Cornwall's Hidden History Blog
In the dark depths of the winter of 1870 the tiny Cornish fishing village of Cadgwith made the national newspapers when it became unwittingly embroiled in the ongoing Franco-Prussian war. The strange story of the lost balloon post brings to life a forgotten period of history, a time when the postal service (and a speedy […]
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Ann Boswell, better known as Granny Boswell, is one of Cornwall’s best known characters and an important figure for many in the gypsy community but who was the real woman who has inspired so much affection, so many stories and has even been depicted in one of the biggest TV shows of the past decade?! […]
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A year or so ago an old Porthlevener asked me if I knew about the Moonstone. (I think that he might even have called it an asteroid at the time.) When I said I hadn’t he told me I couldn’t miss it, this rock that had supposedly fallen from space, if I went to cliffs […]
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Poltesco is one of those really beautiful hidden spots on the Lizard. A place that you only seem to get to if it was where you were heading for in the first place. But this now isolated cove was once a hive of industry, with men and machinery at work and ships coming and going, […]
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Hidden amongst trees down a narrow dead-end lane is what remains of St Ruan Major Church. Once a grand building described as “one of the most curious and interesting” of Cornwall’s churches it is now a shadow of its former self. A atmospheric shell, open to the sky. When I first came across the ruin, […]
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In August 1797 Rev. Richard Polwhele preached a sermon to his congregation in Manaccan concerning two rather “melancholy events” that had recently taken place in the parish. One was a destructive storm of near biblical proportions, the other was a murder. I first came across Richard Roskruge’s story while on the hunt for unusual epitaphs […]
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When Charles Dickens visited Cornwall in the mid-19th century he spent some time walking around the Lizard “knapsack on shoulder and stout boots on feet”. He felt that it was the only way to truly experience this isolated corner of Cornwall. Just outside Gunwalloe he made the acquaintance of a man he called “Old Cuttance” […]
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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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Mullion Cove has to be one of the most picturesque places in Cornwall. On a calm day the little harbour, enclosed by the protective arms of its sturdy walls, seems sheltered not only by these man-made additions but also by the rocky island just off shore. But as we well know this coast has many […]
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With its long tradition as a home of pirates and smugglers it’s little wonder that there are numerous tales of buried or sunken treasure to be found around the Cornish coast. From shipwrecks such as the one at Dollar Cove to hideouts belonging to pirates like John Piers and even strange legends of magical underwater […]
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