Huer's Hut
The Huer's Hut is a listed building in Newquay, Cornwall, England. It may date from the 14th century and have originally seen use as a hermitage and lighthouse. By the 16th century it was used as a lookout point for the seasonal arrival of pilchards in the bay. A man known as a huer would signal the arrival of the pilchards and direct fishermen towards them. The structure was in the ownership of Cornwall Council and was subject to restoration work in 2014. It is now on a lifelong lease to Newquay Town Council.
History
European pilchard fishing was a major industry in Cornwall and the neighbouring county of Devon from the 16th century. A great quantity of fish were exported to the Mediterranean countries, where they were popular during times of fast such as Lent when Catholics abstained from the consumption of meat. In England the obligation to fast was relaxed after the English Reformation and consumption of fish dropped; it was therefore well placed to supply countries such as Italy which were not self-sufficient in fish. Pilchards are migratory fish and in the 16th century vast schools of young fish would approach the coastline at Land's End in mid-July. The fish would progress gradually eastwards along the north coast of Cornwall and Devon. There was, therefore, a short period in which the fish could be caught en masse by nets cast from boats in shallow waters.The Huer's Hut at Newquay, Cornwall served as a lookout point from which a man known as a huer could keep watch for the arrival of the pilchards. They could be discerned by the water turning a dark reddish-brown and by the flocks of seagulls which dived down to feed on the fish. The huer would announce the arrival by shouting "hevva, hevva" or through the use of a trumpet after which he would direct the townsfolk to the fish by waving tree branches above his head. The word huer has the same derivation as the "hue" in hue and cry, after this action.
The Huer's Hut at Newquay has been described as "a particularly fine late mediaeval specimen". The listed building description states that the current structure dates from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, though a plaque on the structure claims 14th-century origins. The plaque also states that the structure may have been used at an earlier time as a hermitage and lighthouse.
The structure was restored in 1836, at which point the fireplace may have been significantly altered. It received protection as a listed building on 24 October 1951 and is currently categorised as grade II*.