Polperro Fishermen’s Choir

Polperro Fishermen’s Choir, a popular male voice choir since their formation over 100 years ago in 1923, provides the very best in traditional Cornish and modern choral music.

The choir has appeared on radio and television, attracts audiences from many countries wherever they perform and has forged friendships with choirs from England, Wales and elsewhere in the world.

The choir’s aims and objectives are as strong as ever and a great many charities have benefited from their devotion and love of singing. We have the active support of our President, the celebrity broadcaster and writer Richard Madeley, in raising money for good causes. 

Many members of the choir are also in the Polperro Wreckers, who perform in Polperro on most Wednesday evenings. 

Raising money for charity ‘at home’ and elsewhere

On selected Wednesday evenings in the summer each year the male voice choir can be seen ‘at home’ on the fish quay or in the chapel in Polperro, entertaining locals and tourists alike. Describing the concerts as one of Cornwall’s ten best ‘free secrets’ in her book Cornwall for Free, author Rachael Rowe says the singing “is a delight to hear as the sun goes down over the sea”.

The choir and the Wreckers also perform in Looe and elsewhere, often to raise funds for the RNLI. Our famous Christmas Concert in Polperro Methodist Chapel on 23rd December attracts an audience from many parts of the country and overseas. 

Tommy Mark, a Polperro fisherman lay-preacher known as ‘The Fishermen’s Bishop’, attracted large congregations to his services. In 1923, Tommy and Eva brought together the singing fishermen to form the first Polperro Fishermen’s Choir, to sing hymns and religious style sea songs in the village. Few, if any, of the choir could read music, but the patient coaching of Eva helped each man to learn his part. Their uniform was a rough home knitted roll neck woollen jersey, so the choir continued the tradition of the real old days when wives and daughters knitted jumpers for their men folk and each man could be recognised by the pattern on his jumper. It was not until 1982 that the choir modernised and adopted the black blazer and roll-necked shirt by which it is now so easily recognised.

As the fishing industry declined still further so did the number of fishermen, and other men of the village came to swell the choir. Soon they were singing regularly in the village and in other parts of Cornwall, mainly at religious services. There have been many memories built up since then, but one of the saddest times was when founder-conductor Eva Cloke passed away on Christmas Eve 1969 as the choir were singing carols around the village.

In 1973, the choir’s Golden Jubilee year, they made their first album “Sounds like Polperro” which quickly became a best seller, followed by many other successful recordings. New CDs were produced for the 80th and 90th anniversaries of the choir and the choir’s current very popular CD is “The Magic of Polperro” celebrating 95 years of singing.

Although today there are very few true fishermen singing with the choir, the roots and traditions of the choir are deep, and its aims and objectives are as strong as ever. Many charities throughout Cornwall have benefited from the devotion and pure love of singing of all the choir members.