Medieval Cornwall 

Industrial Cornwall 

Modern Cornwall

Tourism and the Cornish riviera

Tourism and travel had long contributed to the economy of Cornwall. Although difficult to reach by land, it was an important link in the sea routes of the British Isles, and during the Napoleonic Wars took on increased significance as a major link to Portugal.

The main boost to tourism came with the Paddington to Penzance railway line in 1876, leading to an increased number of visitors to the county each Summer to savour the delights of sun, sea and sand. Old fishing ports such as St Ives, industrial harbours such as Falmouth, and new resorts such as Newquay came to depend on tourism more and more as the 20th century progressed.

From a population of approximately 400,000 in the Winter, Cornwall grows to some 2 million in the Summer.

International Art

Not that Cornwall is simply famous for tourism - or rather, some of the most important tourists have also been artists who placed Cornwall on the map as an international centre for art.

The 'Newlyn Group', dating from the 1880s, was led by the French artist Bastien Lepage but also visited by Thomas Gotch and Henry Tuke. The most famous art movement, however, was centred at St Ives, which had attracted artists since the 1890s, but achieved its greatest renown when Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth settled there in the forties and fifties. Today, work by the extremely influential St Ives group can be seen at the new Tate museum in the former fishing town.