Here at Any Old Lights we don’t just trade out of any old building. Opinions differ as to which is the oldest dwelling here in the ancient port town of Fowey; our shared shop at 9 South Street, however, has as valid a claim as any. The building is first mentioned in records dating back to 1436 but the foundations date back as far as the 13th century.
Believed to have originally been built as a wealthy merchant’s house, by the 1400s it was functioning as a hostelry for pilgrims awaiting ships sailing abroad.
The building still features its original oak beams here in the shop, and the upstairs living quarters retain the original spiral staircase and two garderobes, aka medieval ‘long-drop’ toilets (mercifully no longer in use).
