Porthleven (/ˌpɔːθˈlɛvən/; Cornish: Porthlynn) is a town, civil parish and fishing port in Cornwall, England.

The most southerly port in Great Britain, it was a harbour of refuge when this part of the Cornish coastline was infamous for wrecks in the days of sail.

[5][6] After the Norman Conquest, the Bishop of Exeter held the manor of Methleigh, but the Earl of Cornwall possessed the right to hold the fair.

Thomas Lockyer Williams, a Tractarian who introduced practices into the parish which provoked dislike in the Rev.

[11] The Institute was grade II listed on 18 March 1991 and currently houses the town council and a snooker club.

[12] It featured (along with various other scenes from the town) as the incident room in an episode of the TV detective series Wycliffe.

A picture of the building against a large breaking wave sometimes appears in the background of BBC UK weather forecasts, particularly when windy conditions and rough seas are expected.

The Institute has a plaque to Guy Gibson VC, leader of the Dambuster Raid, on the wall facing the harbour.

[13] William Cookworthy acquired leases on the Tregonning Hill quarries and shipped china clay to his porcelain factory in Plymouth.

[19] Due to the prevailing westerly winds, it was easy for a ship under sail to be trapped in Mount's Bay and wrecked nearby.

Porthleven has exploited its location and powerful swells to become one of Britain's best-known surfing spots, described as "Cornwall's best reef break".

[27] The beach is separated from the harbour by a granite pier in front of the Porthleven Institute and clock tower.

[29] The restaurateur Rick Stein opened a restaurant in the town, now taken over by fellow chef, Michael Caines.

[31] Porthleven was the birthplace of the Victorian theologian Pender Hodge Cudlip and of David Jewell, an independent school headmaster in the late 20th century.