About The Ship Inn
The Ship Inn is a community-owned pub based in Portloe, Truro, and the local residents and regular visitors hold it quite close to their heart.
Being community-owned allows The Ship Inn to maintain affordable prices because there is no landlord or commercial brewery to keep happy. Due to this, the satisfaction and happiness of its guests will always be The Ship Inn's priority.
History of The Ship Inn
The Ship Inn was first built in the 17th century as a fisherman's cottage then converted into the village pub in the early 20th century. Originally known as The Portloe Drinking Kitchen, the pub has been the village's emotional centre ever since.
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In December 2024, the pub owners put The Ship Inn up for sale, much to the disappointment of local residents. The future of The Ship Inn was momentarily uncertain but the community rallied together and formed The Portloe Community Benefit Society (PCBS) in April 2025 to purchase and run the pub. The PCBS rallied and raised enough money that they were able to purchase The Ship Inn in September 2025.
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The Ship Inn reopened a few months later in December 2025 and has been going strong since then. The fundraising and community support has even allowed for The Ship Inn to get some well-deserved renovations and improvements to the kitchen and accommodation.
Portloe often appears in films and tv series, both the village as a whole and the local church specifically. Some of these works include Crooks in Cloisters (1964), BBC's Wild West (2002-2004) starring Dawn French and Catherine Tate, Mary Wesley's The Camomile Lawn (1992), and About Time (2012) directed by Richard Curtis.
Finding Us
Note that The Ship Inn doesn't have a house number attached to it when planning your visit.
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When arriving in Portloe, follow the single lane road past the coast and harbour.
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Once you reach the other side of the village, there is clear signage of which building is The Ship Inn. It should be a 2 minute drive or 6 minute walk from the Portloe car park.
