Mylor & Flushing in the County of Cornwall
Industries
(or what our ancestors had to do for most of their life except, maybe, on Sundays)

Agriculture & Horticulture

Over the span of past centuries farming must have been the most significient industry of this area, At first just the local production of locally required food; in more recent times food, and flowers, to be sent by rail and road to the markets of London and other major cities. It is hard to write a specific history of farming in this parish, the story must be very similar to that over much of Cornwall. See History Around the Fall Part 4 for an article "Farming around Mylor, 1839-1945".

Fishing

Close access to the sea and a sheltered harbour clearly means that fishing would have been important. However this parish does not seem, at any time, to have developed a major sea fishery excepting for a pilchard trade based near Flushing. An oyster fishery is recorded, the grounds being off Flushing.

Ironworking

Perran Foundry is mainly within the bounds of Mylor parish but really more closely connected to Perranarworthal, the village of Perranwell being just across the Kennall River. 1791 beging, supplying pumping engines for mines through the 19th century to closure in 1879. Water power, access to sea for barge transport. A reprint of their catalogue is available. A 64" Cornish engine built by the Perran Foundry was installed at the Vauxhall Waterworks' Cumberland Gardens plant in 1842. A plan of the works in included in Bob Acton's In and Around Perranwell. Some information on the current status of Parren Foundry can be found at the Princes Foundation web site. A report of an interview by the Children's Employment Commission with William Henry OPIE. 13 years old, who worked at Perran Foundry in 1841, can be found on the Archieve CD Books web site.

Milling

See History Around the Fal, Part 4, for information on the corn and grist mills of Mylor. (Also Part 3 for the Perran Creek Mill)

Shipbuilding

Little Falmouth, a little to the north of Flushing, has been a centre of shipbuilding since the 17th century. See Falmouth Boat Construction Ltd site for a brief history.

Mining

Mining for tin took place under Restronguet Creek, to the north-east of the parish, in the years 1871-1874. This was a suprisingly shallow mine for an underwater situation, a depth of only about 100 feet (30 metres). The access shaft was over the water at Point in the parish of Feock so its not really part of the history of Mylor. Viv Acton's Life by the Fal describes this mine along with the history of Point and neighbouring Penpol. A shaft is shown on the current 1:25,000 OS map of the area at grid reference E17929 N37455 some mining must have occured here sometime. "Wheal Clinton (Lead & Silver Disused)" is marked at roughly grid reference E180995 N33580, south of Flushing, on the Ordnance Survey map of about 1890, this operated for a short period in the mid 19th century but was commercially unsuccessful due to problems with flooding.

Shipping

Flushing has long been a base for sea captains and mariners. .......

The Royal Navy

Apart from those naval officers living at Flushing, the area has other Royal Navy conections.

HMS Ganges, a training ship for boys, was based in Falmouth Harbour, off Mylor, at St. Just Pool, 1866 - 1899 . Its officers may have lived ashore in Flushing; they give there postal address in the Flushing section of the trade directories. There is no point in me writing more as the history is well covered on the HMS Ganges Association web site

Just to the south of Mylor Churchtown there was, possibly the smallest, Royal Navy Dockyard. It was a vitalling and watering base. Fresh water for ships was supplied from a reservoir in the valley close to the church. Link to more details.

Workhouse

I suppose by defination the Workhouse should be classed under industries. Apparently the Mylor Bridge workhouse was built in 1827,. Peter Gilson in "The Upper Fal in Old Photographs" gives a little history of this building. This Workhouse would have become redundant sometime after the formation of the Falmouth Poor Law Union in 1837 and in the 1850s the Falmouth Union workhouse at Budock was built to cover the area including Mylor. The building was then used as the village school untill a major fire in 1921 after which the present school was built. It is a Grade II listed building, and until recently offered bed and breakfast as "The Old School House".

Support Industries

Public Houses, Inns and "Kiddleywinks", these include:

• The Seven Stars Inn and Standard Inn in Flushing
• The Lemon Arms in Mylor Bridge
• The Clinton Arms at Lawithick near Mylor Churchtown lost its licience, thanks to the efforts of the then vicar, in 1840. It then became a tearoom, sucessfully trading into the 20th century.
• The Pandora Inn at Restronguet Passage - althougth often stated that this pub was once owned by Captain Edward Edwards, 1742-1815, who brought some of the Bounty crew to a cruel justice and named after his frigate, Andy Campbell's Maritime Image Bank web site page The Pandora Inn, Restronguet makes a strong case that it was not. That site shows the earliest reference to the Pandora to be in 1856, earlier the inn seems to have been known as The Passage House, a name dating back to the 18th century. At some time it also seems to have been known as The Ship.

         See History Around the Fall Part 3 for more information on the Inns of the Fal

Tearooms & Teagardens - Two advertise in the 1914 edition of Kelley's Directory for Cornwall

• "The Mylor Refreshment Rooms, Mylor Dockyard. At a short distance from Mylor Church, Cornwall, and commanding picturesque views of the River Fal and its approaches, Mrs. Copp caters for visitors with REFRESHING TEAS daily at Moderate Prices. Cornish cream and Butter are supplied, well packed for transmission by post and otherwise."
• "Mylor as a health resort. Dunstan's Tea Rooms and Gardens, Mylor Churchtown, Falmouth. Situated on the Banks of Mylor Creek, and close to the antiquated Mylor Church. This is one of the prettiest spots in the Cornish Riviera. TEAS supplied ar Reasonable Prices. Parties catered for. Orders taken for the Celebrated CORNISH CREAM and BUTTER: packed for post. Boarders accommodated. Recent Extensions. Terms on application." I presume that this in the former "Clinton's Arms" - see above

Shops

To be added.........if I ever get round to it!

Craftsmen - Blacksmiths, Carpenters, etc

To be added.........if I ever get round to it!

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Last Updated 18 April 2007