14th April 2021
Fishermen’s Layby Heritage Board
A Heritage board is located on Tregew Road – the Penryn road into Flushing .
The Fishermen’s layby was constructed in the mid 1970’s when there was an abundance of mackerel off the coast of Cornwall. It was constructed with the co-operation of Cornwall County Council and the Flushing Fishing Co-operative. Fish caught by local fishermen were landed on Flushing Quay and then loaded onto large French road trains here in the layby, to be shipped to France on the ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff.
It is now used for transferring goods for delivery into the village into smaller vans that can enter the village. Parking in Flushing is very limited, and access for vehicles through the narrow streets can be difficult. It is better to walk down into the village enjoying the great views on the way.
It has been said that Mylor Parish stands with its back to the land and its feet in the water. Agriculture and the sea have long sustained the area. Protected from the open sea and prevailing westerly winds, the earliest settlements were probably in the area known as Mylor Churchtown – now more often called Mylor Harbour. The Parish takes its name from the church dedicated to the fifth century Celtic missionary Saint Milor or Melorius.
Find out more about Mylor Harbour on the heritage interpretation panel there or from the pages of this website. Find out more about Saint Mylor church from leaflets inside the church.
The Manors and Great Houses
Mylor village grew where travellers between Truro and Penryn crossed the creek’s highest tidal reach. Much of the village lay within the medieval manor of Carclew to the north, which absorbed Restronguet manor to the east in the late 18th century. Mylor Bridge was developed through the 19th century by the Lemons, then owners of Carclew.
Trefusis Manor, to the south – still occupied by the same family – developed Flushing in the 17th century, the name Flushing coming from the Dutch engineers brought in to build its distinctive and durable sea-walls.
As well as providing work on their estates, the great houses of the parish also supported education, welfare and worship in their respective villages.
Find out more from the heritage interpretation panels in the centre of both villages or from the pages of this website.
The Packet Service
The famous Post Office Packet Ships operated briefly from Flushing in the late 17th century, before the service crossed to Falmouth. After that, captains and crews still lived in the village, where ships could be serviced and supplied for their long journeys.
Mylor Harbour
Mylor Harbour, also known as Mylor Churchtown, supplied fresh water for Royal Navy ships during the Napoleonic Wars. A small Royal Navy dockyard was built, with some of its buildings and the jetty still in use today. The dockyard also supported HMS GANGES, a square-rigged ship built in India, which was moored across Carrick Roads for much of the 19th century as a boys’ training ship.
Many local men fought in both World Wars, and the names of those who died including seven civilians killed by bombing in 1941 appear on the War Memorials. The Free French Navy mounted Second World War secret operations from Mylor Harbour, where D-Day landing craft were also prepared. Neighbouring Enys manor, also still in family hands and currently being slowly restored, hosted the Royal Netherlands Navy officer training school during the War.
With the big estates selling off much of their property before the last War, times were already changing. Since the War there has been a huge increase in home ownership, tourism and water-based leisure activity. Farming, while still important, employs far fewer people, and there is now only small sustainable fishing. An important fishing activity is dredging for oysters in the Carrick Roads. This is only allowed under sail – using traditional Falmouth working boats – or using oars or hand winches. These are the only oyster beds still harvested in this way.
Adapting to these changes, the area has become a fascinating and attractive place to visit and explore. Why not use the many footpaths to explore this beautiful area – perhaps even taking the ancient ferry from Flushing to Falmouth?
