Social History

A Brief look at the Social History of Padstow.

Padstow Museum is a very important link in the past history this ancient port, both from a social and commercial aspect. Make no mistake the very fabric of the town has altered dramatically over the past five decades.

Whilst the fishing industry has been decimated by conservation concerns, a small but lively fishing fleet still work from the port. 
This is but a fraction of the activity that took place in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries, when records show the harbour crammed full of fishing vessels from most major fishing ports around the British isles. In turn this extensive trade in fish led to the coming of the railway to Padstow in 1899, which enabled the rapid carriage of fish to London Billingsgate and other major markets in the country.

As a result of the coming of the railway the tourist trade grew, resulting the construction of the Metropole Hotel and other various hostelries. Today Padstow is a major player it the tourist circuit in Cornwall. Every year tens of thousands of visitors visit the town to soak up its unique character. The social fabric of the town today is as a result of the influence of the many families who have descended from fishermen who came here to ply their trade from faraway places, Scotland, Wales, and the East Anglian fishing ports.

Equally so trading by ship before the event of easier access by road to this area, resulted in Irish and Welsh integration, one only has to visit the local cemeteries and records to discover the extent of this cross population. The museum is able to help on a limited scale where people are researching their relatives local connections. The social history of Padstow is very extensive subject and well worthy of exploration, and can be explored more extensively by visiting the museum and studying our collection and reference material.

We now have school admission records covering the late 1800's to 1945. These records are particularly interesting in that they give a broad picture of the transient population during world war II, (evacuees, and families from East Anglia and other areas who sort refuge here).