Newlyn Life 1870 - 1914 -The Village That Inspired The Artists
The Penwith Local History Group - 2003

The book grew from a desire to set out a historical record of the village that was the inspiration for the group of artists who achieved national fame as the The Newlyn School. The book presents Newlyn in the period 1870 - 1914. At that time Newlyn was made up of three districts that were quite distinct from each other. On the north bank of the Coombe Stream was Tolcarne and on the south side were Street-an-No wan and Newlyn Town.

The book presents the Newlyn of the artists through the perspective of the ordinary people. It describes the work and leisure of the people, the role of women at work and in the home, the part played by schooling, and the place of church and chapels in peoples' lives. It details the weather conditions of the time and the choice of Newlyn as the site of the Ordnance Datum Observatory. It looks at changes in the fishing industry from sail to steam and the importance to local people of events such as the West Cornwall Fisheries Exhibition.

It examines significant changes in the built environment, like the building of the new road to Penzance, the construction of the piers and the development of the harbour. It depicts the changes in public health brought about by new attitudes towards the water supply, drainage and sanitation. In short, it shows the growth of Newlyn and the transformation of three villages almost unaltered for four hundred years in to the town we recognise today.

The book is now available from bookshops in West Penwith.

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