Uncovering secret stowaways
Stowed away behind shop windows all around the Cornish south coast lies a vintage and antique treasure trove, their stories bringing to life the maritime and industrial history of the coastline. We explore where you can seek out Cornish antiques in shops around the coast.
Carlyon Bay is surrounded by a rich industrial and maritime past, where historic industries have left their mark in the objects found there today.
From charming villages like Lostwithiel to the picturesque harbours of Polruan and Charlestown, this stretch of coastline harbours a wealth of discoveries for both collectors and casual browsers alike.
“Take a walk to the Sail Loft Emporium in Charlestown to find an array of antiques and collectibles in a converted gunpowder store, or head inland to nearby Lostwithiel..the antiques capital of Cornwall.”
Harbouring stories
Built in the late 1700s for the export of china clay, Charlestown Harbour is still home to a fleet of impressive tall ships. If it looks familiar, that’s because the UNESCO World Heritage site has been used as a filming location for over 100 television programmes and films, ranging from Poldark to Treasure Island.
Take a walk to the Sail Loft Emporium in Charlestown to find an array of antiques and collectibles in a converted gunpowder store, or head inland to nearby Lostwithiel. Though tiny, this village boasts several antiques dealers, an auction house, and the monthly Lostwithiel Antiques & Collectors Fair – leading to it being named the antiques capital of Cornwall.
“People like to buy things with a connection to the area, and nautical objects are always popular.”
Fowey is another essential stop: a bustling harbour town with a long history of shipbuilding and maritime trade. Local shops offer a mix of antiques, including old compasses, ship’s lanterns and weathered flags – part of an eclectic mix of art, furniture, and vintage décor that appeal to both seasoned collectors and casual browsers.
For Sinead Hanks, director of Any Old Vintage in Fowey, the nautical history of the area is reflected in what they choose to stock. “We sell a lot of maritime lights, made from the portholes of old ships by our in-house electrician,” she says. “Ships bells are also very popular, as are altimeters [used to measure altitude using atmospheric pressure].”
Image credit: Lily Bertrand-Webb
Lee Williams of Cougar Antiques in nearby St Austell believes that maritime items such as these offer one way to relate to local history. “People like to buy things with a connection to the area, and nautical objects are always popular,” he says. “We look out for anything a little bit different. For instance, at the moment we have the ship’s screen plaque from the WWII battleship HMS Fowey.”
From the earth
For more than 250 years, the mining of china clay – an ingredient in everything from pottery to toothpaste – shaped lives and the local landscape alike. The industry was so huge that, by 1910, Cornwall produced about 50% of the world’s china clay, also known as kaolin.
Today, visitors to the Wheal Martyn Clay Works museum in St Austell will find two Victorian clay works preserved in their working state. Cornish ceramics offer daily reminder of this historic industry.
Cornishware, the famous striped tableware in blue and white, is perennially popular. Made by T.G. Green & Co Ltd. since the early 1920s, its colourway is said to be inspired by “the blue of the Cornish skies and the white crests of the waves”.
“T.G. Green always sells like hot cakes,” says Williams. Mid-century-style ceramics made by Troika, a Cornish pottery that was active from 1962 to 1983, are likewise collectible, while Williams also stocks antique miner’s lamps and helmets at his store in St Austell.
South Coast lives
It hasn’t all been hard labour on the south coast – far from it. With the arrival of the railway in the 19th century, the area dubbed the ‘Cornish Riviera’ became a popular tourist destination.
“Given its history as a holiday hotspot, there should be interesting Victorian or early 20th century photographs and postcards in the area,” says local historian Dr Lesley Trotter. “I pick up antique postcards, and I love Victorian photograph albums – I’m always buying those.”
“You can come across pieces like a lambing chair, for example, which is where a farmer would have sat while the lambs were born. If one was poorly, the lamb could be kept warm in a drawer beneath the seat.”
Trotter also points to the Cornish Coliseum, a much-loved music venue that hosted world-class acts from the 1960s to the 1990s; ephemera such as gig posters and flyers are now sought-after. “We have quite a few pieces from the Coliseum coming through the shop”, says Hanks at Any Old Vintage.
Vintage and antique items can bring old everyday stories alive. This appeals to Williams, who says: “You can come across pieces like a lambing chair, for example, which is where a farmer would have sat while the lambs were born. If one was poorly, the lamb could be kept warm in a drawer beneath the seat. We’ve got one in now from about 1840–60, found in a nearby house. It’s a piece of local social history.”
In search of past secrets
Searching for vintage and antique objects along the south coast of Cornwall is more than shopping – it’s a way to connect with the region’s industrial and cultural heritage.
Whether you’re seeking rare maritime memorabilia or a piece of vintage pottery, the area’s towns and villages are filled with treasures waiting to be discovered. From Charlestown to Lostwithiel, Fowey to Polruan, each stop offers a window into the past, making for a finding and collecting #SecretSeason adventure.
This #SecretSeason, uncover more about Cornwall’s rich maritime and industrial past along the south Cornish coast…
