Port Isaac - History

History

Port

The Port Isaac pier was constructed during the reign of Henry VIII. "...Tudor pier and breakwater have now yielded to a strong new sea-wall balanced by an arm on the opposite side of the cove, and we do not doubt that the fishermen sleep more soundly in their beds on stormy nights." (Arthur Mee: Cornwall; The King's England; London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1937, p. 184.) The centre of the village dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, from a time when its prosperity was tied to local coastal freight and fishing. The port handled cargoes such as coal, wood, stone, ores, limestone, salt, pottery and heavy goods which were conveyed along its narrow streets. The pilchard fishery began here before the 16th century and in 1850 there were 49 registered fishing boats and four fish cellars. Fishermen still work from the Platt, landing their daily catch of fish, crab and lobsters.

Lifeboat

The Port Isaac lifeboat station was established in 1869 following the delivery of two lifeboats called Richard and Sarah. The former boathouse is now the building called the Post Office. In the early 1960s the Royal National Lifeboat Institution introduced the Inshore Lifeboat, and in 1967 the Port Isaac Station reopened with a new class D inshore lifeboat. Since that time, the lifeboat has responded to more than 550 calls, in the process saving more than 140 lives. Today, Port Isaac's crew and shore helpers man the station 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, providing full coverage of part of the north coast of Cornwall. The current lifeboat is called 'Copeland Bell'.

In July 2012, the crew of the Lifeboat received gallantry medals following a dangerous rescue. It is only the second time in RNLI history that all the crew of a D class inflatable lifeboat have received gallantry medals. It is also the first time a silver medal has been awarded to a member of a Port Isaac crew since 1870.