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A brief history of Newquay

Newquay is a marvel of pre-historic sites. Some cooking pots, burial urn, and other remains from the Bronze Age were found in The Barrowfields and in the Trethellan Farm. However, traces of the first settlement in the town belong to a hill fort dating back to the Iron Age.

In the medieval period, a small fishing village settled in the curve of the coastal town’s headland.

Until the 15th century, the town used its Cornish name ‘Towan Blystra.’ It was when the Bishop of Exeter, Edmund Lacey, secured funds to construct a ‘new quay’ at the harbor that the town earned its current name.

In 1832, the inhabitants started building Newquay’s current harbor. It was followed by the construction of a mansion known as the Tower in 1835 for the wealthy family of Molesworth. The emergence of passenger trains in 1876 led to the drastic growth of the village. Hotels increased rapidly in the area, with the Great Western Hotel as the first to open for business.

Newquay welcomed more structural developments in the 20th century. More houses were converted into hotels, especially around the railway station. Knitting industry flourished during these times, along with the construction of streets and houses along the main roads.

Industrial and commercial areas sprouted inland and in the town’s fringes during the 1970s and 1980s.

In the advent of the modern period, major construction projects made their way to the town’s inland. These developments include traditional houses in Tregunnel Hill and in Nansledan. Schools and commercial establishments like shops and supermarkets also increased in number.

Newquay became a center for aerospace operations when The Aerohub enterprise zone was stationed at the town’s airport.