In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Newquay like this:
NEWQUAY, a village in St. Columb-Minor parish, Cornwall; on a small bay of its own name, continuous south-south-westward with Watergate bay, and undershelter of Towan Head, 7 miles W S W of St. Columb-Major. It is a coast-guard station, the seat of a considerable pilchard fishery, and a rising watering-place; and it has a head post-office, † designated New Quay, Cornwall, two good inns, a small harbour, with a pier, and chapels for Baptists and Wesleyans. ...
A beach of firm smooth sand extends 3 miles adjacent to it, beneath arange of romantic cliffs; a sandstone of recent origin, formed from blown sand, and compact enough to be quarried for building purposes, is on the shore; and rocks of much interest to geologists, and a recently-opened lead mine, are in the neighbourhood. A railway, intended to go across the county from Newquay to Par, was begun by the Late Mr. Treffry of Place House, Fowey; and a line, 5¼ miles in length, from the St. Dennis branch of that railway, to the Cornwall near Burngullow, and to be called the Newquay and Cornwall Junction, was authorized in 1864, on a capital of £27,000 in shares, and £9,000 in loans.
Newquay through time
Newquay is now part of Restormel district. Click here for graphs and data of how Restormel has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Newquay itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Newquay, in Restormel and Cornwall | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/56
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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