Porthcurno community history

The collection includes artefacts, photographs and oral histories and is of local and regional importance. Telephone number (01736) 810 478 Porthcurno occupies a unique position in history as the most strategically important communications site in mainland Britain. From the first undersea cable that was laid in 1870, Porthcurno grew to house the world’s largest and busiest submarine telegraph station. Porthcurno was also home to the international Cable and Wireless Training College, described as the world’s leading training institution for telegraph technology. The 14 cables linking Porthcurno to the British Empire employed a binary code technology that was the fore-runner of the internet. This cable network was of vital strategic importance in World War II. Following the closure of the telegraph station in 1970 and the training school in 1993, the PK Trust was formed to run the Porthcurno Telegraph Museum; to preserve and promote the unique history of the site and collection. Our collections are designated as being nationally and internationally significant.