Porthcurno Beach

In the late nineteenth century, Porthcurno began to receive a great deal of national attention, for it became the British connection of the world's very first international telegraph cable. This first cable stretched all the way to India, with subsequent cables being built to reach other areas within the British Empire.

In 1872, the Eastern Telegraph Company (ETC) Limited took over the operation of the cables and built a concrete cable office in the valley—a building which still stands today. In the inter-war period, this office briefly became the busiest telegraph station in the world, capable of transmitting up to two million words a day. The operation would later be forced underground in the Second World War, and was ceased totally in the 1970s.

Over the last century, Porthcurno has also made its name as the backdrop to Cornwall's iconic Minack Theatre. The theatre was started in the early 1930s by Rowena Cade and her gardener, Billy Rawlings, with many improvements being made over the following years. With an ancient Greek appeal atop rugged Cornish cliffs, it's no wonder the theatre's popularity has only grown over time.