West Cornwall Cottage Holidays

Porthcurno

The beautiful Porthcurno Valley with its stunning Pedn-Vounder beach is world famous for three major reasons. The entire valley was once owned by global telecommunications giant Cable & Wireless Ltd and more transatlantic cables came ashore here than any other destination in the world. As you descend into the valley, you will be able to see the many large houses that formed the corporate offices which have now been turned into residential and holiday homes. In fact the Cable Station Inn was the former Social Club!

The world Famous Minack Theatre sits precariously on the very cliff edge and is real testimony to the sheer grit and determination of the founder Rowena Cade who personally and almost single handily, carved this stunning theatre from the granite cliffs over a 30 year period from 1929 until her retirement in 1993. She regularly dug sand from the beach and carried it up the cliffs on her back in a self made rucksack. At one time after a massive storm and wreck, Rowena Cade personally carried twelve 15ft timber beams up from the beach to the site of the theatre. Today the 750 seater open air auditorium with gallery, cafe and museum attracts visitors from all over the world to experience a summer season of plays in this truly unique setting.
As a major cable station and with direct links to Churchill's war rooms in London, Porthcurno was an obvious enemy target during the Second World War and so tunnels were cut into the cliffs by local tin miners and the communications operations were moved inside. The underground tunnel took ten months to complete and was fully equipped with a power plant and blast-proof doors. Today the tunnel and the equipment have all been preserved and the museum is a fascinating insight into wartime communications and the major part that Porthcurno played in winning the war.