Penzance is an ancient market town situated in beautiful Mount's Bay. The name Penzance was originally "Pen Sans", from the Cornish language, meaning "Holy Headland".
Early Christians established a chapel at Penzance over 1,000 years ago. Since then it has received Royal Charters for its harbour (in 1512 by King Henry VIII) and for its markets (in 1592).
In 1595, Penzance and its neighbours Newlyn and Mousehole, were invaded by a Spanish fleet (in the aftermath of the Armada) who burned many of the areas buildings. Although the invaders were soon sent packing, this was the last time that England was ever invaded by hostile forces. Following the damage caused by the Spanish invasion, Penzance was rebuilt and King James I granted the town a charter in 1614. In the mid-1600s, during the English Civil War, the town again came under siege. It later became a coinage town and is now the main commercial centre for the Land's End peninsula.
In the centre of Penzance, there is a very interesting street - Chapel Street
The Penwith area, of which Penzance is the main town, is full of ancient monuments. These include pre-historic and Bronze Age tombs, settlements and ancient stone constructions, some of which date back over 5,000 years. Some of the more well-known sites include: Men-An-Tol (a holed stone), Lanyon Quoit (a chamber tomb), Chysauster village (a settlement with courtyard houses, fougou and field system), Merry Maidens (a circle of 19 standing stones), Carn Euny (hut circles and a fougou), Chun castle (an Iron Age hill fort) and many, many others.
To the West of Penzance lies Newlyn, England's largest fishing port. Slightly further on lies Mousehole, a picturesque fishing village, which had all its houses except one burnt to the ground during the Spanish invasion in 1595.
To the East of Penzance, set in the middle of Mount's Bay lies St. Michael's Mount just off the coast of the picturesque Marazion. St. Michael's Mount is a beautiful rocky island with a harbour at the bottom and a medieval church and castle at the top. A causeway runs from the beach at Marazion over to the island and this causeway can be walked at low tide (which is quite a magical experience). The St. Aubyn's family who own the island still live in the castle. The top of the tower on the castle rises to nearly 230 feet above sea level and the island is situated roughly 500 yards offshore. When the causeway is covered by the sea, the island can be reached by ferry. Marazion itself claims to be the oldest town in Britain and was called Ictis by the Romans.
Humphrey Davy is Penzance's most famous son.
Designed and developed by Clare