Arwenack Street
Arwenack Street links the original settlement of the town of Falmouth to Arwenack House, once home to the powerful Killigrew family. Killigrew Quay, which later became Custom House Quay, is the oldest quay in Falmouth.
Custom House and its sister North Quay, sited just off Arwenack Street, were the commercial heart of Falmouth for nearly 200 years. If walls could talk you would hear tales of romance, slavery,spies, privateers, smugglers, pirates, cannibals and bustling international trade! Sir Peter Killigrew had North Quay and Custom House Quay built in about 1670. It is believed Killigrew employed the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden to oversee the building of the quays and to construct a watercourse to serve a new manorial barn at the upper end of Quay Hill. The vertical quay walling is a major heritage asset.
Did you know?
King Charles Pipe near Custom House Quay, was used to burn contraband in the 18th and 19th centuries!
