Cornwall's Hidden History Blog
Falmouth is blessed with beautiful public gardens, many of which were once the private grounds of the town’s wealthiest families. Gyllyngdune (pronounced gillingdoon) is tucked away between the Princess Pavilions and the sea. It is one of the smallest gardens but contains some rather extraordinary features. In 1837 General William Jesser Coope bought 16 acres […]
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Falmouth is fast becoming one of the most exciting and diverse of Cornwall’s towns. From its high street full in independent shops, bars and cafes, to its fantastic beaches, its thriving University and historical working dockyards, this is a town alive with Cornish culture and a flourishing artistic spirit. It is the perfect destination for […]
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If there is one thing that Cornwall does well, it is hide it’s industrial past. The desolate mining landscapes of 200 years ago have been largely reclaimed by nature. Many have become unlikely havens for wildlife and recreation. Hidden History One of my favourite short walks takes in such a landscape. Although these days you […]
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This week saw the opening of a new major exhibition at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall. Telling the story of the famously unsinkable ship, the Titanic, the exhibition takes a fresh look at the facts and the myths behind this endlessly fascinating event. Infamous tragedy Titanic was meant to be the ship that even God […]
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Since I first came across Andrew Lanyon’s book A Fairy Find many years ago I have been fascinated by his work. He challenges me to see the world in a different way, a weird and wonderful, and often slightly perplexing, way. His latest exhibition which opened last weekend at Falmouth Art Gallery is called Nature’s […]
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As you drive towards the main campus of Falmouth University sharp modernist buildings fill the skyline. This once grand private estate has now been a place of learning and education for more than 70 years. Since Tremough Convent School closed its doors in 1998 however the old buildings have mostly been swallowed up by new […]
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Isn’t it strange that you can see something a thousand times in your life and never really question what it is or why it is there? That was how I felt when one day I actually stopped and looked at the Killigrew Monument in the centre of Falmouth. When I got home I had a […]
Read MoreWhen my grandmother became too old and confused to live on her own she announced that she was going to move to the Methodist home in Falmouth. We tried to persuade her to come and live at the farm with us but she was, as she had always been, determined. Falmouth was the town where she had spent […]
Read MoreThe Mole . . . absorbed in the new life he was entering upon, intoxicated with the sparkle, the ripple, the scents and the sounds and the sunlight, he trailed a paw in the water and dreamed a long waking dream. The Wind in the Willows: Kenneth Grahame Lerryn is a tiny, tucked away village sitting at […]
Read MoreSince I found my Brownie camera in a charity shop I have been on a sharp learning curve as I have got to know it and have gradually built up a picture of how this funny black box actually works. I plan to do a couple more blogs on the anatomy of my Brownie and […]
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