mole cottage - about mousehole cornwall

about mousehole:

Mousehole is a picturesque fishing village located in the South-West of Cornwall, only a short distance from Newlyn and Penzance. The Eden Project, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Porthcurno beach, The Minack Threatre, St Ives, Truro, Lands End, Trengwainton garden, St Michael's Mount and Trebah gardens are just some of the places within easy travelling distance of Mousehole. The South West Coast Path passes through Mousehole, making the village an ideal place for walkers to stay.

Up until the sixteenth century, Mousehole was one of the main ports of Mount's Bay. Mousehole was destroyed in 1595 when the Spaniards, led by Carlos de Amésquita, sacked the village. Every building except one, The Keigwin Arms, which still stands today, was burnt to the ground. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Mousehole was a busy fishing port, where great quantities of pilchards were landed and some were processed within village.

Today, the village is largely a conservation area and many of the granite cottages are listed, including Mole Cottage. Dylan Thomas described the village as the loveliest in England. (It was in the Lobster Pot in Mousehole in 1937 that Dylan Thomas spent his honeymoon, after marrying Caitlin MacNamara at Penzance register office.)

celebrations:

Mousehole is famous for its Christmas illuminations, switched on every year in mid-December. Every December 19th since 1981, the lights have been switched off between 8pm and 9pm in memory of the lives lost in the Penlee lifeboat disaster. Tom Bawcock's Eve is a unique celebration held on December 23rd each year to celebrate the ending of a famine in the 16th century by local resident Tom Bawcock. This celebration is the inspiration behind the book 'The Mousehole Cat' by Antonia Barber and is also the origin of 'Star Gazey Pie'. Mousehole also holds a small biennial maritime festival called 'Sea, Salts and Sail', the next due to be held in July 2012. More information ...