Cornwall Locals
Autumn / Winter 2026
Noah's FW26 campaign, shot in Cornwall, wouldn't exist without the people who call it home and welcomed us so warmly. We were so taken with their character and charm that it felt only right to shine a light on them and ask a few questions to get to know them a little better. We hope you get to visit this special corner of the world someday.
what brought you to Cornwall?
We moved here in 2006 to take over The Gurnard's Head, a very run-down coaching inn near Zennor. It was a fabulous opportunity to bring a small, young, enthusiastic team down from Wales and breathe new life into an iconic site. We surrounded ourselves with like-minded people who all shared one goal: look after your guests in a simple, old-fashioned way. It was a lot of fun, and twenty years later, we're still doing it.
were you born in Cornwall or moved there?
Moved here in 2006.
have you ever been to NYC ? If so, what was the experience like?
Yes, in the early 2000s, to look into opening a traditional British pub in New York. I looked at a few sites, but it was still early in my cooking career and the whole thing felt daunting. Perhaps it was a touch of imposter syndrome. I should have gone for it. I loved New York, though, and stayed with great friends in Brooklyn who still live there.
have you ever lost food to a Seagull?
Yup - an ice cream in Mousehole.
how do you like your Scone? Butter or Jam first?
Butter, then Jam, finished with cream on top.
can you speak Cornish?
Nope.
what is your favorite thing about Cornwall?
The light, the communities & the rugged coastline.
what brought you to Cornwall?
Many things – some visible, some invisible. I returned with the gales of lockdown.
were you born in Cornwall or moved there?
Born here from molten granite some 280 million years ago…
have you ever been to NYC ? If so, what was the experience like?
My god, I forgot! Yes. I went when I was 21. It was a university trip, and it was wild. I felt so tiny, like the city could eat me up. But seeing artworks in real life, in museums and galleries, off the page and out of the art books… that was mega.
have you ever lost food to a Seagull?
Haha what? Does a bear shit in the woods?
how do you like your Scone? Butter or Jam first?
Butter of course.
can you speak Cornish?
Yar.
what is your favorite thing about Cornwall?
It's weird, wonky and wild, if you let it in.
what brought you to Cornwall?
University, and the need to escape Coventry.
were you born in Cornwall or moved there?
Moved here in 2016.
have you ever been to NYC ? If so, what was the experience like?
Yes. I went when I was 21. Though it was a wild, huge, instant vibes, street-life.
have you ever lost food to a Seagull?
Obviously.
how do you like your Scone? Butter or Jam first?
What about the cream?
can you speak Cornish?
You can talk dirt.
what is your favorite thing about Cornwall?
Where the green meets the blue.
what brought you to Cornwall?
I came to Cornwall on a whim. I'd just finished university and wasn't sure what I was doing with my life, so I started working at the sea-fronted shop at Finisterre, a cold-water surf brand. A couple of months later, the stars aligned: my boyfriend at the time got a job at a surf school in Porthcurno, and I landed a marketing internship at Finisterre HQ in St Agnes. The rest is history. Ten years on, I'm still at Finisterre, and I love Cornwall more than ever, especially this special corner of West Cornwall.
have you ever been to NYC ? If so, what was the experience like?
I went to New York back in 2015, Portland and Pennsylvania. I was 22, and it was my first time in the US. After three months of living in Brooklyn, New York's energy was a flavor to be reckoned with. As a young traveller, I mainly ticked off the tourist traps. Now that I'm a little older and a little wiser, with so many friends on the East Coast, I'd love to go back and experience it through their eyes.
have you ever lost food to a Seagull?
I can't say I've ever had it stolen by a seagull, but I was once told that seagulls are low-key outlaws and fisherman reincarnated. I've seen them in a different light ever since, and if that's true, I'd happily share some chips with them.
how do you like your Scone? Butter or Jam first?
Jam, then cream. No butter. Ever.
can you speak Cornish?
Nowdhy.
what is your favorite thing about Cornwall?
There's so much to love about Cornwall, but the community down here is really special. Conventional career paths can be hard to come by, and I think that's fostered a creative community of artists, photographers and makers. There's a real sense of people caring and their own paths and making things happen.
what brought you to Cornwall?
My parents moved here when I was one, and obviously I moved with them.
were you born in Cornwall or moved there?
As I said, my parents moved me here when I was one, so technically I'm not Cornish because I wasn't born here, but I feel Cornish though.
have you ever been to NYC ? If so, what was the experience like?
No, I've never been to New York. I've done the West Coast of America, which I really enjoyed, but I've never done the East Coast. It's on my list.
have you ever lost food to a Seagull?
Yes, a few times. But my best story is about a raid by the Jay duck called the Hurricanes. You could sit and feast with a friend breakfast while the seagulls then handed the tables and tried to pee on your food. You'd abandon it, and then they'd eat it.
how do you like your Scone? Butter or Jam first?
Jam first, but that's purely a plastics-based answer. You get a better coverage of jam that way. Otherwise you get a slab of jam, and a blob of jam is not the way to go.
can you speak Cornish?
I don't speak Cornish beyond a few words, but the language is definitely still present here, and we all speak bits of it without really knowing.
what is your favorite thing about Cornwall?
The people. The people here are special, and there's a natural sunshine in the Cornish that you feel everywhere. I walk to work and say good morning to people, and they smile and say good morning back. There's something about this part of Cornwall, especially Penzance, where we're all still connected to one another.
what brought you to Cornwall?
Always lived here.
were you born in Cornwall or moved there?
Yes.
have you ever been to NYC ? If so, what was the experience like?
Nope, but I'm looking forward to going one day. I did spend a class in Washington, DC, over Easter. Visiting a good friend and his family, I loved the experience. We went on an epic ski day, road trip to the Carolinas.
have you ever lost food to a Seagull?
Yes! A seagull landed on my head, then bound forward and stole my ice cream.
how do you like your Scone? Butter or Jam first?
Like my father.
can you speak Cornish?
I can sing in Cornish with the school choir.
what is your favorite thing about Cornwall?
Surfing.
what brought you to Cornwall?
I was born here.
were you born in Cornwall or moved there?
I was born there.
have you ever been to NYC ? If so, what was the experience like?
No, but I'd love to go one day.
have you ever lost food to a Seagull?
Yes, it was a sandwich, but honestly I didn't really mind, because it meant that I could have an ice cream.
how do you like your Scone? Butter or Jam first?
I love scones, however they come.
can you speak Cornish?
No, but my brother can speak a tiny bit.
what is your favorite thing about Cornwall?
The sunsets, Gwenver beach, playing with my friends in the sea, and surfing.
