A Timeline of Pentewan Sands!

From 1945 - 2025, we're celebrating 80 Years of holidays on the beach. Take a look at our timeline of events from pre-opening to today...

Pre 1920s

Long before the days of our 5 star holiday park, the land on which Pentewan Sands sits witnessed a history of farmers, sailors, American soldiers, and Iron Age Settlers! On the North-Western side of the beach, there is evidence of a village.

The area on which Pentewan Sands sits was once farmland, with a harbour used for transporting goods out of Cornwall.

Sand was originally moved off the beach pre 1920s via train to create sand bricks. The workshops in the harbour are made of the original sand bricks, and when the tide is very low, you can sometimes see the train tracks!

The Pentewan Valley Trail (popular with cyclists and hikers) runs along the bed of an old narrow gauge railway that was once used for transporting clay and tin to the docks, where it was transported overseas. This was eventually closed when they silted up.

At it’s peak, Pentewan shipped a third of Cornwall’s China Clay from local quarries in St Austell, a thriving industry that the area is famous for.

1920s – 1930s

The Winnick, as it was originally called, was a working farm with cattle on it in the winter months and campers in the summer months.

1940s

In the Second World War, the land was used to house American Troops and their families when they came to visit. The surrounding areas were used for training and socializing during family time, which lead to the idea of a Holiday Park.

When the war came to an end and the troops departed, several of the wooden cabins used to house them were converted into holiday lodges in an area now known as The Willows.

1945

Pentewan Sands Holiday Park opens!

The park was the brainchild of Air Marshal Sir John Tremayne, his WW1 Air Force Observer, Sir Victor Sasson, and Submariner Cecil Malleson VC.

In the aftermath of two world wars, they felt compelled to fill the shores of the South Coast of Cornwall with laughter and joy once again - and they certainly did!

1960s – 1980s

The park continued to grow and develop, with the addition of touring pitches, more holiday lodges, an outdoor swimming pool and entertainment.

Photo from guest Charlotte Anne

Photo from guest Charlotte Anne (1970)

Photo from guest Catherine Budden

Photo from Louise Hinton as a baby in 1981 and returning in 2020 with her mum

1990s

1990 saw the introduction of the first static home to Pentewan Sands. Prior to that, we had 39 chalets.

We now have 132 holiday homes and 417 touring pitches!

In 1991, there was a terrible storm that destroyed the beach.

This was a very difficult time for the family that owned the park, and resulted in a restoration project with storm defenses to prevent further sand movement. To this day, the continuation of this project protects the park and local village of Pentewan.

Cornwall is by far one of the most beautiful places in the world, and we're making sure it stays that way. Alongside this restoration we are committed to encouraging our guests to look after their surroundings, regular beach cleans, rewilding efforts, and ocean education, so we can all look after our environment and enjoy it for years to come.

In 1997, there was a massive flood in the local village of Pentewan, and our holiday park housed the residents while their homes were repaired.

2000s

The Retreat (our flagship holiday home) was converted in 2005 from 2 pine lodges that were built in the mid-80s.

After many renovations, this modern four bedroom bungalow is popular with our guests and is often fully booked all year around!

In 2006, the beach was used for Marine Training, which continued for a few years and still occurs now and again!

In 2007, The Lookout came to life!

This holiday home was built on top of an old lime Kiln, giving the home elevated views across the park and the bay of Mevagissey. With it’s own private driveaway and modern amenities, this too is very popular with our guests.

2010s

We continued working on developing our facilities to provide two indoor swimming pools with fun flumes, new restaurants and takeaways, an amusement arcade and children’s entertainment in peak holidays!

In 2015, Hub Box opened a branch on the beach of Pentewan Sands. This popular burger and fries chain is a hit with visitors to the park and the coast.

In 2016, we featured in the local papers for raising money for Children’s Hospice South West.

Giving back to our community is really important to our family, and we do what we can to support these local causes, through raffle prizes, promotion, and donations of holidays to those that deserve it most.

In 2017, we hosted CMC Riviera Run for the first time ever – and it quickly became an annual event every May Bank Holiday!

Attracting minis and other classic cars from across the UK and overseas, there are car shows, entertainment, live music, stalls and a fun fair for the kids. Popular with car enthusiasts, it’s one of our favorite times of the year!

This was the year we entered the Cornwall Tourism Awards and won three awards for our 5 star facilities and experience!

In 2019, we added our Beach Houses.

These 4 holiday homes are a step up from the caravan and camping experience, sleeping up to 6 people across a raised sleeping area (accessible by a step ladder, which children love!) and two convertible beds in the dining and living areas. Only a couple of steps from the beach, these homes are popular for that relaxed holiday experience.

2020s

With the outbreak of Covid-19, we were forced to close our park.

This was a very upsetting time for us and our guests, many of whom visit us every year and feel more like our own family! We missed the laughter along the coast, and seeing families enjoying themselves on the beach.

Thankfully, our park survived the closure, and when we were able to open again, it was an uplifting time for all of our staff to see those families return to us and start making happy memories again after such a difficult period for the world.

2025

This year, we’re proud to celebrate the 80th anniversary of our family owned business.

It’s been eight decades since we welcomed our very first guests to our park - even though it still feels like yesterday! Over the years, we’ve welcomed generations of families and loved ones to our park - as guests and as members of our team - and we’re honoured to have been a part of their treasured experiences and memories.

To mark this special year, we opened a brand new Asian Fusion Restaurant on the park – Stingi’s – which sources seafood caught by local people in the bay of Mevagissey, and vegetables from local farmers. We’re also running competitions and giveaways all year for our guests, from family passes to local attractions to vouchers in our restaurants!

Times have certainly changed since that first day - but one thing that remains is our passion for providing memorable holidays for you and your loved ones.

We hope to welcome you to our park one day for a holiday on the beautiful Pentewan Sands beach!