Newlyn

Newlyn(SW445245), Shown within the UK

Newlyn

Newlyn (Cornish: Lulynn) is a town in southwest Cornwall, UK. The town forms a small conurbation with neighbouring Penzance, and part of the civil parish of Penzance. The principal industry in Newlyn is fishing, and the town relies upon its harbour.

The UK National Tidal and Sea Level Facility (NTSLF) maintains a tidal observatory at Newlyn, and the UK Fundamental Benchmark is maintained there. The Ordnance Survey, Britain's mapping agency, used to base all contour lines and spot heights on the mean sea level at Newlyn defined by this benchmark.

Contents

1 History
2 Economy
3 Art in Newlyn
4 Local Government
5 Locations in Newlyn
6 Notable residents past and present
7 External links

History

Prior to the rise of Newlyn as important settlment the landing rights and most property within the Newlyn area was owned by the the Manor of Alverton .Newlyn's history has been strongly linked to its role as a major fishing port. The natural protection afforded by the Gwavas Lake (an area of seawater in Mounts Bay) led to many local fisherman adopting this area as a preferred landing site. Newlyn harbour is first recorded in 1435 by the Bishop of Exeter, later large scale improvements to the harbour led to Newlyn becoming the predominant fishing port in Mounts Bay. Newlyn was also the home of William Lovett a leader of the Chartist movement. Like the neighbouring communities of Penzance, Mousehole and Paul - Newlyn was destroyed during the Spanish Raid of 1595. During the 19th century Newlyn was the scene of the Newlyn riots following protests over the landing fish on a Sunday by fishermen from the north of England, the local Cornish fisherman being members of the Methodist church and as such strong supporters of sabbatarianism.

Economy

Newlyn's economy is largely dependant on its harbour and the associated fishing industry. Because of Newlyn's association with the creative arts there are also a number of artists and art galleries that are established in the area.

Art in Newlyn

It was made famous in the 1880s and 1890s for its Newlyn School artists' colony, including the painters Thomas Cooper Gotch, Albert Chevallier Tayler and Henry Scott Tuke. The current largest collection of work by the Newlyn School is held by Penlee House Gallery and Museum in nearby Penzance.

Local Government

Newlyn is for the purposes of local government part of the Penzance Civil Parish and returns 5 councillors to Penzance Town Council. The principal local authorities in this area are Penwith District Council and the Cornwall County Council.

Locations in Newlyn

Newlyn harbour is the largest fishing port (by turnover >£18 million 2004) in England. The fishing fleet boasts a number of different catching methods: beam trawling, trawling, gill netting, potting and a large number of under 10m vessels that fish inshore. The port was a major catcher of pilchard until the 1960s. Today, a handful of vessels have resumed pilchard fishing and use a modern version of the ring net. The largest vessels are beam trawlers owned by the Stevenson family. Most of the other vessels are owned by their skippers.

Sandy Cove is the name given to the small bay immediately south of the harbour wall.

Notable residents past and present

External links

[newlyn.info - information on Newlyn in Cornwall]
[Newlyn (DMOZ.org)]
[Newlyn Photographs]
[NTSLF page about the Newlyn Tidal Observatory and the Fundamental Benchmark]
http://www.newlynharbour.co.uk

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