The Red Store
The Red Store at Lerryn is a prominent feature of the south bank of the river. It is a Community Interest Company (Red Store Lerryn, C.I.C.) with 9 Directors and a Membership of currently 42.
The ground floor is a gallery equipped for displays of arts and crafts as well as meetings or social functions, with catering and toilet facilities. It can be booked on a hourly or daily basis. Free WiFi is included in the hire fee.
Two workshops on the upper floor are reached by a separate staircase. They have facilities for pottery or other crafts and are usually rented on a medium or long term basis.
Scrabble, Book and Bridge Groups usually meet in the Red Store on the following days:
- Scrabble, every Tuesday (except the second Tuesday of each month) at 2.00 pm. For more details contact Sue Watts, tel: 01208 871513
- Book Club, the second Tuesday of each month at 2.00 pm. For more details contact Rosemary Weatherhogg, tel: 01208 873621
- Bridge, every Thursday at 2.00 pm. For more details contact Paul Weatherhogg, tel: 01208 873621
History
The Red Store was built about 1870 although a band of stone around the base differs in quality from that above suggesting that the present building stands on the remains of a much earlier structure. The store is one of the few remaining examples of the many riverside warehouses that existed by the Fowey River and its tributaries. They were important for the local economy when few goods were imported or exported by road.
Since the decline of the water-borne trade, the Red Store has had a variety of uses, The owners of Lerryn Mill used the building as office and workshop space in the early 20th C, newsprint was stored here for recycling during the war and for a time in the 1950s the upper floor was used by the village youth club. More recently it contained the family possessions of its owner, Mrs W Elin of Wood Cottage.
For many years the Parish Council had recognised the potential of the building for community use and, realising that conversion to a dwelling would probably change it beyond recognition, set about trying to persuade the building's owners to sell it to the council. In 2002 the owners agents indicated that, not only was the sale of the building possible, but also that it could be at a very reasonable price and that time could be allowed for the funds to be raised.
Restoration
The Parish Councils of St Veep and St Winnow combined forces to set about raising the money for the purchase, conversion and restoration of the building, having staged a consultation event to gauge public support for the project. A grant of £2000 from Caradon D.C. covered the initial survey, plans and applications for planning permission.
Applications were made to the Heritage Lottery Fund, Objective 1, RDA, and Caradon DC for funding. Architects were appointed and the building cleared for a full survey which included a Bat and Owl report. It was found that a rare Lesser Horseshoe male bat was in residence. An application to disturb the bat was eventually approved by the District Council, English Nature and Deffra.
Work commenced on the building in November 2005 and was completed in August 2006, 5 months behind schedule but under budget. Significant parts of the building are now dedicated to several species of bat and other creatures.
Booking
Click on the Book online button above, or if you have a query use the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Booking charges, with effect from 1 January 2026 are:
- £9/hour or part thereof
- £45/day 8.00 am to 10.00 pm
Payment must be made by BACS bank transfer.
The above charges are subject to annual review, with any increases usually implemented at the start of a new year. Please be aware, if booking in advance you will be liable for any increase imposed at the start of the new year.
Bear in mind that the Red Store is difficult to reach without boots when the height of the tide is above 5.0 metres. The highest (Spring) tides occur in the evening (6-8 pm in summer, 5-7 pm in winter). Consult a tide table or the Booking Secretary. Mornings and afternoons are usually safe.
Boats carrying visitors often come up the river from Fowey on the summer Springs and moor at the quay beside the Store.
2010 
Pots and Paintings. 12.11 
Pots and Paintings. 12.11 
Portraiture Workshop. 5.12 
Food & Drinks Fair. 12.11 
The project team in 2004. Esthermary Todd, Barry & Judith Campbell-Taylor, Eric Baker, George Mansell, Ken Hoskin. 
2002 
November 2005 
February 2006 
October 2006 
1914 
1930s. Trading ship moored at the Red Store quay. (Couch's Store/The Boathouse and Black Store on right) 
The Gallery 
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