Penzance Historic & Curious Penzance Part 1
Walk Details
● Start Point – Humphry Davy statue in Market Jew Street
● Grid Reference – SW 473 303
● Parking – Try the Harbour Long Stay car park – TR18 2JX ///boasted.commenced.remake
● Distance -2 miles
● First walked – Fred, Gerry and Mini Gendall 2023
● Author – Fred Gendall
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2023
This is the first part of a stroll around Penzance hopefully taking in some features that you may not have seen before.
Start at the Humphry Davy statue in Market Jew Street
We start our walk by going down Market Jew Street, walk on the right hand side and look up and admire the different architecture above the shops, especially numbers 3 & 4 above “Trespass”. Keep walking down the right hand side of Market Jew Street.
Cross over towards “Supervolt” electrical stores and turn left into, Wood Street, probably one of the shortest streets in Penzance.
Turn right at the end of Wood Street into Bread Street. This street used to contain most of the abattoirs of Penzance and still contains “The Crown”, a pub and microbrewery.
Have a quick diversion, straight on into Victoria Square – a delightful little corner of Penzance.
Return to Bread Street and continue downhill. At the crossroads turn right into Adelaide Street where you will pass Seasalt, now a national business, started here by Mr Chadwick, then called General Clothing Store.
At the bottom of Adelaide Street cross over and walk down Albert Street towards the car park
At the corner turn right and walk on the right-hand pavement and, at the “Old Lifeboat House” (now a restaurant, turn right and then left onto Abbey Slip. Just as you start climbing the slope, look up to you right above the slip to “Ship Ashore”
Go up the slip or the steps and turn right at the top into New Street. A little way up New Street,(approx 100 m) on the right, is Foster Place, another contender for Penzance shortest street.
Continue up New Street to number 35 on the left. The house has a heritage plaque to commemorate John Divane VC. Near the top of New street is St Michaels Housing complex with three plaques that explain its importance to Penzance.
Just before the Exchange, turn left into Princess Street. This street contains some impressive granite buildings, one being a Masonic lodge, the large, light blue building on the left.
Turn Left into Chapel Street. There’s much to look at in Chapel street, like the Egyptian House, Union Hotel, Turks Head pub and Admiral Benbow pub, with the pirate on the roof!
At the Admiral Benbow crossroads turn right into Voundervour Lane.
Continue bearing to the right past Voundervour House and then slightly left, On your right, above a door of an old National school, is a bust of John the Baptist. The old name for Penzance used to be “Pensans”, the Cornish for “holy head”. John the Baptists was an old representation of a holy head – the holy seer was beheaded at the request of Salome after the dance of the seven veils.
Continue on the opposite side to John the Baptist and turn sharp left Into Regents Square. These 1830’s houses are architecturally stunning.
Continue through the square and turn right into a back lane with the Churchyard showing at the end, opposite house number one, Regent Square. Walk through the churchyard and turn left in front of the church (whose architect, Charles Hutchens, was a St Buryan man) into Chapel Street again.
Turn right and cross over before turning left into Dock Lane. (Dock lane is a left turn in front of the Steamship offices).
Go down the steps to the right of The Longroom (the old customs house) and, as you descend these steps look up to your right and see the beautiful stained glass round window of the old Trinity House depot. Continue along the lane to arrive at the harbour.
Turn right towards the Dolphin inn. Take the cobbled lane behind it and cross the road at the end, bearing slightly left onto the main road and then turn immediately right into St Antony Gardens. Go up some steps and ahead of you is a granite fountain. It appears the main bowl is carved out of one piece of granite. This fountain once stood outside St Johns Hall and is made of Lamorna Granite.
Walk out of St Anthony Gardens towards the promenade. Follow the promenade, the only promenade in Cornwall, until you reach Queen Street. You will know when, as Queen Street is written on the floor of the promenade.
Cross the road into Queen Street and walk past The Navy Inn public house. Turn slightly left as you pass the Taj Mahal restaurant and go straight past Coulsons Terrace up a back lane. Enter Morrab gardens through the metal gate. Have a wander around and then walk up through the gardens, pass Pengarth and out of the top gate.
Follow the lane to Parade Street, turn right, past the Acorn and Honeypot tea rooms, and then turn left at the Co-op into Chapel Street.
Walk up to the top of Chapel Street which brings you to Lloyds Bank and the start.
You may want to think about doing Part 2 of this walk as it starts at the same spot.