Welcome to the Falmouth DFAS Website!

Falmouth DFAS is both the most southerly and the most westerly DFAS society in Britain, situated in a county that is extremely rich in artistic tradition and also has a flourishing contemporary art life. There is a great interest in all aspects of art among people living here - something that is reflected in the success of our society, which is very active and has enthusiastic and supportive members.

We held our Inaugural Meeting on 13th October 2000 with a Founder Membership of 212. By the end of the first year we had a waiting list of 75 and felt confident enough to increase our total membership to 230.

We meet in the Ballroom of The Falmouth Hotel at 10.00am for 10.30.am on the second Friday of the month; our programme begins in September and our AGM is held in June. We have a well-planned programme on a particular theme - this year the lectures highlight Collectors and Travellers. We hold Study Days and Study Afternoons which may, although not necessarily, also relate to the main theme.

We arrange visits to local galleries, historic buildings and performances at the Theatre Royal at Plymouth, and a group of members enjoyed a very successful trip to Dublin in May 2002. A visit to Tuscany and Umbria was arranged for May 2003.

The Society has four groups of Heritage Volunteers, one of which is at work in the library of the splendid new National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth, which houses the largest collection of books of maritime history in the South West. We also have a Church Recording Group, a group working at Helston Museum and a new book restoring group at the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society.

Falmouth DFAS is involved with various art projects in the local community. We are funding an award to a student in the new 20th Century Art & Design course at University College Falmouth ( formerly Falmouth College of Art), which was presented for the first time at our AGM 2003. We are also supporting, together with University College Falmouth, a Children's Illustrations Archive at the award - winning Falmouth Art Gallery. The archive was created in December 2004, and Falmouth DFAS will be funding some purchases of children’s book illustrations over a five - year period, adding to an already existing collection in the gallery. It is hoped that the illustration archive will also attract gifts from professional illustrators. The emphasis will be on work that reflects the culture and activities associated with Falmouth and its environs.

To find out more about our activities, please click on the panel to the left.

To see some paintings of Falmouth, move the cursor over "Home" and click on "Falmouth Art".

If you would like to have a look at the previous years’ programmes, click on archive.

Our Logo – A Packet Ship

The ship that can be seen sailing across the top of the page is a drawing of a Falmouth packet ship. It was chosen as the Falmouth DFAS logo and it is a fitting symbol for Falmouth’s maritime heritage, as the packet ships played an important part in the growth and economy of the town.

At the end of the 17^th century the needs for trade, colonial expansion and continued wars with England’s continental neighbours increased the need for a reliable postal service abroad, and in 1689 Falmouth was chosen as the base for a scheduled government mail route to Corunna in Spain. A post office agent ran the service in Falmouth and the mails were delivered from London, put on a packet ship, chartered by the Post Office, and distributed at the port of destination by a British agent or consul. During the 18^th century the packet ship service expanded to Lisbon, the Caribbean, Gibraltar and several parts of North and South America. In the next century routes were opened to the Mediterranean and to Alexandria, as part of the way to India.

This was much more than a postal service: merchants carried official dispatches of bullion to pay British troops and brought money back from abroad, and the early news of disasters, wars, victories etc. reached Britain first via the packets. The ships also carried some important passengers, and the captain was allowed to do some trade, although carrying cargo was forbidden. But many officers and crew made money by illicit means.

Packet ships were originally any that were thought fit for the job, but the Post Office produced a design that became standard for future packets. It was small (180 - 200 tons), fast and unsuitable for carrying cargo. They carried a crew of 22 in peacetime and 28 in times of war, with 8 - 10 guns. At the beginning of the 19^th century there were around 40 packet ships. The PO financed the ships and paid for the crew and their food, while the owner was responsible for the running cost of the ship.

The development of steamships meant the end for the sailing ships of the packet service. In 1823 the Royal Navy took over the service, and from 1840 steamships were introduced. The last packet ship returned to Falmouth in 1851.

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