Visit Newquay Places

Welcome to Visit Newquay Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Newquay

  

Newquay Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Newquay

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Newquay history

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Prehistoric period

There are some pre-historic burial mounds and an embankment on the area now known as The Barrowfields, 400 m (440 yd) from Trevelgue. Excavations here have revealed charred cooking pots and a coarse pottery burial urn containing remains of a Bronze Age chieftain.

Medieval period

The curve of the headland around what is now Newquay Harbour provided natural protection from bad weather. When the village was first occupied is unknown but it is not mentioned in the Domesday Book. By the 15th century, a village referred to as “Keye” existed around the present harbour, near “Tewynblustri” (the spelling changed as Cornish evolved and is now rendered as ‘Towan Blystra”)

1801–1900

The first national British census of 1801 recorded around 1,300 inhabitants in the settlement (enumerated as a village under St Columb Minor parish) The construction of the current harbour started in 1832. A mansion called the Tower was built for the Molesworth family in 1835.

1901–2000

Three churches were built early in the twentieth century, including the present day parish church of St Michael the Archangel, which was consecrated in 1911. At the time of the First World War the last buildings at the edge of the town were a little further along present-day Narrowcliff. Post-war development saw new houses and streets built in the Chester Road area, accompanied by ribbon development along the country lane which led to St Columb Minor.

Modern period since 2001

The first phase of a new Duchy of Cornwall development began to be built in 2012 at Tregunnel Hill, which was sometimes unofficially called Surfbury. The plan now includes more than 4,000 homes, shops, a supermarket, church and a 14-classroom primary school.

Newquay geography / climate

Climate

As with the rest of the British Isles and South West England, Newquay experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. Temperature extremes in the area since 1960 vary from 31.3 °C in June 1976 and August 1995 down to −9.0 °C (15.8 °F) in January 1987.

Geology

The bedrock underlying Newquay is the Devonian age Meadfoot Group, a succession of interbedded mudstones, siltstones and sandstones. Quaternary age deposits of blown sand cover the bedrock in the western part of the town. Some mineralisation associated with the Cornubian granite batholith that intrudes into much of the peninsular is found.

You can visit Newquay places with Walkfo Newquay to hear history at Newquay’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Newquay has 38 places to visit in our interactive Newquay map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Newquay, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Newquay places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Newquay & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 38 audio facts unique to Newquay places in an interactive Newquay map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Newquay Places Map
38 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Newquay historic spots	Newquay tourist destinations	Newquay plaques	Newquay geographic features
Walkfo Newquay tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Newquay

  

Best Newquay places to visit

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Newquay has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Newquay’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Newquay’s information audio spots:

Legacy Hotel Victoria, Newquay The Hotel Victoria is in Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is near the cliffs above the Great Western Beach. The Hotel first opened in June 1899.

Great Western Hotel, Newquay The Great Western Hotel is the oldest purpose built hotel in Newquay, Cornwall. The hotel was originally designed by the Cornish architect Silvanus Trevail and first opened in April 1879.

Penhallow Hotel fire The Penhallow Hotel was in Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was a well-known hotel for holiday makers ranging from families to older residents. The building had a wooden fire escape at the rear and a central light shaft running from the ground floor up to the roof.

Newquay Zoo Newquay Zoo is a zoological garden located within Trenance Leisure Park. The zoo was opened in Cornwall on 26 May 1969 by the local council. It was privately owned by Mike Thomas and Roger Martin from 1993 until 2003.

Huer’s Hut The Huer’s Hut is a listed building in Newquay, Cornwall, England. It may date from the 14th century and was used as a hermitage and a lighthouse. It was used to signal the arrival of pilchards in the bay by a man known as a huer.

Godolphin Atlantic (Newquay) F.C. Godolphin Atlantic (Newquay) Football Club is a football club based in Newquay, Cornwall. Affiliated to the Cornwall County Football Association. They are currently members of the South West Peninsula League Premier Division West.

Headland Hotel The Headland Hotel is a Grade II listed building located in Newquay, Cornwall. It was opened in June 1900 and is built on a prominent position overlooking Fistral Beach and Towan Head.

Trevelgue Head Trevelgue Head, also known as Porth Island, is a headland north-east of Newquay, Cornwall. It is the site of an Iron Age promontory fort with defensive ramparts and two round barrows dating from the early Bronze Age.

St Columb Minor St Columb Minor (Cornish: Colom) is a village on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. At one time it was the main settlement in the area, but it has now been encroached upon by its larger neighbour Newquay.

St Columba’s Church, St Columb Minor St Columb Minor Church is a late 15th-century Church of England parish church. It was built in the 15th century and is now in the Diocese of Truro.

Visit Newquay plaques