Street Meets Falmouth Explores Town’s Historic Streets

The Hidden Stories Beneath Falmouth’s Streets

Falmouth is a town shaped by its streets.

Long before cafés and independent shopfronts settled into place, the same roads carried sailors fresh from transatlantic crossings, merchants trading imported goods and daily news arriving through the docks. The harbour determined how the town grew, and its streets developed around it, built for trade, conversation and community.

Now, a new winter campaign is inviting people to look again at what has always been there.

Killigrew Street Through the Years

Killigrew Street has long been one of Falmouth’s busiest arteries. Historic photographs show it packed with people, including a circus procession moving down the road in the early 1900s. Spectacle and everyday life have shared the same space for generations.

Behind the crowds, the buildings themselves tell their own story.

At number 2 Killigrew Street, Cod on the Corner now serves fresh fish and chips. In 1880, the premises was home to ironmonger Lukey Thomas. By 1912, EL Griffis was trading there in religious tracts, wool and fancy goods. The shopfront has changed, but business has remained a constant.

Further along stands The Seven Stars, one of the street’s most recognisable landmarks. The 17th century alehouse was granted its licence in 1660 and is now a Grade II listed building. Over centuries it has welcomed sailors, workers and families, each becoming part of the street’s ongoing story.

📷TM2 Seven Stars Hotel, Falmouth Moor, decorated for Edward VII's Coronation in 1901

Berkeley Vale’s Changing Identity

Berkeley Vale carries its own layered history.

Number 11 has shifted identities several times. In 1892 it was a coach builder’s premises run by John Blee. By 1895 it had become a currier’s workshop under Francis Walter. In 1914 it was listed as the private residence of Mrs Blee.

Today the building houses a cinema, but its earlier life was defined by craft and industry rather than film soundtracks.

📷TM4 Moor market in front of Edgecombe Terrace

The Moor’s Enduring Role

The Moor remains Falmouth’s historic gathering place. Markets have been held there for centuries, with a formal market established in 1812. It has long been a place of exchange, not only for goods and produce but also for conversation and local news. The market shaped both the commercial and social life of the town.

A Living Record of Enterprise

Many of these details have been preserved by the Falmouth History Archive. Its evolving record charts businesses, trades and occupants, showing how buildings have adapted across generations. From ironmongers to artisan makers, coach builders to coffee shops, enterprise has continued without interruption.

Street Meets Falmouth, launched this month by Falmouth BID, builds on that continuity. Rather than seeking to reinvent the town centre, it encourages people to notice the streets as they are, shaped by use, adaptation and daily life.

In Falmouth, the story has never been about one shop or one moment. It is written in the streets themselves, and it is still unfolding.

📷KS1 Circus going up Killigrew Street, Falmouth, ca 1910