History of High Street

• Long before Falmouth became a town, the area now known as the Old High Street formed part of the small hamlet of Smithick, later called Pennycomequick, from the Celtic Pen y cwm cuic, meaning “head of the creek.”
• Falmouth was formally founded in 1613 by Sir John Killigrew, and the Old High Street quickly became the main northern approach route into the growing settlement.
  In 1646, the street, then known as part of Ludgate Hill, played a practical role in the Siege of Pendennis Castle, one of the last Royalist strongholds to fall in the English Civil War, as soldiers, supplies, and equipment moved along its route.
• By the late 17th century, Falmouth had become a hub for global communication as home to the Royal Mail Packet Station (1688), and the High Street was an essential route linking early houses, the harbour, and the new town centre.
• The Town Hall on the High Street was built in 1725, marking the street’s importance as an administrative heart of the town.
• Many of the buildings surrounding the Old High Street date to the 18th century, including cottages around Barracks Ope that still survive today.
• A major fire on 12 April 1862 destroyed around 30 houses on the upper part of the High Street, dramatically reshaping its character, with many buildings rebuilt in the Victorian style that now defines the street.
• Despite redevelopment elsewhere in the town, the Old High Street retained its 18th century buildings, narrow cobbled opeways, and historic courtyards throughout the 20th century, preserving its own distinct character.
• Today, the Old High Street is celebrated for its independent businesses, bohemian feel, and centuries-old architecture, with hidden paths offering glimpses of the sea, and a creative community continuing the street’s long tradition of trade and craft.