Holiday With History: The Pump

The Pump, Port Isaac

Back in the days before mains water, every village throughout the UK would have had access to a local pump or well. A basic necessity, the water was used for drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning, and would be collected daily by a member of every household in buckets, pails, pots, pans and even watering cans. Likely due to the amount of residents, plus ample access to fresh water, two working village pumps were situated in Port Isaac. Wells were once often found in the back kitchens of local homes with water being drawn up via a bucket on a rope, but nowadays these have mostly been covered over for safety. One of the original village pumps is located outside a Port Isaac Bay Holiday cottage on Middle Street, named after the water source itself.

The old water pump outside The Pump, Middle Street, Port Isaac

In the 1930s The Pump cottage was home to Bert and Lillian Keat. Located in the centre of the village, the now-listed building housed Mr and Mrs Keat, their five daughters Hazel, Phyllis, Joan, Beryl and Veronica, and their son Bert, who was sadly killed in the Second World War.

The old water pump on the junction of Back Hill and Trewetha Lane, Port Isaac

Port Isaac’s pumps can still be found at the junction of Back Hill and Trewetha Lane, and on Middle Street outside The Pump cottage. Now sleeping six, the property used to be split into two cottages, with an entrance to the left-hand side of the building, and an entrance on the right. Adjoining the right-hand side entrance is a brick porch that contains the second village water pump, which remainins almost intact to this day. Likely fed by the stream that runs through the valley of Port Isaac to the sea, the pump located on Middle Street was still working right up until the 1950s. It is said that even when all the houses in Port Isaac were connected to the mains, villagers still preferred to gather clear, fresh water from the pump as the mains water often tended to be brown (due to discolouration from the pipes, particularly at times of high demand). The pump on Middle Street was finally sealed off in 1970 but still remains as a preserved piece of history within the village, and one that can be a part of your holiday should you stay with us at The Pump.

Autumn afternoons at The Pump

Stay at The Pump from £90 per night. The Pump is pet friendly and benefits from parking.