The Story of the Minack Theatre

Come behind the scenes of our latest photoshoot and discover the beautiful history of the Minack Theatre.


Cut from the rocky cliffs above Porthcurno Beach you’ll find the Minack Theatre, where we shot our latest collection. With vast sea views and lush subtropical gardens, the open-air theatre has an incredible story to tell.

It was designed and hand-built by Rowena Cade, who moved to the Minack headland in the 1920s. Inspired by the wild beauty of the landscape surrounding her, the story of the Minack Theatre began when Rowena Cade offered her cliffside garden as a stage to a local open-air theatre company.

Rowena Cade and her gardener, Billy Rawlings, started to cut away at the rock to create a sloped seating area and stage for a one-off performance of The Tempest. Rowena Cade fell in love with her theatre and following the success of the performance, she continued to build.

Everything was created entirely by hand, often with cement that Rowena Cade made using sand she carried up from the beaches below. The sloped seating area became a terraced amphitheatre and, when the cement was only half set, Rowena Cade would etch artistic patterns into it using an old screwdriver.

Though weathered by the salt-tinged breeze, these designs can still be seen today, along with the names and dates of plays performed there.

Creating the Minack was an extraordinary lifelong project that Rowena Cade worked on well into her eighties. Her strong spirit and creative vision brought the theatre to life amongst the rugged landscape where she made her home.

The Minack Theatre is still open today, with an impressive line-up of shows running from Easter to October. Plan a visit yourself to take a tour of the cliffside gardens and learn more about the Minack’s history, or catch an unforgettable show against the backdrop of a wild turquoise sea.