Page 7 - Captain William Strike of Porthleven

completed in 1818, seven years after the grant of the statutory authorisation, some of
the labour being provided by Napoleonic prisoners of war. That the new artificial harbour
was ever completed at all is a source of some amazement, if only because the
promoters were often embroiled in arguments and disagreements amongst themselves
about the direction of the project. Tragically the harbour was very badly damaged in
1824 in the course of what was described as the ‘Calamitous Storm’ which occurred in
November of that year. Equally tragic was the loss of no fewer than thirteen local fishing
boats.

A year after the storm of 1824 the promoters determined to rebuild the harbour and
posted an interesting, and certainly optimistic, notice. That notice stated that

‘…this Harbour and Port being completed and open with perfect security to all
vessels trading in timber from the Baltic, and with coals and other merchantize so as to
afford means for the winter supplies in the working of the numerous mines now open in
its immediate neighbourhood…All mine agents, traders and other persons desirous of
landing and forming depots of timber, coals, [etc.] … may be accommodated with
premises to any extent on the commodious wharfs’.

Misgivings

Seven years later there is evidence that the directors of the Harbour Company had grave
misgivings about their corporate enterprise. In July 1831 those directors gave notice of a
sale, by auction, of the ‘town’ and port, candidly taking responsibility for the failure
through their own disunity, as well as pointing to a ‘lack of material’, whatever that might
have meant. The evidence of heavy expenditure is clear, with something approaching
£70,000 having been spent on development, maintenance and repair, often
superintended by a number of eminent engineers of the day. These works were
grandiosely described as ‘the march of improvement’, through which any new investor
would be assured of profits of several thousand pounds in just a few short years.

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