were constructed at the mouth of the estuary in 1380 and a chain strung between them as a barrier to ships. The remains of these medieval buildings are still visible today and the one at Polruan is easy to spot from Fowey.

When Henry VIII came to the throne, the international situation was uncertain enough for him to feel that Fowey was still in need of protection, so a castle was constructed on St Catherines's Point at the mouth of the estuary, near the site of an old medieval chapel. Today, the remains of this Tudor fortification, which are beautifully illuminated after dark, can be reached via steps from the beach at Readymoney Cove.

Even after defeat of the Spanish Armada, Fowey still found itself involved in military conflict and fell into the hands of the Parliamentarian forces of the Earl of Essex, during the English Civil War. This occupation was relatively short lived though and after the Parliamentary army was defeated by the Royalists at Restormel Castle, Essex and the Cornish dignitary Lord John Robartes fled the scene and having embarked at Fowey, escaped by ship to Plymouth.

Over the next 300 years, Fowey settled down to a quieter existence apart from some involvement in the smuggling trade during the 18th and early 19th century and by the beginning of the 20th century, its idyllic setting was acting as a magnet to writers looking for peace and inspiration. When the Cornish author Sir Arthur Quiller Couch moved back to Cornwall from London in 1891, he settled in Fowey which was to become the inspiration for his novel Troy Town. Kenneth Grahame's classic The Wind in the Willows also has its roots in the town, because it was a trip up the River Fowey during his honeymoon that is said to have given the author part of the idea for the book. Yet it was Daphne du Maurier who was to become the town's most famous resident writer and she moved to the area in the 1920s and lived in the house that her parents had bought as a holiday home, beside the Bodinnick ferry.

Fowey is rightly proud of its cultural past and the Daphne du Maurier Literary Centre, situated in South Street, is always popular with visitors keen to learn more about the town's famous authors. The annual Daphne du Maurier Festival of Arts and Literature has also become a popular event and having just celebrated its 8th year, continues to draw crowds from far and wide. Despite its undoubted literary heritage, it was the discovery of china clay in Cornwall during the late 18th century that was to have the biggest economic effect on Fowey and establish it as the important port that it is today. It even attracted the German Luftwaffe, who during a raid on 19th July 1940, managed to destroy the school at Polruan and create an extra bunker on the golf links near Readymoney Cove.

Today, unlike some Cornish resorts, Fowey is very much a two headed coin and has to balance the world-wide business and commerce generated by its busy port facility with an ever increasing tourist trade. One person who knows both sides of that coin better than most is Alison Zutshi. She worked for several years as the European Logistics Manager for English China Clay, but made a major career change in 2001 and today owns the popular Toll Bar Restaurant in Lostwithiel Street, with its spectacular harbour terrace.

“When I was with English China Clay, I spent a lot of time dealing with its shipping facilities in the ports of Fowey and Par,” she told me. “The trouble was that I got to like Fowey and its lifestyle so much that I decided I wanted to live there!”

When Alison was offered the chance of taking redundancy in 2001, she jumped at the opportunity and began an intensive, six months gourmet catering course at Pru Leith's establishment in London. Having gained her qualification, she then worked for a number of restaurants and catering establishments in Cornwall to broaden her experience, before joining the ranks of restaurant owners in Fowey and buying the Toll Bar in January 2005.

“The number of restaurants in Fowey is increasing. If you include places where you can buy a Cornish pasty, there's something like 35 eating establishments in the town at the moment,” Alison added with a grin.

Fowey is clearly trying hard to meet the requirements of an increasing number of tourists who now consider it more than just a place to go in the summer and while its plethora of interesting shops and galleries are guaranteed to please most visitors, the town takes nothing for granted. Belinda Raymond, who works for the letting agents Estuary Cottages, knows how the resort is constantly striving to improve its image and feels that events like last year's Food Festival and Christmas Fair are steps in the right direction. Liz and Julian Davies run the Cry of the Gulls gallery in Webb Street and Liz thinks that Fowey is fast becoming a centre for artists.

“At one time, people interested in art automatically went to St Ives,” she explained. “But now more and more of them are coming here and visiting the galleries in Fowey.”

Inevitably, its the sea that probably brings more people to Fowey than any thing else and with the town's long affiliation with yachting and the presence of the Royal Fowey Yacht Club, the spectacular Fowey Royal Regatta remains the town's premier annual event. Held during the third week in August, the regatta and the accompanying town carnival attract the crowds in their thousands and over the week, the harbour is jammed with some 2,500 visiting yachts. Nevertheless, the regatta is just one of many maritime spectacles in Fowey and as I mentioned earlier, the daily arrival and departure of huge china clay ships provides a free spectacle that few forget.

One thing that has happened in Fowey over the last few years and looked like it might have a beneficial effect on the town's economy, has been the arrival of a number of visiting cruise liners. Initially it was hoped that this would become a regular occurrence and some local businesses even started accepting American dollars in anticipation of the increase in trade. Sadly, the number of ships involved has been well below what had been hoped for and most of the passengers that have disembarked, have gone on to visit local attractions like the Eden Project, rather than spending time and money in Fowey itself.

Over the last few years, gig racing has become an increasingly popular sport and one in which Fowey is now heavily involved in. The Fowey Gig Club was born after a conversation in 1989, between two local rowing enthusiasts Maurice Hunkin and Belinda Fuge and for their first season, its members were forced to borrow a gig from the neighbouring club at Newquay. During that time, Maurice Hunkin covered many miles, collecting and returning the boat after events, but after a period of intensive fund raising, the Fowey Club finally bought its first gig, the Rival, in 1990. In 1996, thanks to a generous donation, the club acquired its second gig, the Gallant, and since then, its super-fit crews have gone from strength to strength. Today, the Fowey Gig Club has some 70 enthusiastic members and three gigs, including the latest edition, the Lantic, which was launched in 2003.

For the less energetic, there are several other ways of venturing onto the water at Fowey, including the opportunity to hire motor boats and canoes, or for the ardent land-lubbers among us and I include myself in that category, organised trips up the river in a quaint steam powered launch. Even a trip across to Polruan on the pedestrian ferry, provides a never-to-be-forgotten view of Fowey and a chance to easily identify the main landmarks of this time-capsule of Cornwall's past.

At a time when scientists are no doubt working on ways of increasing the number of hours in a day, it's nice to know that bench marks of sanity like Fowey still exist. Even so, while thankfully still devoid of fast food franchises and slot machine arcades, the town has managed to make the essentials concessions to the 21st century without outwardly appearing to have done so. A relaxing walk along the Esplanade, followed by an afternoon spent on the beach at Readymoney Cove is guaranteed to sooth all but the most fevered brow and while a meal at one of Fowey's restaurants might inevitably raise cholesterol levels, its other beneficial effects will soon become obvious.

Anyone looking for the bright lights and an exciting night-life will probably be disappointed with Fowey, but for those like me who yearn for a way of life that's rapidly becoming intangible, the place really is a veritable Shangri La!
 
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