History of the port of Helford
The Royal Cornwall Gazette in 1859 had this to say about Helford, situated on the western edge of Falmouth Bay: “… its trade is almost nothing … some granite is shipped at Port Navas; colliers and timber ships … bring supplies for the inhabitants and mines of the neighbourhood … the shores are not populous … [b]ut it will be very different indeed, when Falmouth shall become, as it will at no very distant period, a great commercial emporium. Whenever this shall happen, such a harbour as Helford only four miles distant … will surely not be neglected”. (Royal Cornwall Gazette, April 1, 1859)
The port of Gweek has been dealt with separately, in two parts. Elsewhere along the Helford were numerous wharves, such as those at Merthen, Port Navas, Tremayne Quay, Bishops Quay, Scott’s Quay, Durgan and of course, Helford village itself. There were lime kilns at some of these locations, such as Merthen, necessitating the importation of coal. Otherwise the Helford River was, and is, known for its oysters.
There is no commercial trade now but in the 19th century coal was discharged at various wharves while stone and gravel were exported from Port Navas, as were limited supplies of pitwood.
Sites of maritime interest at Helford
The redundant wharves at locations such as Merthen, Gweek, Port Navas and Tremayne are of interest.
Publications about the Helford as a port
Pearse, The Ports and Harbours of Cornwall, (H E Warne, 1963)
Roddis, Cornish Harbours (Christopher Johnson, 1951)
Rackham, The Ancient Woods of the Helford River, (Little Toller, 2019)
Local organisations to help
Kresen Kernow, Redruth (https://kresenkernow.org.)
Neil Hawke