Charlestown, Cornwall - a changing place in 'Poldark' country

Charlestown - a changing place

Charlestown is a village and port in south east Cornwall and is an UNESCO world heritage site.  Originally it was a fishing village with nine fishing families catching pilchards.  A harbour and dock built in 1791-1799 by Charles Rashleigh was used to transport copper from mines around St Austell.  When the copper mines were exhausted the main use of the port was by the china clay industry.  By the 1990s the size of the ships used to transport china clay had become too great to fit into Charlestown.

In 1994 an organisation called Square Sail bought Charlestown harbour.  They use it as a base for their sailing ships and as a location for film sets.  Recently Charlestown has become much more well known as it has been used for filming of the Poldark television series which ran from 2015-2019.  The most popular episode of Poldark was watched by 8.11 million viewers in the UK and the show has been broadcast in countries including the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Norway as well as in much of Europe and the Middle East.  As tourists headed out to see the places where their favourite show was filmed Charlestown has become part of the Poldark Trail.

Charlestown was purchased by Sir Tim Smit in 2018, adding to his collection of attractions in the area including the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan.  Smit handed the leadership of the Charlestown project to his friend Rolf Munding.  The pair aim to ‘co-operate together to create a world class destination from a world class asset.’  They own the harbour, harbour masters cottage, interconnecting roads and shipyard buildings.

In June 2019 Charlestown Harbour Ltd was granted a licence to serve alcohol and hold events.  Munding was keen to hold film screenings, music events, plays and markets in the harbour area.  Some local people objected to the licence as they were worried about antisocial behaviour.  There is also a potential culture clash – this is traditionally a Methodist Christian area and Methodists don’t drink alcohol.

Events held over the summer of 2019 included Charlestown‘s annual regatta and a Classic Sail Festival.  During the regatta the influence of Poldark was obvious, with Poldark gin, whiskey and fudge on sale.

The revitalising of the harbour has seen a growth in the number of cafes and restaurants in the village and has changed the nature of this tourist destination.  The village has become gentrified, with more affluent residents and businesses moving in.  This has boosted employment but has also prompted a rise in house prices, with new build 3-bedroom houses coming onto the market at £400 000.

The last episode of Poldark aired in the UK in August 2019.  This TV programme may have finished, but for how long will its legacy live on in Charlestown?