Old Photos & Pictures Of The United Kingdom

 

Porthoustock

The small fishing village of Porthoustock is on the east coast of the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall.

The concrete silo, on the north side of the cove, has to be the focal point for most people when they first arrive at Porthoustock.
This large concrete storage silo, now out of use, dominates the cove; it once loaded ships with stone that had been carried by narrow gauge trains from quarries along the coast.

The Google satellite photo above shows the top of the silo, and if you use the arrows to pan down it's possible to see the extent of the working quarry on the south side of the cove.

Porthoustock is popular with divers who use it as a launching place to visit the Manacles - a large offshore reef system. The Manacles are a treacherous place for shipping, and over the years many men and ships have been lost in the area.

Although the quarrying has left an indelible mark on the scenery Porthoustock is still recognizable from the old postcards that inspired me to make a visit.