Chapel Street can be considered the most historic street in Penzance as its leads off the oldest part of Penzance, the Quay. As the town grew it extended up Chapel Street.

As you walk up the street you can feel its history. There are many buildings of architectual and historical interest, a major part of this area dating from the mid 18TH Century. It is well worth the walk, to take in this most interesting street.

Chapel Street

Some ancient traditions still persist. During the festival of Golowan, on St John's Eve there is a procession down Chapel Street when blazing torches are carried. The procession ends in Ouay Street where the 'obby 'oss Penglaze leads a serpent dance.

Penglaze

Large Anchor In Chapel Street

Egyptian House

This is certaining the most extraordinary building in Chapel Street.

It was built in an era when interest in Egyptology was at its height, specifically to house a geological collection.

The facade, dating from the 1830s may look garish, but it has been renovated using the original colours.

The Regent Hotel

This building was once a family residence of the Batterns, a wealthy family whose members provided mayors of Penzance no less than 15 times in the early half of the 19TH Century. The building was then Perrow's Temperance Hotel but now it has a public bar.

Branwell Family House

At the seaward end of Chapel Street is Branwell House. This house was the Branwell family home, the mother and aunt of Charlotte, Anne, Emily and Branwell.

This house was built in the 1780s. It has a brick front which has not been painted but kept as a feature. It must remembered that at that time using granite for the facade was considered vulgar. Brick frontage displayed social standing.

There is local folklore as to how  this building and the other two in the block acquired their bricks. A Dutchman was captured by a Cornish Privateer whose cargo of bricks he confiscated. This is maybe the reason why the houses are called the Rotterdam Buildings.

Admiral Benbow

Halfway down Chapel Street is an unusual inn and restaurant, with a mariners theme, named after the famous 17TH Century Admiral Benbow.

Decorating the inn are cannon and figure heads, much of it authentic, being brought up by divers from some of the many wrecks found off the notorious Cornish coast.

The inn was originally converted from an old cottage, and from  the front, the outside still has a quaint feel with its small paned windows. One unusual feature  is a smuggler on the roof.

Union Hotel

The Union Hotel has been a hotel since 1825. Before this the building existed as a family home, part of it comprising a public assembly room constructed by public conscription in 1791. Prior to this, on the site, stood the Ship and Castle.

The hotel is fabled for being the place where the death of Lord Nelson was first proclaimed.

Turks Head

Chapel Street also boasts the oldest public house in Penzance, the Turks Head. It was once run by Thomas Holloway, whose son of the same name was brought up here and went on to become a famous medicine retailer. He became extremely wealthy employing mass advertising techniques, even approaching Charles Dickens to endorse his products. A generous man, he donated £700,000 pounds (an enormous sum in Victorian times) to found the Royal Holloway College for women.