Cadgwith

Cadgwith Cornish:Porthkajwydh
Cadgwith Location withinCornwall
OS grid reference	SW721146
Civil parish	Grade–Ruan
Unitary authority	Cornwall
Ceremonial county	Cornwall
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HELSTON
Postcode district	TR12
Dialling code	01326
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Cornwall
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	St Ives

Cadgwith(Cornish:Porthkajwydh,meaningcove of the thicket) is a village and fishing port inCornwall,England, United Kingdom.It is on theLizard PeninsulabetweenThe LizardandCoverack.It is in thecivil parishofGrade Ruan.

History

St Mary's Church

The village has its origins inmedievaltimes as a collection of fish cellars in a sheltered south-east facing coastal valley with ashinglecove. Fishing subsidised local farmers' livelihoods. Cadgwith was originally called 'Porthcaswydh', becoming 'Por Cadjwydh' in Late Cornish, and is derived from theCornishword for 'a thicket', literally meaningbattle of trees,probably because the valley was densely wooded.From the 16th century, the village became inhabited, with fishing as the main occupation. Subsequently, houses, lofts, capstan houses, and cellars constructed of local stone orcobwalls andthatchedor slated roofs were built along the beach and up the sides of the valley leading to Cadgwith's characteristic Cornish fishing village appearance. In recent times a very small Anglican church was built, next to the path from the car park down to the seafront, dedicated toSt Mary.This 'tin tabernacle' church was designated aGrade II listed buildingin February 2024.

Geography

Cadgwith has two beaches separated by a promontory called "The Todden", thought to mean laying ground in Cornish.To the north-east is the larger beach, made mostly of shingle with a shallow slope, referred to as Cadgwith Cove, Big Beach, The Cove, Fishing Beach, or the Working Cove; all the fishermen work from this beach. The other smaller beach on the south-west side is a mixture of sand and large boulders and is called Little Cove, Cadgwith Cove or Little Beach and used as the swimming beach by locals and holiday-makers. The Todden, maximum height about 9m above sea level, provides a view of the beaches and the village. There is a natural passage through The Todden which connects the beaches. Pointing seaward from The Todden are two rocks called The Island and The Mare. At low tide the beaches are connected by a strip between the Todden and The Island. Cadgwith is sheltered from prevailing winds from the south-west or west, but easterly or south-easterly winds can produce rough seas and swells. During stormy weather waves can break over The Island. Rough seas can reach the low-lying buildings and homes. The sea has eroded large areas of The Todden and access to the promontory by a narrow pathway has been preserved by sea wall defences funded byCornwall Counciland The Tham Trust.

Cadgwith lies within theCornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty(AONB).

Cadgwith

Cadgwith

Fishing

Cadgwith owes its existence to the fishing industry.Pilchardfishing occurred until the 1950s using largeseineboats and seine nets, which was a system used to enclose the large shoals of pilchards, and coordinated by the use of lookouts, known as huers (from the Cornish 'Hevva, Hevva!' ('Here they are!)), positioned on the cove's two headlands. In 1904, a record 1,798,000 pilchards were landed over four days. Due to overfishing and climate changes pilchards are no longer found in large enough numbers to sustain pilchard fishing in Cadgwith, insteadbrown edible crabs,spider crabs,lobsters,sharks,monkfish,andconger eelare regularly landed with most being sold abroad through fish merchants but some being sold locally by the fishmonger, café, public house, and seafood snack shop. However, the Huer's hut can still be seen on the cliff above the beach.

Wrecks

TheLizard Peninsulahas a treacherous coastline due to a combination of submerged rocks and weather factors (gales, storms, or fog). There are numerous wrecks on the rocks offLizard Pointknown as The Stags, andThe Manacleswhich lie nearCoverack,and there are a number of other rocks off the coast of Cadgwith known as The Craggan and The Boa. Deep sea diving onto the wrecks is quite popular.

Lifeboats

Lifeboatservices throughout theBritish Islesare run as a charity and manned by volunteers organised by theRoyal National Lifeboat Institution(RNLI).

The RNLI stationed alifeboatat Cadgwith between 1867 and 1963, with lifeboats crewed by local fishermen as a benevolent service to all seafarers, especially due to the treacherous local waters. Until 1941 the station operated a 'pulling and sailing' boat, but in 1941 the motor lifeboatGuide of Dunkirkarrived. The Cadgwith station was closed in 1963 after the merger, in 1961, of the Lizard and Cadgwith lifeboats and the opening of a new lifeboat station, theLizard-Cadgwith Lifeboat Station,at Kilcobben Cove. This is approximately halfway along the coast between The Lizard and Cadgwith and is more sheltered from the prevailing winds. In 1987 the name was changed to theLizard Lifeboatand in 2012 the boathouse was rebuilt and modernised to house a new lifeboat.The redundant lifeboat house at Cadgwith has since been used by the CadgwithPilot GigClub.

History of the Cadgwith lifeboats

The first lifeboat wasWestern Commercial Traveller.She was 33 ft long (10 m) and 8 ft 1 in (2.46 m) wide. She had a crew of thirteen and was rowed by ten oars. She cost £290 and was built by Woolfe and Shadwell. In 1878, theWestern Commercial Travellerwas renamedJoseph Armstrongafter the late Chief Superintendent of the locomotive and carriage developments of theGreat Western Railway.A replacement lifeboat, also namedJoseph Armstrong,came on station in June 1887. She was 37 ft long (11 m) and 8 ft wide (2.4 m). With twelve oars and fifteen crew, she cost £454 and was built by Forrest Limehouse.

In 1898, a new lifeboat namedMinnie Moonarrived in Cadgwith. She was 39 ft long (12 m) and 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) wide, with twelve oars and fifteen crew. She cost £798 and was built at Thames Ironworks,Blackwall.She holds the record for the greatest number of lives saved from one rescue: 227 lives were saved from theSSSuevicon the night of 17/18 March 1907 which was wrecked in fog and gales on The Stag Rocks on the Maenheere Reef, off Lizard Point.Two silverRNLI gallantry medalswere awarded to members of the Cadgwith lifeboat crew: Edwin Rutter, Coxswain Superintendent and Rev. ‘Harry’ Vyvyan, Honorary Secretary.Other lifeboat crews involved in the rescue includedThe Lizard,Coverack,andPorthleven.The centenary of the rescue was commemorated on 17 March 2007.

TheHerbert Sturmeyarrived on station in 1932. She was 37 ft long (11 m) and 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) wide, with twelve oars and fifteen crew. She cost £2000 and was built by Summers and Payne of Cowes.

The last Cadgwith lifeboat was theGuide of Dunkirk,so called as the money was raised by theGirl Guidesof the Empire. Originally destined for theCromerStation, she took part in theDunkirk evacuationsin 1940 where she sustained bullet holes and other damage. She was 35 ft long (11 m) and 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) wide. She was the only Cadgwith lifeboat to have an engine and had a crew of seven. She cost £5523 and was built byRowhedge Ironworks.She is now on display atMevagissey.

Tourism

Tourism is the major source of income in the village nowadays, due to the decline in the fishing industry, and many of the houses are let as holiday accommodation. Cadgwith has long been popular as a holiday destination, especially during the summer when there are numerous local events:gigracing days, summer barbecues, a regatta,Morris dancing,musical bands, and regular singing by the Cadgwith Singers in the public house, the Cadgwith Cove Inn, which is thought to be over 400 years old. TheSouth West Coast Pathtraverses the village and is regularly used as destination to stop over and gain refreshment. A local fisherman runs a fishmonger's which provides fresh fish with recipes and there is a local craft shop. Along the coast path walking towards The Lizard has an interesting feature known as The Devil's Frying Pan, a cave whose roof collapsed leaving its entrance as a bridge and a boulder-filled bay which is seen to 'boil' during rough weather.

External links

• Cornwall Record Office online catalogue for Cadgwith
• Cadgwith Lifeboats