Mousehole Lights

Since the 1960's the Cornish fishing village of Mousehole in Cornwall have been putting on a Christmas lights spectacle in their harbour. From the Saturday in the middle of December the lights are on from 5pm-11pm each day until the end of the first week of January, except for December the 19th when the lights are switched off for an hour (between 8pm and 9pm) to remember the victims of a lifeboat disaster which hit the village back in 1981.

The lights range from static displays in and around the harbour, the boats moored in the harbour and the houses and cottages within the village are also lit up. As well as familiar Christmas themes, the lights are also based on old Mousehole stories and legends. On the harbour wall below the Ship Inn there is usually replica of a Stargazey Pie. This is a pie which is cooked on the 23rd December, which locally is known as Tom Bawcocks Eve. Tom was a local fisherman who is said to have braved persistent storms to land seven different types of fish and used them to make a pie for all the villagers.

The first night is the Switch-On when the village is closed off for the evening, Santa visits, and local bands and a choir sing carols to accompany. This display attracts many visitors every year and is a fund raising event for local charities.

Beth Moon 

Location: Mousehole Christmas Lights, Mousehole, Cornwall Grid Reference: SW469264 Ceremonial County: Cornwall Map Link: Multimap Aerial photo: Getting there: From M5 take the A30 towards Penzance, follow the coastal road through Newlyn and then onto Mousehole. Access: No vehicle access to town on the switch-on night. Website: www.mouseholelights.org.uk  Other Useful Websites: Panorama of the 2007 lights Email: MHxmaslights@aol.com Address: The Harbour, Mousehole, Nr Newlyn, Cornwall Postcode: TR19 Telephone: Opening Times: 5pm-11pm each night they are on Charges: None Nearby Locations: Tater Du Lighthouse, nr Mousehole, Cornwall  Other Location Pages: Illuminated Events Notes:

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