Penzance sits in the heart of beautiful Mount's Bay - the centre of
Cornwall's most westerly region. Penzance: The Biography tells the story
of the town, from its earliest times to the 400th anniversary in 2014 of
its borough status. It tells of its growth from two small neighbouring
villages to its thriving industrial Victorian heyday and beyond, a tale
of disaster and success, drama and survival. Penzance has survived
attacks from Celts, Vikings, Saxons, Normans, African corsairs, Spanish
galleys, English Parliamentary troops and Second World War bombing. Its
fortunes have rested upon tin mining, shipping and tourism among a
wealth of other industries, including, of course, smuggling. Famous
characters' stories are revealed: its first 'founder', Alice de Lisle;
the Pretender, Perkin Warbeck; the pioneer of modern chemistry, Humphry
Davy; the father of Methodism, John Wesley; and others from all strands
of society who have trodden Penzance's streets. Herein lies a rich
pageant of history that created the town and its ongoing story.