Many visitors are left thinking nobody really lives in the village – but locals insist it’s got a strong community spirit
Locals in a picturesque UK village, which sees many businesses shut and homes left vacant during the harsh winter months, have praised its “amazing” and vibrant community.
Polperro, nestled in South East Cornwall, is like something out of a grim fairy tale. With its charming yet not overly twee appearance, it was once a haven for smugglers keen to evade the taxman.
Nowadays, many tourists mistake Polperro for some sort of pirate-themed amusement park. They assume that no one resides in its labyrinth of narrow streets – most of which are too slim for cars – that cascade down a lush valley into the historic harbour.
In the summer, these visitors swarm Polperro like the pilchards that were once landed here, along with other contraband goods.
However, come winter, this influx of tourists dwindles to a mere trickle, leaving the streets deserted and many of Polperro’s galleries, restaurants and gift shops closed.
Yet, the locals who do reside here maintain that there is still a robust sense of community spirit, even if most now live up on the hillsides rather than in the heart of the old village itself.
They insist it’s a fantastic place to live – despite the issues that over-tourism and second homes can bring, reports the Express.
Fran Martin, an employee at the 18th-century Blue Peter Inn overlooking the harbour, has called Polperro home for over two decades. She reveals that the village’s population has decreased by a third during her time there.
She said: “There were 300 people living down here in the village when I came here – there’s just 200 now. Nobody can afford to live here.
“I feel very sorry for the youngsters – it’s ridiculous,” she laments, expressing worries that local youth are being priced out. This is a worry mirrored in communities across Cornwall and other areas popularised by mass tourism.
When questioned about the winter season, Fran said: “It’s dead. Some places do try to stay open, but there just aren’t that many people here.”
Kim Thompson, of Ocean’s Studio – specialising in Moorcross pottery and Anita Harris ceramics – for the past four years, after relocating to Polperro from Stoke-on-Trent.
She said that the winters here are “deadly”. “It goes very quiet – and very wet,” she adds.
“It changes dramatically. But that suits certain people, who are looking for a quieter holiday,” Kim continues.
She keeps her pottery studio open until the end of December, then closes from January until the end of March. Kim often retreats to Stoke-on-Trent during these winter months, but she maintains that Polperro still boasts a “great” community.
“It’s a real community – and that surprises people,” she shares. “Living here, you really do get to know everyone in the village.
“Everybody gets along and we all look out for one another. It’s a great community”.
Artist Gina Farrell runs a gallery and painting studio just across the road from Kim’s ceramics workshop.
She has called Polperro home for around 40 years and is adamant the village retains its tight-knit community spirit.
“It is very quiet in the winter,” she acknowledges, revealing she closes shop in January before reopening for February half term and weekends.
But Gina says she’d be in her studio creating artwork regardless – so she might as well welcome visitors to her gallery whilst she’s there.
Gina considers herself “very lucky” to have nabbed a housing association property “up on the hill”.
She’s witnessed firsthand the chaos caused by excessive tourism and second-home buyers.
She told the Express: “When my kids were little, we moved from place to place – and they would all be sold by their owners. I think I was a lucky charm for anybody who wanted to sell their house.”
Yet she reveals that second homes are now being offloaded and permanent residents are returning – a shift also seen in nearby Looe, where BBC One’s Beyond Paradise films.
Gina reckons spiralling energy bills – combined with a dramatic drop in holiday rental bookings – are behind (or responsible for) this dramatic turnaround.
“Lots of people do move here,” says Gina.
“I love living here. It’s a real community. We all know each other and help each other.”
Lee Gregory, whose family has owned Polperro’s Model Village for nearly four decades, lived above the business in the heart of the old village but now resides on a small holding on the outskirts.
He insists that Polperro “is a great community”.
While he acknowledges that most residents now live up on the hill rather than nearer the harbour, he maintains that it’s “still a good community down here”.
He also notes that the sense of community continues into the winter months. “It still has a community feel – it’s just a lot quieter,” Lee remarks.
“You do see a few more people around at weekends – and you still see people in the pubs!”Some of the holiday cottages have been sold, and that’s been a real boost to the community. “However, Lee still shuts the model village for much of the winter, only opening for the busier Christmas period. Artist Jasmine Rebecca Cave doesn’t even bother with Christmas.
Jasmine only opens her tiny kiosk gallery – which is so small she sits outside of it in the street – for the summer season. Despite living a 40-minute drive away in Carlyon Bay near St Austell, she says that Polperro has an “amazing” community – even during the winter.
Jasmine said: “It’s an amazing community here. I probably know more people here than I do where I live – you just can’t avoid people here, so you get to know everyone.
“The community stays really vibrant, even in the winter. It’s lovely atmosphere – very quirky. I think the locals quite like the winter – they get their village back.”