Mullion Cove

Mullion Cove and the harbour

Harbour History

In 1868 there was a significant move to build a Harbour of Refuge in Mullion Cove. For many years sailing ships from all over the world, were often unable to complete their journey around the Lizard Peninsula into the English Channel to make for Falmouth for Orders. Some took an incorrect course in adverse weather, storm or fog. Some ships had sheltered from persistent easterly winds along the coastline between Mullion Island and Pedngwynian a mile to the north, being unable to navigate the strong currents of the Lizard. At other times they would attempt to seek shelter here from the worst storms, and many became embayed in the Mounts Bay. It was recorded that in the 18th and 19th centuries there could be well over 200-300 sailing ships at anchor in the "Mullion Roads" for periods of up to two or three weeks at a time, journey delayed, and with limited means of restocking. Plans were submitted to the Board of Trade for approval and consisted of two proposals.

Firstly, a jetty or causeway, was to be built on the northern quayside, parallel to an existing watercourse and in the direction of Ear Rock or Scovern (Scovarn). This quayside or causeway was originally formed adjacent to a Leat for two Grist Mills, from which Mullion Cove or "Porthmellin" took its name. These two Mills, still shown on the Mullion Tithe Map, ceased working around 1840. (The remains of a third, now Grade II Listed Mill still exists some 250 yards east of the Cove at Mullion Mill farm).   At the seaward end of this quay, the jetty was to turn northwards towards Henscath, then west towards the gateway between Henscath and Scovern creating a protective dam, and a "horseshoe" shaped harbour where fishing boats and other sailing boats could load or unload their cargoes. 

Rocks would be removed from the floor of the fishing cove, which was to remain open.

The second, concurrent, proposal was to create a sheltered area for larger sailing ships and smaller Coasting and fishing boats in the Cove by building a breakwater, 630 feet (192m) in length, between Mullion Island and the Vro, a large rock on the mainland to the South East of Mullion Island. (A small gap was to be left between the larger Vro Rock and the smaller "Gull Rock"). This breakwater was some 450 yards (413m) away from the proposed jetty and was designed to create shelter in stormy conditions. However, these plans were not proceeded with, and it took until 1890 before their resurrection. 
With financial support from Lord Robartes at Lanhydrock it was again proposed to create a harbour in the Cove using the original plans. However the second part of the proposal, to create a sheltered "Harbour of Refuge", was dispensed with and the first part of the plan for a "horseshoe" shaped harbour was promoted. Plans for an extension of the northern causeway which included a quay or jetty cut into the mainland cliffs to the north of Ear Rock,with protection of a dam between Scovern, or Ear Rock, and Henscath to the north were presented to the Board of Trade in May 1890 and initially accepted. 

The work to extend the northern causeway began with consolidation and building of a road capable of withstanding the weight of the machinery and stone. However, Penzance born Sir William Matthews KCMG,(1844-1922), a Member of the Institute of Civil Engineers, and in charge of the construction plans, decided that "heave" created by tidal sea swell (rhythmical rising of the sea) in the "horseshoe" would be too dangerous for the boats and harbour users, boats could only lie alongside the quay in moderate weather, and the building cost would be excessive.

As a result, in August 1890, he proposed amended plans for the construction of two stone piers. Firstly, a west pier, 180 foot (55m) in length, beginning in the north west corner of the cove was to extend southwards into the fishing cove from the end of the northern quayside and secondly a similarly built south pier, 130 foot (40m) in length, was to extend seawards from a mainland rock on the south side of the fishing cove. This became known as the 1891 Amendment Order. It also gave Lord Robartes the authority to build a south pier, although the authority to do so was not given by the Board of Trade until much later in 1895. 

A number of skilled stonemasons and other labourers were drafted in to the village, coming from all over the South West, with T.A. Lang and sons of Liskeard, the company in charge of construction, began the removal of bedrock and construction of the pier. Work on the construction of the west pier began in earnest in 1891 but was affected by adverse weather including the Great Blizzard of March 1891. The engineers in charge of the site were Messrs. S.W. Jenkin and son, also of Liskeard. The west pier was completed in December 1892, when it was opened by Lord and Lady Robartes in an official ceremony. Construction of the south pier was delayed to reduce cost.

An application was made to the Board of Trade in July 1895 and permission to build was granted although initial construction did not begin until late 1895 when the construction firm Peacocks brought their machinery and materials to the site. Before construction of the south pier could take place an alteration had to be made to what is the currently Grade II Listed Net Loft, in order to allow free passage for the equipment. 
The Harbour was finally completed late in 1897 with initial estimates of cost having risen from a planned input of £10,000 to a total reported investment by Lord Robartes in September 1890 of £30,000.

It was hoped that the main beneficiaries of the new harbour were to be those employed by the local Pilchard, Crab, Lobster and Crawfish Fishery. However, there was also an intention to form a Mullyon Trading Company based at Mullion, a Commercial organisation to help local farmers, retailers and other occupants of the southern portion of the Lizard Peninsula who had otherwise to travel on very poor roads at the time to the Ports at Gweek and Porthleven. In doing so they could continue to supply ships anchoring in the Mullion Roads when delayed by bad weather or easterly winds. It also allowed for raw materials such as cement,wood and coal to be delivered.

The harbour, looking out to Mullion Island

Mullion Cove or Porth Mellin is a small harbour and cove on the Lizard peninsula in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated facing west into Mount's Bay approximately six miles (9.7 km) south of the town of Helston and one mile (1.6 km) southwest of Mullion village. The harbour was completed in 1897 and financed by Lord Robartes of Lanhydrock as a recompense to the fishermen for several disastrous pilchard seasons. It is protected from southerly winter gales by two sea walls and Mullion Island, half a mile (0.8 km) offshore. The old pilchard cellar and net store are preserved. Mullion Cove lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Almost a third of Cornwall has AONB designation, with the same status and protection as a National Park. Mullion Harbour, along with Mullion Island, was donated to the National Trust in 1945 by the Meyer family.

Geography and geology

The cove is situated on the eastern side of Mount's Bay and on the western coast of the Lizard peninsula. The harbour entrance is open to the south-west but is protected by the natural breakwater of Mullion Island half a mile (0.8 km) offshore. The village of Mullion and the parish church is to the north-east, approximately one mile (1.6 km) inland. There are cliffs on either side of the cove and to the south is Mullion Cliff which is part of The Lizard National Nature Reserve and is also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The rocks are hornblende schist originally thought to be a basalt or a gabbro which has been changed by the heat and pressure, produced by the intrusions of peridotite.

The high cliffs forming the south side of Mullion Cove are composed of Serpentine. In 1752 the serpentine forming Mullion Cliffs was a quarry site from which the mineral Soapstone, a Talc, also known then as Soaprock, was extracted. Remains of the mineral are still visible in the form of veins of a white or light coloured mineral running at an angle along the Serpentine cliff face. 

The mineral, initially extracted from a number of sites along the west coast of the Lizard peninsula for a period of approximately 80 years, was used by the earliest English porcelain factories to produce thousands of pieces of soft paste porcelain (Tea and Coffee pots, dinner services, tableware, vases etc). For the first time the country`s potters were able to produce a product which could withstand boiling water, allowing competition with porcelain imported from China.

Given the name of "Soapeyrock", (often referred to locally as Steatite), and identified as such in the 1720s by Dr John Woodward, it had first been located from coastal cliff sites in the Serpentine of Kynance Cove, 4.3 miles (7Km) SSE as a mineral with potential economic properties. The first studies were conducted as early as the 1670s and 1680s. During the 1720s  it was used to make experimental porcelain. Progress in the industry was slow and very costly. The high Magnesium content, white colour and very fine powdery texture which turned Soaprock into a very fine clay when wet, helped give it a property of being resistant to heat, and therefore suitable as an ingredient in the production of early ceramics.
Once removed from the cliffs it was sorted, weighed and taken in wooden casks by sea, including from Mullion Cove, to the primary early factories being those set up at Bristol (Benjamin Lund), Vauxhall (Crisp and Sanders) , Worcester (Dr John Wall, William Davis, Richard Holdship and others) Liverpool (Richard Chaffers and Phillip Christian), Caughley(Thomas Turner). The first Porcelain Factory to use Mullion Cliffs as a source of Soaprock was Vauxhall in London. It was run by Nicholas Crisp and John Sanders. Sanders died in 1758 and the factory closed in 1763. Crisp then went to Bovey Tracey where he worked for William Cookworthy on the experimental production of hard paste porcelain.
After Kynance Cove, other sites gradually came into use as more of the mineral was discovered and the demand increased. The sites included at Gew Graze ("Soapy Cove") in 1748, a mile to the north, and in 1751 the cliffs of Pentreath Beach, 1 mile south of Kynance Cove, just north of Caerthillian. The old quarry sites are still visible. The Mullion Cliff site was quickly followed by other coastal and inland sites on the Serpentine of the Lizard Peninsula.These included Penruddock Quarry, 0.3 miles (O.5Km) SE of the Vro and the largest of all the soaprock quarries, that of Daroose, situated 1 mile (1.6Km) SE of the Vro, inland from Teneriffe Farm. It was leased from Viscount Falmouth by the Worcester Porcelain Potters from 1760. Other smaller sites followed later.

Land owners including Colonel John West of Erisay, Viscount Falmouth, Mary and John Hunt of Lanhydrock, Thomas Fonnereau of Bochym, and Sir Christopher Hawkins insisted on Leases being drawn up and charged the potters for the mineral extraction. Since the 1930s many original handwritten Leases, or Soaprock Licences, have been relocated and have provided useful information in the interpretation of this industry. The manufacture of porcelain, in particular by Bristol (Lund) Worcester, Liverpool and Caughley Factories quickly became an important and evolving industry and its first use in the production of early English porcelain predated the use of China Clay in the commercial manufacture of hard paste porcelain by William Cookworthy in 1768, by well over a quarter of a century.

The Serpentine Cliffs on the south side of Mullion Cove hold a rich history. The rock itself forms a high proportion of the bedrock on the Lizard south of Mullion, extending east across the peninsula and south towards the old Lizard Point. Serpentine in the area has often undergone extensive geological faulting, and with the faulting there are many intrusions or dykes of material such as Kennack Gneiss. These faults and intrusions hold the key to the formation of certain minerals, which were often found together in a variety of of concentrations. There were two minerals of economic importance and both were first sought out in the 1700s. The first was Native or Virgin Copper which, although rare, has a 94% purity and is found in sheets appearing as though molten copper has been poured over the Serpentine. It was initially found accidentally in the 1720s at Predannack in a rich shallow deposit. Although found in very small uneconomic amounts in the Cove, it was economically mined underground in the 1720s, 0.54 miles (0.86Km) away to the SE at what is now Vro Farm, the first operation being Wheal Ghostcroft or Ghost Mine. The first hardrock mining at Mullion only lasted a few years. It was challenging for the miners due to the large amount of underground water limiting the achievable depth and again limited by the need to finance and dig an Adit to take it away. It reopened again in the 1740s as Wheal Providence, with some large amounts of Copper Ore being brought to the surface again but the investors struggled to finance a second, deeper Adit. It reopened again between 1807 and 1811 as Wheal Unity or South Wheal Unity and soon began to produce the largest sheets of Native Copper ever seen in the Country. Several of these sheets proved exceptional and when sent to Redruth for sale they could make more money sold seperately as curios because of their variety of shapes and rarity. They were catalogued by their shapes and given names such as "Map of England, Figure of a Dolphin, or a Fan". Some of these were privately bought and some exhibited in the famous Chapter Coffee House in Paternoster Row adjacent to St. Pauls Cathedral in London in 1810. An economic turndown and lack of funding to develop a second deeper Adit led to closure. The last period of mining was between 1845 and 1852 as Wheal Trenance or Trenance Mine. It was during this period that the largest and most important deposits of Native Copper were located. In May 1847 a slab of Native Copper weighing 371lbs(168Kg) was raised, supposedly the largest then known. This however was superseded in June 1848 by an even larger piece which weighed one and a half to two tons and had to be cut into several smaller pieces to be removed. A large piece of Native Copper weighing about 1300 Lbs (600 Kg), from the Trenance Mine at Mullion was subsequently exhibited at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 and is still on display in the London Natural History Museum. The second mineral Soaprock turned out to be more important, through its contribution to the production of early english Ceramics, providing a vital impetus to the industry of early English Porcelain Manufacture. It helped Porcelain Potters to provide early examples of the tea and coffee cups we all use today. 

The faults and the prospecting provided the Cove with some of the largest caves on the Lizard. In fact the Victorian visitors and holidaymakers made special journeys and visits there at low tide just to see them and try and explore them. The main cave is today known as Torchlight Cave. It forms an impressive sight. The extraordinary thing about this cave is that it lies on a fault line running south west underneath and into the cliffside from a location which is only visible by rounding a low promontory on the south side of the cove, or directly from the sea. Once inside it is apparent that it is only partially natural. The Victorians carried no Torches and had to resort to burning Furze (gorse) Torches in order to find their way. Even with these they could hardly see the roof. On the westen side is a rock wall which rises at an angle to the roof and has the appearance of being a footwall of an old mine. A chamber has been cut at the highest point over a distance of about 20 foot. To the left is a wall of serpentine which has the appearance of being a hanging wall. The floor is about 12 feet in width and rises slightly to the end which is 150 foot further on. At the top of the footwall is a 3–4 foot wide vein of pale green Soaprock, and at the end is an obvious man made chamber guarded by a partially open passage. Behind it is a mass of pale green soaprock narrowing to a dead end. This is undoubtedly one of the sites of underground soaprock mining, referred to in the 19th Century and remaining 18th century records, but it also a site of storage for contraband and smuggled goods such as brandy, commonly brought over from France by local smugglers.

Anecdotally, for many years it was suggested that this large cave and smaller Drifts, (man made tunnels connected to mining) visible from the Harbour, were in fact underground Adits taking water away from the Copper Mine on higher ground, but these are only short man made interventions into the cliff side and totally unconnected. The two documented and recorded Copper Mine adits fed northwards from the mine below a shallow valley, into the river course directly below the Listed Mill on Mullion Mill Farm. From there the water flows into the Cove some 400 yards (370m) away. With Torchlight Cave, sometimes referred to in the 19th century as the "Great Cave", being such an important site for visiting Victorian tourists, the fact that it is now so much more difficult to reach on foot- only for short periods during the lowest tides- it is therefore a strong indicator of a rising sea level, something which is so important for the future of the Mullion Harbour.

History

A Fishing industry based in Mullion Cove has been carried on for hundreds of years. There is reference to fishing boats on the Lizard Peninsula as early as the 1600s with Domestic State Papers from the time of Charles I recording details of fishing boats and their crews often being captured by North African Barbary and Turkish Pirates. A record of the Calendar of State Papers for 1636-1637 shows that "At St. Keverne and Helford Creek seven more fisher boats were taken by the Turks... three were fisher boats belonging to St. Keverne, three others of Helston, and one more of Mollan (Mullion) and about 50 men in them.

Smuggling was never far away from the minds of those involved in the fishing industry on the Lizard. Amongst the villagers and rural inhabitants a barrel of brandy quietly ordered and paid for before a smugglers boat trip to France was a welcome sight. To fishermen or other parties engaged in this illicit trade the avoidance of excise duty meant another few shillings in their pocket and just reward for foiling the excise men and customs.
In April 1786 one prolific smuggler Thomas Welland in his armed lugger "Happy go Lucky" was killed in a gun battle near to Mullion Island by men of the Revenue Cutters "Hawk" and "Lark". When he was killed the remainder of the crew were captured and on board were found many illegal fighting cocks.
A much misquoted story of Mullion Smugglers is recorded here. On 19 June 1801 in Mullion Cove the Revenue Gunship "Hecate" ran ashore and captured a lugger loaded with smuggled spirits, owned in part by a man called William Richards from Mullion. A short time later the smugglers ran to the village and obtained the assistance of a number of local men. They then broke into and raided the Militia armoury at Trenance, stealing a number of muskets and ammunition. These they took to the Cove. Using the cover of the rocks on the cliff they began firing at the Revenue Men in order to retake their boat and cargo, hoping to drive the Revenue men away. It was reported that they continued firing for a considerable time, until the Revenue men were forced to quit the lugger and take to their boat for the safety of their lives. Richards was identified and realising his plight speedily went into hiding. This was no minor skirmish. The Lords Commissioners for the Admiralty offered a £100 Reward to anyone offering information leading to the apprehension and conviction of anyone involved including that of William Richards (also known as "Billy the Payow") with a description of him "... about 52 years of age, 5` 7", stoutly made dark hair straight and short,dark complexion, dark grey eyes, reddish eyelashes and eyebrows and a full red beard, remarkably thick and large, discoloured teeth and voice sharp and shrill. A Kings Pardon was offered to "... any one of them- except Richards alias Payow - who shall discover his or their accomplices therein, so that any one of them may be apprehended and convicted of the malicious and atrocious act. Signed Admiral Pelham."

Nothing was reported of William Richards, however a man of the same name was subsequently recorded along with other Mullion men in the deeds of bravery at the shipwreck of the Anson at Loe Bar in December 1807.

Smuggling continued here with many further incidents being recorded, before gradually declining later in the 19th Century. Two of the oldest Mullion smugglers Henry "Bo Bo" George, 78 years of age, and Dionysius or "Dio" Williams, 93 years of age, gave up some of their tales and their methods of "Free Trading" towards the end of the 1800s in a Magazine Interview in 1897. In the 1800s a four gallon tub of Brandy bought in France for £1 sold for £4 on return to Mullion giving a handsome profit. Henry George, a well known local fisherman who died in 1898, was known as "The King of the Smugglers" and his father Richard was commonly known as "Old Dick". With the advent of tourism and the hotels Henry could often be found in the Cove relating stories to the visitors including those about his father who it seems, made 21 runs to France for Brandy.It seems that every trip to France was planned with military precision. Where the Preventative Service was concerned every manoevre was lawful to the smugglers and bloodshed was to be avoided. Both sides habitually were armed but there was never loss of life in the neighbourhood. Occasionally the Preventative Men would successfully recover tubs or bottles of Brandy but there were hiding places in almost every house in the locality.There was a cave in the cliff with two hollowed out chambers above the level of the tide, the location of which neither men would divulge- was this the cave often visited by tourists and called Torchlight Cave? 
Along with a sustainable approach to Crab and Lobster fishing, Pilchard Fishing was part of the lifeblood of many Cornish communities, and, along with work on local farms provided an income and food source for families in and around Mullion and elsewhere on the Lizard Peninsula. Part of the wages paid to fishermen came in the form of fish. Another local industry, the manufacture of "Fishing Pots" from locally grown "Withies" or Willow strands, highlighted part of the sustainability of the fishing industry. Each fisherman made their own Pots annually both in the Cove and in small buildings in the village before the season began. (That skill is now sadly limited to a few fishermen only).
The land in Mullion Cove was controlled by the owners of Lanhydrock House and any development required their authority. 

In 1798 the then land owner George Hunt died unmarried and left the property to his niece, Anna Marie Hunt, who married Charles Agar in 1804. He died in 1811 and she ran Lanhydrock until 1829 when her son Thomas took over. He then took the additional name of Robartes, becoming Baron Robartes of Lanhydrock and Truro in 1869.

In 1793 the Fishermen in Mullion Cove applied to Lanhydrock for permission to develop the Cove as an inshore seine fishery and by 1805 much of the Pilchard catch was taken by boat to Penzance and Newlyn to be cured. In 1806 a total of 7000 Hogsheads of Pilchards were recorded taken from Mullion.

It is likely that by this time several fish cellars had been built in Cove putting the fishing on an economic footing. It should be noted that at this time the Fishing had as much connection with Predannack as it did with Mullion and it was hoped that the new industry would encourage occupation and building at Predannack.Even the roads at that time led to and from Predannack. It is also possible that this was the time when the "Huers Hut" was sited on the Headland at Henscath, directly in front of what is now the site of the Mullion Cove Hotel, which was built in 1898. It was a solid building facing west to the sea right on the edge of the cliff and constructed in stone in the shape of a small boat. The fixed roof was that of an old upturned boat. The Huers view commanded the whole of the Mullion seine fishery. The site remains, but the Hut has gone. The Fishing Companies in the Cove elected one, or as many as three Huers per season for the vital job of directing and guiding the boats and their oarsmen listening and watching below in the oak seine boats to the best positions to cast their nets. The Huer worked from sunrise to sunset, 6 days a week, but not on Sunday, and many catches would be lost if caught late on a Saturday and could not be landed before dark.

In 1811 Pilchards from Mullion were being sold at Penzance at one shilling for 120 (or "ten-a-penny"). In the early 1800s fish were plentiful and the Pilchard Fishing took place in the summer and autumn months. In 1833 the season was considered over by October. The Markets for Cornish Pilchards in the 19th Century were in the Mediterranean, with Italy the main buyer. From the Mounts Bay Fishing Ports of Newlyn and Penzance the pilchards in their wooden casks would be sold in Genoa, Leghorn, Civita Vecchia, Naples, Ancona, Venice, Trieste, and to a lesser extent Malta. Cornwall was not a county rich in trees and forests, and with mining and shipbuilding to the fore wood was at a premium. From Elizabethan times there was a rule that the ships going to Italy were to bring back wood to replace that used to cask the Pilchards. By 1850 changes in the numbers of fish resulted in the decline of the Summer Pilchard season, with the boats going out for shoals much later in the year. After 1850 there was a drop in the numbers caught. In 1859, the shoals failed to appear at all and in 1870 a shoal of Pilchards was caught at Mullion on Christmas Day although in some seasons there were record catches as in 1871. By 1877 the fishing was in decline and a number of boats, nets and gear were put up for sale. However catches varied and good years continued. 
Most of the major fishing companies were based at Newlyn, with boats at Mullion. It was part of the Mounts Bay Fishing Industry. The names have now long disappeared but some are still remembered- Bolitho, Leah, William Thomas, the "Union" and "Gull" Boats employed by Trehair, "Mullion Friends", Coulson and Company, the "United Seining Sompany", "The Happy Return" employed by Edward Batten, Mullion "Covers", Mullion "Rovers", the "Union". 

A transition took place in the early 20th century with a declining industry. Like many fishing communities Mullion held an Annual Regatta in the Cove attended by hundreds of locals and visitors alike. Spectators lined the harbour and cliffs to watch it taking place. Events included sailing and rowing races, gig and punt races, swimming, Life Saving, obstacle races, tug of war in boats and the "greasy pole" still in use at some venues today. The early Regattas were popular in the 1890s were always very competitive. Sad to say that in the Regatta of 1894 Joseph Williams, a local man, lost his life and drowned when his boat Daisy sank in an accident. The names of George, Downing, Gilbert, Bray, Casley and Mundy were regular participants in their boats, including Morning Star, Secret, Surprise, Kate, Gleaner,Boy Jim, Britannia, Ajax and Morning Girl. In 1905 a series of summer storms in May and August destroyed boats and large quantities of fishing gear which was expensive to replace and by the end of August there were doubts that the fishing could continue. It took a concerted effort from a number of then famous Edwardian actors (Seymour Hicks), actresses (Elleline Terriss), show business heroes and visiting authors staying at the three main Mullion Hotels to promote the Regatta, produce a Programme of Events and help raise enough money to allow the fishermen to continue. Many Victorian and Edwardian visitors were occasionally treated to their first and last glimpses of a life as a Cornish pilchard seine fisherman. In September 1908, following a long quiet spell there was a call of "Hevva" from the huer.The "Covers" quickly launched two boats with one net shot below the Polurrian Hotel but the net could not be closed and the fish escaped. A second net was shot but the shoal escaped. Another "Covers" boat was launched and a net was shot off Mullion Island, this time successfully enclosing part of the shoal at the north end of the Island enclosing about 100 Hogsheads of fish. It was a talking point for many a visitor at the Mullion Cove Hotel and from those watching from the cliffs. It was not unknown for local Cricket Matches in the village, or farmers harvesting the crops, to be halted in mid flow by a call of "Hevva" and all the fishermen would run to launch the boats. However the demise of the pilchard was set and by 1920 the seine boats had almost disappeared never to return. It heralded a new beginning for motorised fishing boats, able to travel farther afield and get a bigger, fresher catch to market more speedily. The names of some of the Mullion fishermen can still be recalled- John Bray, Ken Ryan, Jim Downing, Hubert Harry, Herbie Gilbert "Herbie Dry", Dick Gilbert "Dick Wet", Gilbert Thomas, William John Mundy, Joseph Mundy, Jack Pascoe, Glen Pascoe, Pard Mundy, "Admiral" Thomas, and Eddie Mundy. His son Barry Mundy, John Pascoe and his son Jonathan, Johns brother Jimmy, whose life John saved at sea, just a few of those from the 1930s onwards. After the second world war the likes of Battle of Britain Spitfire Pilot Geffrey Wellum and his son Neil fished for several years out of the Cove.

A pilchard fishery started in the 18th century with seining controlled by seining companies whose main interest was at the busier fishing ports. The pilchards were cured at Newlyn and exported to Mediterranean countries. Mullion had a unique payment system. In the 1870s the two net shooters were paid 10/6d a week, plus one and a quarter shares each of 25% of the catch, plus 2d each on every hogshead (3,000 fish) of the seine owners' share of the catch; each huer was paid 17 shillings a week plus every twentieth dozen of the caught fish and the master of the cock boat; the bowman each receive 9 shillings a week, plus one and a quarter shares each of 25% of the catch, plus 1d each on every hogshead of the seine owners' share of the catch; the remaining crews each received 9 shillings a week plus a share of the 25% of the whole catch. During the 19th century the Isles of Scilly smack or ketch called into the cove to collect locally caught lobster and crab, which was taken to Southampton. Construction of the harbour commenced in 1893 and was completed, two years later, in 1895 with the west harbour wall first, followed by the southern quay. The harbour opens to the south-west and is protected by Mullion Island. Building of the harbour was authorised by an Act of Parliament which allowed for the embarking and disembarking of passengers, animals, fish, goods and merchandise of every description. Lord Robartes of Lanhydrock financed the building as recompense for several poor pilchard seasons in the late 19th century. The Robartes have a long association with the area having owned the manor of Predannack Wollas since at least 1696. The cove and harbour was acquired by the National Trust in 1945 when they spent £5,000 on repairs. The harbour is still home to a small shellfish industry and both the grade II listed west and south piers have been badly damaged during the 2013–14 winter storms.

The area has been subject to much smuggling activity. In 1801, the King's Pardon was offered to any smuggler giving information on the Mullion musket-men involved in a gunfight with the crew of HM Gun Vessel Hecate.

During World War II an anti-tank wall measuring 5 ft (1.5 m) high and 4 ft (1.2 m) wide and consisting of concrete blocks with a solid infill of concrete. Approximately 50% of the original wall still exists. Additional defences included barb wire along the harbour walls and cliffs.

In January 2014 the Daily Mirror ran a front page story featuring photographs of a man holding a young child up to peek over the harbour wall during a storm and then being engulfed by waves. The photographs were also featured in other national newspapers including the Daily Mail the Daily Express and The Times.

Lifeboat station

Mullion Lifeboat Station. By the late 1850s, as a result of an increasing number of shipwrecks and severe storms where lives were lost, it was realised by Villagers and the Lloyds Marine Insurance Agency that a Lifeboat was needed on the west coast of the Lizard Peninsula. In 1859 the RNLI also agreed, but despite Lord Robartes agreeing to help fund it, progress obtaining one was slow. The nearest Lifeboats at that time were at Porthleven and Lizard Point. A series of awful storms between January and April 1867 led to 16 shipwrecks in the Port of Penzance area. Three schooners, Cherub, Ebbw Vale and Margaret were wrecked off the cliffs between Mullion and Poldhu in one storm on January 5, 1867 resulting in the loss of 4 lives. In the same storm there were 5 wrecks at Marazion. As a result of the wrecks and lives being lost the villagers in Mullion held a Public Meeting chaired by the local vicar, Rev. Edmund George Harvey calling most strongly for a Lifeboat to be stationed at Mullion Cove. The RNLI responded and funds were raised by Lord Robartes, local Methodists the RNLI and other generous contributors. Shortly afterwards, in March 1867, a barque, the Dutch Eastindiaman, Jonkheer Meester van de Wall van Putterschoek was wrecked off Poldhu with one survivor and the loss of 24 lives. This was already the 15th wreck of the year in the Penzance Port area.

On the 13th September 1867 a self-righting Lifeboat named Daniel J Draper was brought from London, via Penzance, to Mullion where it was stationed in a newly built Lifeboat House. On 21 October 1867, the occasion of her first launch, the Lifeboat crew managed to save 3 lives from the wreck of the London Barque Achilles,which became embayed in the Mounts Bay before grounding at Polurrian. The rescue also involved the Coastguard and use of the Rocket Apparatus from the beach which helped rescue a further 14 hands.

On April 19, 1872 a tragedy struck Mullion when the First Coxswain of the Mullion Lifeboat, William Mundy, was drowned in an accident off Porthleven when his 18-foot sailing boat sank in an unexplained incident. With him at the time were 2 of his sons Joel (25) and Henry(13) plus a carpenter, Henry John Williams (20). There is a memorial cross dedicated to Henry Mundy in Mullion Village Church.

Between 1867 and 1887 the Daniel J Draper responded to 14 calls. It was replaced in 1889 by the Edith which responded to 2 calls, and in 1897 by the Nancy Newbon which responded to a further 7 calls. There were many occasions when the storms were too strong for even the Lifeboat to be put to sea. In 1908 the crew and villagers were informed that the Lifeboat was to be removed from Mullion and the last time the Nancy Newbon put to sea was a Practice Session on 18 June in fine weather and on a smooth sea, led by the coxswain Joseph Gilbert. Mr Franklin Mundy went through signalling procedures and the last session was watched by a large contingent of parishioners, some of whom took a trip in the boat. The Lifeboat Station was formally closed on July 3, 1908. During its lifetime there were a total of 4 Coxswains 1. William Mundy 1867-1872, 2. Samuel Mundy 1876-1906, 3. William George Jan 1906-July 1907, and 4. Joseph Gilbert July 1907-July 1908. There were in total three Hon. Secretaries during the same period 1.Rev. E.G. Harvey 1867-1884, 2. John H. Shepherd 1884-1890 and 3. Rev. J.H. Scholefield 1890-1908. The significance of the Rocket Apparatus along the west Lizard Coast has sometimes been understated, but although more lives were saved by this means than by the Lifeboat, the Coastguard and local men always attended when summoned, a fine example of bravery and teamwork. One only has to experience a violent storm here to see at first hand the conditions they dealt with. The sailing ships, unsailable, their gear, masts and sails often already damaged or lost overboard, and the crew exhausted through hours of attempting to tack away from the cliffs, became embayed and powerless to escape the clutches of the rocks. A quotation after the wreck of the Achilles records a fitting description and memorial to all those involved It is gratifying to notice that whilst the rocket apparatus was so successfully handled by the coastguard,the Mullion Lifeboat also fulfilled her mission on this the first occasion of her putting to sea from her new station, where she has been hardly a month, and it is further gratifying to note that on the occasion of the last wreck (Jonkheer Meester Van de Wall van Putterschoek) along this coast on 26th March last 25 lives were lost,the largest number on record, namely 18, have providentially been saved". Lloyds Agency Records show 24 lives were lost from the Jonkheer in March 1867. This included a baby born to a passenger on board the ship at sea during the journey from Batavia.

Mullion Cove had a lifeboat station from 1867 until 1908, receiving only fourteen service calls. On her first launch, on 21 October 1867, the Daniel J Draper helped to save three lives from the barque Achilles which was wrecked at Pollurian. In the six years up to 1873 there were nine wrecks along a mile-and-a-half stretch of coastline under Mullion cliffs with the loss of sixty-nine lives.

See also

• Mullion
• Mullion Island