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Custom House Quay was Falmouth's original harbour lined by pubs (The Chain Locker and The Quayside Inn) and the custom house itself. It was immensely important with the coming of the packet ships. These small fast ships were the news carriers of their day. This was where the Royal Mail established its packet service and For 150 years, Falmouth was the only place where the mail came in and out of the country and where overseas news first reached Britain. In its heyday, 3000 ships a year passed through Falmouth but by 1850, sail had been replaced by steam. The steamships were faster and more reliable than the old sailing packets. And they had no problem reaching London whatever the wind. And so Falmouth’s importance diminished (Link BBC Cornwall).