Polkerris ( kw, Pollkerys, meaning ''fortified pool'') is a small village on the south coast of

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, United Kingdom. It forms part of the civil parish of

Fowey Fowey ( ; kw, Fowydh, meaning 'Beech Trees') is a port town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, with the local ch ...

. The village is part of the Rashleigh estate which is commemorated in the name of the pub, 'Rashleigh Inn'. The village essentially consists of a single steeply sloping road down to the harbour and beach. Parking is limited. There is a small sandy beach, with a curved harbour wall.

Etymology

The original translation of the place name is obscure. However, the presence of a number of Napoleonic era cannons embedded in the harbour wall, muzzle first, does lend credence to one possible meaning 'Fortified Cove'.

Geography

Polkerris is on the west side of the Gribbin promontory and on the east side of

St Austell Bay St Austell Bay ( kw, Baya Ti war Dreth) is a bay on Cornwall's south coast which is bounded to the east by Gribbin Head and to the west by Black Head. Since 1 April 2009, it has also been the name of a civil parish, one of four new parishe ...

. It is two miles west of Fowey and three miles east of

St Austell St Austell (; kw, Sans Austel) is a town in Cornwall, England, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon. St Austell is one of the largest towns in Cornwall; at the 2011 census it had a population of 19,958. History St Austell wa ...

. Polkerris is situated on the

South West Coast Path The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Because it rises a ...

, which follows the coast of south west England from

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

. The path follows the cliff tops from nearby Polmear, goes through the village, and onwards to Fowey via Gribbin Head.

History

Fishing, essentially a seine fishery for pilchards (''

Sardina pilchardus The European pilchard (''Sardina pilchardus'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the monotypic genus ''Sardina''. The young of the species are among the many fish that are sometimes called sardines. This common species is found in the northeast ...

''), was a mainstay of the village's economy from at least the late 16th century, there being a seine house recorded here in 1590. The village has been part of the Rashleigh family's

Menabilly Menabilly ( kw, Men Ebeli, meaning ''stone of Colt (horse), colts'') is a historic estate on the south coast of Cornwall, England, situated within the parish of Tywardreath on the Gribben Head, Gribben peninsula about west of Fowey. It has be ...

Estate from the late 16th century, and the estate built the half-moon quay in 1775 to help the seine netting company. The seine company was in decline in the 1870s and closed. A

lifeboat Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen A ...

, the ''Catherine Rashleigh'' was stationed in Polkerris in November 1859, and the boathouse was built for £138 4s (£138.20), on land donated by the Rashliegh's. The station transferred to Fowey in 1922 and the boathouse is currently a restaurant. From the 1950s tourism became significant in the summer. Today, the village has restaurants, water sports and some accommodation.

Cultural references

The Rashleigh Inn was the setting for the 1972 film '' Doomwatch'', a spin-off of the BBC TV series of the same name. The location of the film is wrongly described as Polperro but the harbour and interior of the pub are clearly seen. This has been confirmed by the existing landlord Jon Spode. Some residents of Polkerris also took part in the film as extras.

References

External links

The Rashleigh Inn, Polkerris
{{authority control Villages in Cornwall Populated coastal places in Cornwall Ports and harbours of Cornwall Fowey