MalpasKea

Malpas at a glance

Malpas: a riverside village and former port where the Truro and Tresillian rivers meet

Malpas is a riverside village and former port about 2 miles south east of Truro. It lies in the civil parish of St Clement, at the confluence of the Truro River and the Tresillian River, and it sits within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The village has long been known for its ferry crossing to the Roseland peninsula. A local legend links the crossing with Iseult. Ferries and boat trips still run from the village.

Malpas was once a working port. Ships were built here in Victorian times at Messrs Scoble's boat yard, and timber was unloaded at the village. Cargo bound for Truro was transferred from ships to barges for the trip up the river to the city.

Today it is a popular boating centre, with navigable waterways to Truro, Falmouth and the open sea. The Truro River, from the city down to the village, forms part of the Malpas Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest. The tidal mudflats are important feeding grounds for wildfowl and wading birds.

The Malpas Wassail is a song collected from local singers in 1951. It was included on a Topic Records album, Songs of Ceremony, and was also recorded by the Watersons.