Memorial for Lost Mariners – Porthleven

porthleven

A short walk west along the coastal path from Porthleven leads you to a quiet area of clifftop known as Breageside. Here you will find a white painted stone cross facing out to sea. This cross is one of a pair erected close to this picturesque harbour and both are linked to the same man […]

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George Symons – Cornish Motorcyclist in First Ever Manx Grand Prix

George Symons is not a name that many of us will be familiar with but one hundred years ago he was something of a Cornish celebrity. And for those passionate about motorsports in the south west today he should be a legend. George Symons raced in the first ever Manx Grand Prix in 1923, competed […]

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Legends of the Black Rock of Falmouth Bay

At the entrance to Falmouth Bay, a little closer to Pendennis Point than St Anthony Head, there is a small rocky shoal known as Black Rock. It has had various names over the years, including Falmouth Rock, Parson’s Rock and Caregoyne but perhaps its current name is most suited to its reputation as a menace […]

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The Tomb of Sir James Tillie, Pentillie Castle

Pentillie Castle, built by James Tillie in 1698, is one of the best kept secrets of the Tamar Valley. An elegant home tucked away in deep woodland beside a bend of the river, it is an impossibly idyllic spot. But this grand house, and the wonderful estate that surrounds it, also has one of the […]

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Sennen Cove – The Landing Place of Kings

The curve of Whitesand Bay stretches from Aire Point to Pedn-Men-Du headland, like a rough, rocky bite out of the Land’s End coastline. This bay, which encompasses Sennen Cove and Gwynver Beach, is a popular surf spot where huge rollers tumble in from the Atlantic. But in centuries past those waves brought with them some […]

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Albert Reuss – Escape to Cornwall from Nazi Occupied Austria

The artist Albert Reuss was one of many Jewish refugees who fled Nazi occupied Europe and the terrible violence of the Holocaust to the safety of the United Kingdom. However it was a chance meeting with a Cornish Quaker that not only brought about that escape but also meant that Albert and his wife were […]

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The Secrets of Swanpool

swanpool

For many visitors and local people alike the little lake known as Swanpool just outside of Falmouth is a favourite place for a stroll. For generations it has been a popular spot to bring the little ones to feed the ducks and to stretch your legs before heading to the beach. However, this coastal lagoon […]

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Pistols at Dawn – Duelling in Cornwall

For hundreds of years damaged reputations were avenged and arguments were settled with a duel. Whether with sword or pistol challenging your enemy to a one on one contest was thought by many to be an honourable way to assuage your hurt feelings and answer a perceived slight. After coming across a couple of almost […]

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Hugh Peter – The Cornishman who killed a King?

It would of course be unfair to blame just one man for the death of King Charles I but the Cornishman Hugh Peter may well have played a significant role in the monarch’s downfall. He was certainly guilty of stirring up malicious, regicidal feelings towards the king, encouraging Parliament to inflict the ultimate punishment on […]

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Tangier Island, Virginia – a forgotten community founded by Cornish fishermen

Tangier Island

Tangier Island is a wild, marshy landmass in Chesapeake Bay, Virginia on the east coast of America. The tiny population of around 500 people survives mainly on fishing, harvesting crabs and oysters and, in recent years, tourism. It is a remote, isolated community, cut off from the mainland for centuries. The islanders have developed their […]

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