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AUTHOR RAYNOR WINN •

A MUSICAL APP FOR TRURO • ART: THE CORNISH FAUVE • STREET FOOD IN PENRYN

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JUNE - JULY 2022 ISSUE 72 £3.25

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Issue 72 | June - July 2022

Hello and

This is an unusual view of the King

Harry Ferry, and in June, this floating

highway will host an unusual event.

Thanks to Philleigh Way Cookery

School, it will be transformed into a

riparian restaurant for the evening.

It’s one of several al fresco dining

experiences to make the list in our

Places To Eat feature, along with a

beach, a vineyard and a cycle trail.

There’s no mistaking this edition’s

cover star. It’s 90 years since Rowena

Cade built the Minack Theatre in her

garden to host a local production

of The Tempest. Today, it’s one of

Cornwall’s most popular attractions,

and has set the bar high for outdoor

entertainment. Plenty have risen to

the challenge, including Wildworks

and Miracle, both of whom join The

Minack in our selection of the best

performances from Bude to Penzance.

Have your diary at the ready!

As summer hoves into view, our

plein-air theme continues: lavender

fields on the Lizard peninsula, a dogfriendly

river ramble in Lerryn, a

street food festival in Penryn classic

boats in picturesque Mousehole and a

musical city walk around Truro. Author

Raynor Winn explains how important

the South West Coast Path is to her

ahead of her collaboration with the

Gigspanner Big Band, and in a packed

art section, Stephanie Sandercock

and Sharon McSwiney reveal how

they are inspired by the coastline and

artistic community of St Ives.

If you’re stuck indoors through no

fault of your own, interior designer

Charlotte Dawson shares some

tricks of the trade that will bring the

coast to your home, 24/7. That way,

even when you can’t be in Cornwall,

Cornwall can come to you.

Oll an gwella

Kirstie


My

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6 Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust: Celebrating 35 years

8 Lovely Jubilee: How will you mark the big event?

10 Things to do in June/July

12 Dog-Friendly Cornwall: A walk along the Fowey at Lerryn

16 Enys Food Jam: Street food in glorious gardens

19 Outdoor Theatre: Open-air productions

around the county this summer

24 #Hearyourcity: A new app takes users on

a musical tour of Truro

26 Saltlines: Author Raynor Winn collaborates

with Gigspanner Big Band

28 Cornish Lavender: In fragrant flower on The Lizard

30 Sea, Salt, Sails: Mousehole’s biennial festival returns

32 Adore My Store: Just Delights, Penryn

34 Homes and gardens: How to achieve the

coastal look, plus two open gardens

37 Towers of strength: Cornwall’s historic churches

40 Intrepid Explorers: Peter Mundy, Samuel Wallis

and Richard Lander

42 My Cornish Roots: Janine Turner, nee Flamank

44 Cornish language: Plen an Gwari

48 Art News

54 Gallery Focus: Whitewater Contemporary, Polzeath

56 Lizard Art: Hidden treasure at Trelowarren

58 Through the eyes of... Sharon McSwiney, St Ives

60 Tim Newman: The Cornish Fauve

62 Stephanie Sandercock: a spiritual connection

with the Cornish coastline

64 VIP: Yew Tree Gallery, Morvah

68 Food Bites: A new restaurant for Charlestown,

and a summer menu at St Enodoc

70 Summer sessions: What’s on at the Alverton and Greenbank

74 Taking flight: Mother’s Ruin 1751 gin from Torpoint

76 Places to eat: Al fresco dining

80 Weekend Away: London

82 Experience: Shackleton at the Shipwreck Museum

01209 314147

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myCornwall magazine,

Box 27, Jubilee Wharf & Warehouse

Commercial Road, Penryn, TR10 8FG

EDITOR

Kirstie Newton

kirstie@mycornwall.tv

CONTRIBUTORS

Elizabeth Dale

DESIGN

Paul Blyth

ADVERTISING

Jeni Smith

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01209 494003

ON THE COVER

By Matt Travis on behalf of the Minack

Theatre. Matt is a freelance designer

living and working in Crantock. He

studied graphic design at Falmouth

University and specialises in branding,

editorial and illustration.

MAGAZINE DIRECTOR

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35 YEARS OF SAVING LIVES

In 1987, Cornwall became the first county in the UK to launch an

air ambulance helicopter, a vital service that has proven time and again

its importance in such a rural destination.

On April 1, Cornwall Air Ambulance

Trust (CAAT) celebrated 35 years

since that first emergency callout,

with staff past and present and former

patients invited to celebrate and share

their memories.

The service has attended more than 31,000

emergency missions since its launch. In

2021 alone, Critical Care Paramedics were

called to 1,092 patients in need, attending

everything from medical emergencies to

trauma-related incidents across the county

and beyond. The helicopter reaches

incident scenes in an average of just 12

minutes, and significantly reduces the

time taken to get seriously ill patients the

treatment they need, whether on scene or

in hospital.

Bus driver Derek Lindsey, from St Eval,

was gardening when he began suffering

severe chest pains one Bank Holiday

Monday in 1990. Within 10 minutes of the

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paramedics arriving, he was whisked to the

Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro. His name

is now on the underside of the helicopter,

along with more than 1,000 others as part

of the Heli Heroes campaign, raising over

£120,000 for the charity.

“I have no doubt the air ambulance saved

my life,” says Derek, now 81. He has since

dedicated much of his time to fundraising

- “The air ambulance is top of the list”

- while his daughter, Debbie Henshaw,

was so inspired by events she applied

to work for the charity and is now senior

fundraising manager.

The original crew members were trained by

Dr Peter Cox, who had attended many road

traffic accidents. His daughters, Caroline

Cox and Vicki Ashton-Cox, were present

for the celebrations. “Dad was passionate

that anyone who arrived on scene as first

responders, regardless of hierarchy, should

have the correct training and know what to

do, and what not to do,” recalls Caroline.

“He was effectively training the first

paramedics, which was ground-breaking

at a time when ambulance staff weren’t

trained to be anything more than drivers;

many in the industry doubted it was a good

use of money, but it has proved its worth.”

In 1989, Dr Cox had a heart attack and

was himself airlifted to hospital by crew

members he had trained. “He had firsthand

experience of the service, and we got

an extra 30 years out of him,” says Vicki. “I

feel rather emotional – it's nice to see how

far it’s come, and to think Dad was involved

at the very beginning.”

Geoff Newman was the first pilot, and has

written a book about the history of the

air ambulance. “It was very exciting when

we went for the first alarm call, and to be

able to demonstrate from the get-go why

we needed such a resource in Cornwall,”

he says. “A student had jumped from

Paul Westaway climbs on

board the first helicopter

rocks in Porthcurno and suffered spinal

injuries; she needed extra-special care

and transport, and was miles away from

the land ambulance, whereas we were

able to land on the beach. She made a full

recovery and I have met her twice since. To

say I am proud to have played my part in

this service is an understatement.”

Having travelled to Germany to check

out its air ambulance provision, medical

staff secured three months’ funding and

CAAT was born to raise the rest to get it

flying seven days a week. Paul Westaway

was the first paramedic in the helicopter.

“At the time, they had only just introduced

paramedic training,” he recalls. “It’s

incredible to think that 35 years later, there

are 37 air ambulance services across the

country. It all started here in Cornwall, and

care is improving all the time.”

Jeremy Griffiths had served two years on

land ambulances when he was recruited

to the air ambulance crew in 1998. He has

been with it ever since, flying in all its various

aircraft. “There have been such massive

changes over the years, in equipment,

training and machinery,” he marvels.

“We could never have fitted so much into

the original helicopter, which was military

craft designed for rapid access and transfer.

While that still stands, we have better patient

access now and more room means more

capability and extended care. We carry

monitors and ventilators, and since 2020 we

have even carried blood - transfusions are

among the medical interventions we can

carry out on the roadside.”

Truro mayor Steve Webb was a patient in

1991, when a swimming pool fundraising

marathon went awry – a misplaced dive

resulted in a broken neck, leaving him

wheelchair bound. “I had just raised £1,800

for the air ambulance, little knowing I would

need it myself before the day was over,” he

says. Steve was airlifted to Salisbury, and

was keen to catch up with original crew

members. “It’s amazing to see how the air

ambulance has evolved,” he said.

As the service enters its 35th year, the

charity is looking to the future, ensuring

the service continues to provide and

serve the people of Cornwall at their

greatest times of need. Part of this has

included welcoming two brand new

Rapid Response Vehicles to the roster,

with more plans in motion to extend the

current airbase. This follows the arrival of

the AW169 helicopter in 2020, extending

the hours the helicopter could fly thanks

to a public fundraising campaign which

raised almost £3 million.

The service costs just under £5m per year

to operate, with no National Lottery or

direct government funding. “There is no

doubt that this lifesaving service is vitally

needed in this county,” said CEO Tim

Bunting. “But what’s more amazing is that

it’s completely funded by the generosity

of the people of Cornwall and beyond.

Without that support, our crew could not

do what they do – help to save lives and

keep more families together in Cornwall.”

CAAT will host a new one-day festival on

July 16: Helifest will celebrate blue light

services across the region with a day of

family fun. Revellers can expect live music,

stalls, circus entertainment and more, all

intended to connect families to Cornwall’s

vital emergency services. It will also be the

first chance for the community to get up close

to the new air ambulance, as well as other

emergency services, among them Devon &

Cornwall Police, Cornwall Fire and Rescue

Service, RNLI and Cornwall Blood Bikes, each

showcasing their crucial work in Cornwall and

the Isles of Scilly. Tickets £5pp. l

cornwallairambulancetrust.org/helifest


LOVELY JUBILEE!

Wondering how to celebrate this momentous occasion? Here are a few suggestions.

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1. Visit an ancient tree

Two Cornish trees have been chosen to

join a nationwide network of 70 ancient

woodlands and trees to be dedicated to

The Queen as part of an Ancient Canopy.

The twisted beech at Tehidy Country Park,

near Camborne, was planted during the

reign of George III as part of a picturesque

pleasure ground for Francis Basset, whose

family grew rich from tin mining. Tehidy

is now owned and managed by Cornwall

Council and free to enter. At Antony in

south-east Cornwall, the American Black

Walnut tree (Juglans nigra) is a New World

species introduced to the UK in the 17th

century. This example dates back to 1785,

and is now cared for by the National Trust.

2. Plant your own tree

The Queen’s Green Canopy aims to raise

awareness of the importance of conserving

trees for future generations. Individuals

and organisations across Cornwall have

planted a variety of species and registered

them on an interactive map. These include

St Keyne Garden Club and St Mellion

Ladies’ Golf in south-east Cornwall;

Brannel secondary school in St Stephen

and Tregolls primary school in Truro;

Penryn WI, and the Duchy of Cornwall

and Royal British Legion in Newquay;

Penmorvah Manor Hotel in Falmouth;

and the Association of Jewish Refugees

in Penzance. For more information, visit

queensgreencanopy.org

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3. Attend a beacon lighting ceremony

Cornwall Heritage Trust is hosting two

free events as part of the Platinum Jubilee

celebrations, lighting beacons at Sancreed,

near Penzance (7pm), and Castle an Dinas

near St Columb Major (8.30pm). Having lit

a beacon to warn of the imminent arrival of

the Spanish Armada in 1588, St Michael’s

Mount will mark happier times in much the

same way at 9.15pm.

4. Play Jubilee Top Trumps

They’ve covered classic cars, ancient

monuments and film franchises; now

St Austell company Top Trumps has

committed HM Queen Elizabeth II’s life

and reign to its playing cards, featuring 30

highlights from births and marriages to pets

and residences. Will Windsor Castle trump

Buckingham Palace? Do corgis trounce

horses? Which Royal Wedding scores the

most? Play to find out. toptrumps.com

5. Stay like a sovereign

The Headland Hotel in Newquay has

seen its fair share of royal guests,

including King George V and Queen Mary

(pictured). You can enjoy similar treatment

during June. A two-night package in

a Fistral, Ocean or Best suite includes

daily breakfast, a three-course dinner

in the Samphire restaurant and a glass

of champagne on the first night, a twocourse

supper in The Deck on the second

night, a Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea,

and use of the spa facilities. Prices from

£570 per night. Call 01637 872211 or visit

www.headlandhotel.co.uk

6. Enjoy community art

Arts Council England and UK Community

Foundations have made grants across

the UK, including to projects in Calstock,

Bodmin, Mousehole and Falmouth.

Mevagissey & District Museum received

£1,800 towards a Jubilee commemorative

mural, working with all generations to

celebrate the area’s maritime heritage.

Schoolchildren have been invited to create

bunting and Mevagissey Cork Gobies -

traditional handmade sailing boats – using

recycled material. These will be added

to the museum’s permanent exhibits. In

Chacewater, street artist Tech Moon will

work with attendees to create large-scale

street murals, and tiles created by local

children will transform a wall in the village

car park.

7. Scoff a Platinum cream tea

St Moritz Hotel, near Rock, offers a

limited-edition Queen's Platinum Jubilee

Afternoon Tea, featuring a selection of the

Queen’s favourite sweet treats: savarin,

Battenberg, fondant fancies topped

with edible silver leaf and choux buns.

Add finger sandwiches and warm scones

topped with strawberry jam and Cornish

clotted cream, and you will leave feeling

royally full. Served from 12.30pm to 4pm.

www.stmoritzhotel.co.uk l


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1. ROYAL CORNWALL SHOW

It’s back, after two years of pandemicinduced

cancellations. The Royal Cornwall

Show (June 9 to 11) is the county’s biggest

annual event, full of exhibits and activities

from entertainment and shopping to the

best in food and farming. For more than 200

years, this has been a time and place to meet

old friends, conduct business and enjoy

Cornwall in all its glory - and thousands do.

This is a top agricultural show with hundreds

of competitive classes, from cattle and sheep

to dogs and birds. Main ring entertainment is

mounted on a grand scale and the traditional

steam fair is a colourful extravaganza. It's

good for agriculture, good for tourism, good

for the economy, the environment and good

for the soul! www.royalcornwallshow.org

2. BIZET’S CARMEN

Travelling opera company Regents Opera

presents Bizet’s opera Carmen, with four

cast members (including mezzo soprano

Lilly Papaioannou) and a piano, fully staged

with lighting and costumes. The show is

directed by Paul Higgins of Glyndebourne

Festival Opera and the Royal Opera House.

Thursday, June 23: Trevince Estate, near

Redruth; Friday, June 24: Launceston Town

Hall; Saturday June 25: St Endellion Church.

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3. SOLO SINGERS

St Buryan singer Sarah McQuaid embarks

upon a six-week tour including three

dates in Cornwall: Penlee Park openair

theatre in Penzance (June 17), into

Bodmin at The Old Library (June 18) and

Redruth Drapery (June 19). Tony Christie

checks into the Acorn, Penzance on June

20; and St Ives singer/songwriter Bailey

Tomkinson plays a fusion of surf rock,

Americana and pop at Launceston Castle

on Saturday, July 30.

4. RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY

There are two opportunities to

raise money for worthy charities on

Saturday, June 18. Children’s Hospice

South West’s Rainbow Run returns to

Newquay; 1,500 people took part in

2019 and raised £80,000 for the charity

which runs Little Harbour children’s

hospice in St Austell. www.chsw.org.

uk/rainbow And Truro Branch hosts the

Samaritans National Walk on Saturday,

June 18. There are three walks – 7.5,

13 and 25 miles – all starting and

ending at Truro College, with a party

in the evening. Entry £30pp. For further

information call 07817 352331 or email

samaritansnationalwalk2022@gmail.com

5. FESTIVAL FEVER

Take your pick of the big events. There

are big names aplenty, with Tom Jones

headlining at Tunes in the Park in the

stately grounds of Port Eliot (June 22), while

Shaggy and Paul Weller lead the pack at

Tunes in the Dunes in Perranporth (June 24

to 26). Foodies will not want to miss Rock

Oyster Festival (July 29 to 31), with Jack

Stein and dad Rick on the chef line-up, and

Laura Mvula and the Happy Mondays on

stage. In Bude, Leopalloza runs from July 22

to 24 with headliners including the Sleaford

Mods and Lianne La Havas.

6. THE DOGGY SUMMER GARDEN PAW-TY

Dogs love a good pawty as much as

anyone, and that’s what you’ll get at Scorrier

House near Redruth on July 2. There’ll be a

range of fun activities – including a doggy

tea party (book ahead online), dog show,

woodland walks, canine olympics and

agility tests – as well as dog products and

services, and opportunities to learn more

about your best four-legged friend’s health

and wellness. www.scorrierhouse.co.uk

7. GET UP CLOSE WITH NATURE

Cornwall Wildlife Trust holds its annual 30

Days Wild campaign in June, connecting

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people to nature on their doorstep. The

big event is the Big Wild Weekend on June

18 and 19, including an open garden family

day at Lethytep in South-East Cornwall on

June 19. Sign up for a free pack at www.

cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk . Alternatively,

visit a farm and find out about the sto ry

behind our food and how farm ing affects

our every day lives. Meet livestock, enjoy

nature walks and more. Cottage Farm in

Jacobstow opens on June 12; Tregullas

Farm on The Lizard (meet infamous pet

goat Curry!) on June 19; and Cornhill Farm,

Camborne on June 26. farmsunday.org

8. GOONHILLY 60

Goonhilly Earth Station’s major satellites are

named after Cornish legends - Guinevere,

Isolde, Merlin and of course Arthur,

responsible for transmitting TV pictures of

the Apollo 11 moon landings to 600 million

viewers globally. Goonhilly 60, on July 23, is a

family-friendly event celebrating six decades

of space exploration with an interstellar

programme of curated music, talks and

educational workshops, all set against the

backdrop of the breathtakingly beautiful

Lizard Peninsula. The line-up includes: The

Pink Floyd Experience, playing Dark Side

of The Moon; Kaleidoscope Orchestra – a

Daft Punk interpretation; Outer Space party

with Jelly Jazz & The Mongolian Disco

Show; and DJs, workshops, talks, films and

more. It’s a rare opportunity to visit the site

which is usually closed to the public. Tickets

from £28; camping options available. Visit

Goonhilly.live and follow @apollocontrol on

Facebook and Instagram.

9. TRURO BANDSTAND CONCERTS

Bandstand concerts have returned to Truro’s

Victoria Gardens following two years of

cancellations due to the pandemic. Concerts

will take place every Sunday until September

11, from 2.30 to 4pm. They are free to attend

and no prior booking is required. This year’s

performers include City of Truro Wind

Orchestra, Camborne Youth Band, Lanner

& District Silver Band and City of Truro

Male Choir. Pollen in the Park will also serve

refreshments from 10am to 4pm. Please be

aware that both gardens and café may close

in instances of bad weather. For updates,

contact the Visitor Information Centre on

01872 274555 or visit www.visittruro.org.uk

10. FOR LITERATURE LOVERS

Penzance Literary Festival (www.pzlitfest.

co.uk) runs from July 6 to 9, a vibrant mix of

author talks, performance poetry, interviews,

signings, workshops, tours and outreach

events. Look out for festival patron Patrick

Gale discussing Mother’s Boy, his novel

about Launceston poet Charles Causley’s

early years; memoirist Cathy Rentzenbrink

(pictured); romantic fiction queen Liz

Fenwick; and talks covering everything

from science fiction, crime and travel

writing, to how to submit work to agents

and publishers. Elsewhere, the authors

of Wild Swimming Walks are on tour with

North Cornwall Book Festival. Hear them

reminisce about their adventures: Thursday,

July 21, St Endellion Hall; Friday, July 22:

Edge Of The World Bookshop, Penzance;

Saturday, July 23: The Poly, Falmouth.

Tickets: www.ncornbookfest.org/whats-on/

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11. A TRADITIONAL CORNISH FEAST

There are many traditional celebrations

in Cornwall this month. Mevagissey Feast

Week (June 26 to July 2) returns following

two years off. It has taken place in June

since 1754, when its parades gave thanks

to St Peter, patron saint of fishermen for a

plentiful harvest. These days, you’re as likely

to find live music, a fish auction, children's

activities, brass bands and a grand finale

firework display. In Penzance, Golowan

venerates St John, and this year goes “Back

to the Future”, reminiscing over 31 years

of community celebrations and looking

forward to joys to come! The fun begins on

June 17, ending with Mazey Day and Quay

Fair Day on the weekend of June 25 and 26.

12. CORNWALL STREET FOOD FESTIVAL

The first Cornwall Street Food Festival

takes place Newquay’s Barrowfields over

the Platinum Jubilee weekend (June 2 to

5), hosting over 25 of the tastiest traders

in global cuisine - your taste buds won't

be disappointed! From Afghanistan to

Mexico, halloumi fries to gourmet burgers

via crepes and waffles, the festival has

everyone covered. Just grab a FREE

ticket and arrive hungry! Check the social

media page @cornwallstreetfoodfestival

for updates and competitions to win

delicious treats. The event will be cashless,

family- and dog-friendly; entry is free

but ticketed, with attendees scanning a

barcode at the entrance. Book now at

streetfoodwarehouse.co.uk/cornwall/


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FOWEY TO

LERRYN

This beautiful riverside walk takes you along the magnificent Fowey estuary -

inspiration for Wind in the Willows - to Lerryn, a charming village on the upper

reaches of the tidal creeks of the River Fowey. It’s fairly easy to follow but

remember dogs should also be kept on leads around livestock.

Start: Caffa Mill car park,

Fowey, PL23 1DF

Length: 5.5 miles

Time: Allow 3 hours.

Terrain: Some stiles and steep hills.

Dog-friendly pit stops: The Old Ferry Inn,

Bodinnick; The Ship Inn, Lerryn.

NB: This walk is linear. Buses from Lerryn

to Fowey run weekly, so you’ll need to

use two cars or book a taxi if you don’t

want to walk both ways!

• From Caffa Mill car park, cross on the

Bodinnick Ferry - passenger tickets £2

each way; ferry runs until 8pm from May

to September, 7pm from October to

April. For latest fares and timetable, visit

www.ctomsandson.co.uk

• Once you disembark from the ferry, look

to your left for a footpath signpost which

leads you over a stile. Follow the path

through the field and down the hill. You’ll

soon arrive at Mixtow Pill, a small creek off

the main Fowey river. Here you can see the

dock used to transport china clay.

• Follow the road behind the Pill and

continue along the road up the hill.

Watch out for the footpath which is

signposted on your left. Follow it across

the stile and continue across the field to

the next stile.

• Continue across the fields and until

you come to the next stile and footpath

sign. You will soon come to Colquite

Farm. Follow the path which goes around

the back of the farm until you come to a

track which leads down the hill towards

Penpoll Creek.

• Bear left following the track towards the

estuary and follow the signposted path across

a field. At Penpoll Creek follow the path and

then a track along the inlet. Here you will pass

an old limekiln and a lovely old watermill.

• Follow the road up the hill until you come

to a fork. Bear right and continue uphill

towards St Veep. Here you’ll find a church

which is very pretty, and pretty remote!

• From here, follow the footpath across

the road and climb over the stile. Cross

the field and climb over another stile.

Continue with the hedge to your left, on

to the next style and on to Pennant Farm.

A path takes you around the back of this

farm. From here, turn left and follow the

road until you come to a signpost marking

the footpath towards Cliff.

• Cross the stile and turn left with the

hedge on your left. You get to see some

really beautiful views of the estuary here.

Go over another stile and continue down a

steep hill towards the woods ahead.

• Keep going to the edge of the woods

and go through a gateway on your left,

following the track beyond to the edge

of the estuary. Here you’ll find Cliff, a tiny

village on the edge of the river. Follow

the path to the estuary and walk along

the shoreline.

• From here, look out for the path back into

the woods as you leave Cliff. It’s marked by

a gate, and will take you to Lerryn. Follow

the path along the creek until you come to

the village centre with its shop and café.

Just up the hill to your right is the dogfriendly

Ship Inn. l

For a map to accompany this walk, as well as

other maps and dog-friendly adventures,

visit www.dogfriendlycornwall.co.uk


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Photography by Paul Massey

16 ENYS FOOD JAM

19 OUTDOOR THEATRE

24 #HEARYOURCITY

26 SALTLINES

28 CORNISH LAVENDER

30 SEA, SALT, SAILS

32 ADORE MY STORE

34 HOMES AND GARDENS

37 TOWERS OF STRENGTH


A few miles east of Penryn, the beautiful gardens and

woodlands of Enys are carpeted with bluebells in late spring.

But there are many other activities going on through the

season, including the annual Food Jam festival, showcasing

street food and global cuisine on July 9 and 10.

n 16 | My


This year’s traders will include:

• Paddle & Basil, serving Neapolitan-style

pizza from vintage VW bus Lagertha;

• Cookie Queen, who during lockdown

started supplying cookie-related delights

to the nation from her Redruth HQ;

• Filly Vanilli, a brother-and-sister team

selling Callestick Farm ice cream from a

vintage horse box;

• Secret Spot Hospitality (Ssh) - St Merrynbased

specialists in al fresco dining

surrounded by nature and under starlit skies;

• Bangers on the Go, serving handcrafted

gourmet burgers, hot dogs, slow-cooked

pulled pork, dirty nachos, fries and other

treats including veggie/vegan dishes;

• Bien Manger, authentic savoury snacks and

patisseries prepared by French chef Vincent;

• Daddy D’s Kitchen, dishing up Caribbean fare;

• Cold Start Coffee – coffee and cocktails

served from a 1972 Royal Enfield motorbike

and sidecar;

• Food of the Gods – raw chocolate from

St Just-in-Penwith;

• Cornish Wild Food – a wild gin workshop,

foraging walks and cookery demonstration

with expert forager Matt Vernon;

• Emma Gunn – a taster foraging walk and

cooking demo led by the author of Never

Mind the Burdocks;

• A bar stocked with local brews and spirits.

Inside, you’ll find traders including

Rebelicious Sauces and Riverford

Organics. If more than one stall tickles your

tastebuds, or you have a small appetite,

consider buying taster portions for just £3

in the Graze Trail.

Visitors can also enjoy inspiring talks and

demonstrations; live entertainment from

Hedluv + Passman, Stone Roots, Me & The

Devil and The Eyelids; and family activities

including a discovery trail, forest school,

wild yoga with Helen from Yoga Splice and

Hickory Dickory Rock classes.

The event has been running annually

(Covid permitting) since 2015, and is

“pretty chilled out and laidback” according

to organiser Emma Powell-Thomas. “Enys

has 30 beautiful acres of garden, so even

when we have a lot of people through the

gate, it feels very relaxed,” she adds. “It’s a

great three-generation day out – activities

and music for the kids, food and drink for

the parents, gardens for the grandparents.

It ticks all the boxes.”

The event also offers the opportunity to

explore the estate, which has been passed

down through generations of the Enys

family since 1272. The house we see today

was built in the 1830s, after a previous

Tudor style house burnt down. The

gardens and mansion fell into disrepair

during the 20th century, and when retired

optical physicist Gordon Leonard Rogers

inherited the estate in 1980, half of it had

to be sold to pay inheritance tax. What

little money was left had to be directed to

parts of the estate which were occupied

and active, with the gardens maintained as

funds allowed.

By 2010, Enys had been largely uninhabited

for 60 years, with leaky roofs, dry rot

and resident bats. Gordon’s children,

Wendy Fowler and Chris Rogers, have

since continued their late father’s work

of sustaining and improving the estate,

and its ancient buildings are gradually

awakening from their long slumber.

The gardens are perhaps the oldest in

Cornwall, and are mentioned in ancient

texts. Originally laid out in an Italianate

style, major alterations in the early 19th

century created less formal gardens

which now offer a tranquil and unspoilt

experience. Highlights include the open

meadow Parc Lye, the New Zealand

garden – inspired by two Enys brothers

who lived in the country at the turn of the

20th century, and sent back many plants to

enrich the gardens; the elegant Broadwalk,

the sculptural Stumpery, collections of rare

Cornish apple trees and global conifers,

two champion trees and a Ginkgo biloba

believed to be the second tallest in the UK

after the one at Kew. l

Food Jam 2022, Enys Gardens,

near Penryn TR10 9LB.

Opening hours: Saturday, July 9

and Sunday, July 10; open from 10am,

last entry 6pm.

Facebook/Instagram: @nsfoodjam

www.enysgardens.org.uk

For best value tickets, book online; adults

from £8, family tickets from £18. Some

activities will need to be pre-booked and

added to your tickets. Enys season tickets

can be used after 2pm on Sunday.

Enys is open until September 30, Sunday

and Monday 10am to 5pm (daily during

school holidays). Look out for further

events, including:

• July 24 to September 4:

Dragon & Fairy Trail

• August 25 to 27:

Miracle Theatre presents King Lear


n 18 | My


Al Fresco

Entertainment

When it comes to open-air theatre in Cornwall, as the song goes: “Nobody

does it better.” The 2022 season offers opera on the lawn, fairytales on the

beach, proms on the cliffs, Dickens in the garden and Shakespeare – well,

just about everywhere. Your only problem will be how many productions

you can fit into one summer.

Wildworks: I AM KEVIN, Carlyon Bay


The Minack

The Minack celebrates its 90th anniversary

this summer, having first opened its gates

to the public in 1932 for a local production

of Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Rowena

Cade’s cliff garden. Commemorative events

include a new production of The Tempest

by the Hertfordshire Players (August 15 to

19) and a special exhibition telling the story

of the first performance, when the theatre

was just a grassy space and open-air

theatre a novelty. Other season highlights

include the first collaboration between

the Minack and Tête à Tête opera: The

Firework-Maker’s Daughter, an opera

for both children and adults based on a

novel by Philip Pullman (June 21 to July 1,

followed by a performance on Sunday, July

3 at Prideaux Place in Padstow). It will run

in tandem with The Odyssey, the Ancient

Greek epic interpreted by ex-Kneehigh

actor David Mynne and described as

"proper Greek stuff (sex, swords, sandals)

with all the boring bits removed”. Further

treats include literary classics Jane Eyre

(June 5 to 9), Vanity Fair (July 3 to 7) and

David Copperfield (July 25 to 28); Mozart’s

great dramatic opera Don Giovanni (July

11 to 15); and Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic

opera The Pirates of Penzance (July 17 to

22), staged by Cornish company Illyria in

its 30th anniversary year. www.minack.com

Bedruthan Hotel, Mawgan Porth

Make yourself comfortable on the lawn at

this funky hotel, with a fabulous backdrop

of the Atlantic coast. Shows include A

Midsummer Night's Dream and The

Reluctant Dragon by Quantum Theatre on

July 19 and 23 respectively, and Heartbreak

Productions' Much Ado About Murder on

August 16, as well as fairy tales Rapunzel

(Immersion Theatre) on August 12 and

Cinderella (Chaperhouse Theatre) on

August 23. www.bedruthan.com

Miracle Theatre: King Lear

An exquisitely dark tale about a family

squabble that grows out of all proportion,

Miracle’s King Lear features Rosie Hughes

in the title role. This fresh and fast-paced

adaptation of Shakespeare’s text tells a

shocking yet tender story of ageing and

madness, fuelled by ambition and fired

by betrayal. Venues in July and August

include Carn Marth (Redruth), Penlee Park

(Penzance), Trelissick (near Truro), St Agnes

Beacon, Boconnoc (near Lostwithiel), St

Martin’s & St Mary’s (Scilly), The Island (St

Ives), Sterts (near Liskeard), Stowe Barton

(Bude), Newquay Orchard, Trelowarren

(near Helston), Tregrehan (St Austell) and

Enys (near Penryn). Bring seats, blankets

and picnic. www.miracletheatre.co.uk

North Coast Arts

Based in Bude, North Coast Arts promotes

an exciting menu of high-quality arts

events at a range of distinctive venues.

Its summer 2022 programme features

more than 20 open-air theatre events,

including adaptations of Shakespeare’s

King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing

and A Midsummer Night's Dream, as

Minack at Dawn © Lynn Batten

Bedruthan Hotel

Miracle Theare - King Lear

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well as David Walliams’ Awful Auntie

and classics galore: The Importance

of Being Earnest, Great Expectations,

The Three Musketeers, The War of The

Worlds, The Odyssey, Peter Pan and

Jane Eyre. Venues include Crackington

Institute, Sandymouth, Little Pig Farm

Shop, Ebbingford Manor, The Parkhouse

Centre, Norton Barton Artisan Food

Village, Stowe Barton and The Arthurian

Centre in Camelford. Tickets are

available from Bude TIC, Seventh Wave

Gallery, Spencer Thorn Bookshop, Ark

Angel Christian Bookshop or online.

www.northcoastarts.co.uk

Park House Opera, near Truro

Park House is nestled between Truro and

St Clement on the peninsula that was once

the ancient Forest of Moresk (12th century

romance of Tristan and Isolde). Owners and

opera buffs Robert and Sam Salvoni were

keen to open up their home as a venue for

Duchy Opera, and there are three public

dates this summer: Simply Opera (£20) on

Wednesday, July 20, and Italian Reception,

Dinner and Opera (£50) on July 22 and 23.

www.parkhouseopera.com

Penlee Park Open Air Theatre

This theatre in the park at the heart of

Penzance celebrates its 74th annual season

this year, with more than 80 events ranging

from theatre and music to circus and

children’s shows. The fun begins on May

30 with David Walliam’s classic family tale

Awful Auntie, presented by Heartbreak

Theatre. Further highlights include the

only Cornish performances of Julius Caesar

from London’s Globe Theatre on tour; the

30th anniversary tour of Illyria’s The Pirates

Of Penzance, Peter Pan and A Midsummer

Night’s Dream; Noel Coward's timeless

comic farce, Blithe Spirit; The Fisherman's

Friends’ fifth concert in the park; The

Last Baguette Theatre’s fun, farcical and

anarchic version of King Arthur; and Gin

& Jazz events curated by Caspyn gins.

www.penleeparktheatre.com

Pentillie, near Saltash

Much-loved children’s author Michael

Morpurgo presents The Carnival of the

Animals on Saturday, July 16: a magical

evening of music, storytelling and poetry

in aid of Farms for City Children, a charity

enabling children from disadvantaged

communities to experience the adventure of

working together on farms at the heart of the

British countryside. Inspired by composer

Camille Saint-Saëns’ humorous musical

suite, Michael Morpurgo has penned

accompanying poems on each animal, to be

accompanied by cellist Clare O’Connell.

Sterts, near Liskeard

Following an exciting site redevelopment,

Sterts offers a unique Cornish theatre

adventure. Nestled into Bodmin Moor,

this tented amphitheatre guarantees a

wonderful family-friendly experience which

is never at the mercy of the elements. The

summer programme includes fantastic

CONTINUED OVER THE PAGE

Sterts Theatre

Michael Morpurgo © Phil Crow

Penlee Park


family shows including Matilda The Musical

(May 31 to June 2), and Honk! (July 8

to August 27), an adventurous musical

comedy about the Ugly Duckling. You can

also journey to Neverland for a refreshingly

clever retelling of the classic story in Wendy

& Peter Pan (July 14 and 15), and enter

the Houses of Parliament to witness an

insightful, gritty Royal Family power struggle

in King Charles III (July 28 & 29). If that isn't

enough, there are plenty of one-night only

performances, including Illyria Theatre’s

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (July 21),

Miracle Theatre’s King Lear (August 6 & 7),

David Walliams' Awful Auntie (August 17),

Sounds of the ‘60s with The Zoots (August

28) and Seth Lakeman (September 9). There

is #MoreOnTheMoor this summer, so don't

miss out - book your unique Cornish theatre

experience now. www.sterts.co.uk

Trebah Garden, Mawnan Smith

This exotic garden has a charming

amphitheatre for touring productions, as well

as their own. Look out for Theatre6’s Estella,

inspired by Great Expectations, on July 8;

A Midsummer Night’s Dream from Duke’s

Theatre Company on July 21 & 22; The Munch

Mission from Brave Bold Drama on August 5;

and EM Forster’s A Room With A View from

Bodkin Theatre Company on September 2.

www.trebahgarden.co.uk

Wildworks: I AM KEVIN

Wildworks presents I AM KEVIN from

August 6 to 20 at Carlyon Beach in the

heart of St Austell Bay. Described as

“a fairytale to set the world on fire”,

showgoers will be taken on a dark,

humorous, fiery and honest journey of

impossibility. Written and directed by

artistic director Mydd Pharo (co-written

by Hannah McPake) and created with

the communities of Cornwall, it invites

audiences to dive into the darkest

depths of their consciousness and

rewrite the stories that try to define us.

Recommended for adults and brave

children over the age of 12. Adults £24,

concessions £18. wildworks.org.uk

Much Ado About Nothing

Sun & Moon Theatre tours Cornwall

with a joyous, vibrant production of

Shakespearean comedy Much Ado About

Nothing. It's 1945, the war has ended, and

Messina’s young men have returned ready

for peace, celebration and... romance?

Hero and Claudio are in love and engaged

to be married, while Beatrice and Benedick

are in a perpetual ‘merry war’, engaged in

battles of wits and wills. But not everyone

has come back unscathed, not all scars are

visible, and the spread of misinformation

has its consequences... Suitable for all

ages. See it at Little Pig Farmshop and

Café, Bude (with North Coast Arts) on

Friday, June 10; St Austell Arts Centre on

Friday, June 17; Sterts, near Liskeard, on

Saturday, June 18; St Day Old Church on

Saturday, June 25; Penlee Park, Penzance

on Sunday, June 26; Mevagissey Jubilee

Hall on Saturday, July 9; and Cardinham

Woods Café Garden, Bodmin (with

IntoBodmin) on Saturday, July 23. l

Illyria Theatre - A Midsummer Night's Dream

© Gordon Scammell

Trebah Garden - Estella

Much Ado About Nothing - Sun & Moon Theatre

n 22 | My



As if going to the theatre isn’t

exciting enough in itself, the

Cornwall Playhouse – the

Hall For Cornwall’s principal

performance space - has commissioned

Cornwall composer Graham Fitkin to work

on a new app that will track your pedestrian

journey in music.

Due for release on June 1, Geography

is designed to link music and location

by allowing perambulating listeners,

using their mobiles with headphones, to

improvise journeys through the cityscape,

with each direction governing how the

music unfolds. Upon reaching your

destination (be it the theatre or otherwise),

you’ll have a unique homogenous piece -

your own personal ‘mix’, if you will - that

can be shared in 21st century style with

your friends on social media.

Julien Boast, chief executive and creative

director of the Hall For Cornwall, said: “We

aspire to be at the cutting edge of creating

new work, both in and out of the theatre,

and are committed to supporting artists of

all disciplines. So when the opportunity to

n 24 | My


combine working with Graham Fitkin and

new app technology as part of our History

and Heritage programme fused, it seemed

to be a perfect blend.”

The idea first came to Graham in 2008,

with a very different city in mind. “I was

composer-in-residence for the London

Chamber Orchestra,” he recalls. “We

had a trip to Damascus planned, working

with Syrian musicians, and I was asked

to write something that would take into

account the topography of the city. I

thought it would be wonderful if people

could wander around and come across live

musicians as they traversed the city.

“When I visit a new city for rehearsals and

performances, I love exploring. I often go

for a run, without a map – I let myself be

led towards things that look nice, and I

rather enjoy the fact that I might get lost.

Of course, I’m also intrigued by sound, so

I wanted to use the app to explore a city

aurally as well as visually.”

The Damascus trip never happened and

the proposal remained hypothetical – until

now, following a chance conversation with

Cornwall-based producer Michael White.

Michael thought the idea could fly with

modern technology, in Truro; he facilitated

the collaboration with Cornwall’s leading

auditorium, and secured funding from the

Arts Council of England.

Graham has spent two years working on

the app. First he researched the city and

walked its streets (a luxury afforded by

living locally), making recordings as he

went along. The bells you hear really are

those of Truro’s magnificent cathedral;

due to a current paucity of city centre

bovines, however, Graham resorted to

recording a Guernsey cow closer to his

home in West Penwith, as the basis for

a moo-sical symphony at Truro’s crown

court, the site of a cattle market as

recently as 1985.

The result is around 200 individual

pieces of music – around four hours in

total – which will stitch together to make

different pieces depending on your

journey. “Unlike many audio walks, which

take you somewhere specific to hear a

Explore Truro using a new app devised by composer

Graham Fitkin in association with the Hall For Cornwall

recording, there is no prescribed walk,

nothing set in stone - the music reacts to

where the user goes.”

As such, it presented a very different way

of working for the composer. “I have

never composed for video games, which

is perhaps the nearest comparison to

this,” he muses. “It’s not like conventional

composition, which is linear, or at least the

end result will be.”

While major landmarks – the Hall

For Cornwall, the library, the Lander

Monument - and routes (roads, footpaths,

pavements) are represented, you might be

taken by surprise on hitherto unnoticed

corners, and it’s definitely worth diverting

down some of Truro’s fascinating “opes”

(breathe in – they are narrow!).

Graham takes me into the back-end of

the app - devised by Ignacio Rodriguez

and his Sonic Maps platform - and shows

me a colourful visual representation of

all the musical extracts overlaid onto a

road map of Truro. (App users will see

something more sleek and subtle, and

with good reason: “I don’t want people

to wander around glued to their screens,

determined to hear a particular piece of

music. I want people to look around them

and see Truro.”)

The catchment area is wide, from the

railway station and Redannick over to

Moresk Road and Newham. Individual

pieces range from 20 seconds to two

minutes; some areas have one, others

several which are designed to play in

harmony together.

Styles range from sedate strings melding

with birdsong in Victoria Gardens, to strident

synths and jingling cash in commercial

Boscawen Street - and, inevitably,

percussion for Tim Shaw’s Drummer statue.

Listen out for a hospital bed beep, courtesy

of the Royal Cornwall Hospital, on Infirmary

Hill – once the site of City Hospital, it retains

its medical connections in the form of major

GP surgery.

The music you make will depend on the

speed at which you walk and how you

interact with your surroundings – say,

whether you pause to inspect something

closer, or double-back to pick up

something you’ve dropped. As you move

from one location to the adjacent zone,

specialist software synchronises the beats

between two pieces of music, enabling the

perfect segue.

The feedback has been gratifying. “People

who have roadtested it said, ‘It wasn’t the

sort of thing I’d previously have thought of

doing in my own city – it made me look.’

That’s exactly what I wanted.”

Asked if this is a template that could be

rolled out to other cities, Graham doesn’t

say no, but adds (with a nervous laugh): “It

has been an awful lot of work, more than

I ever imagined – and it’s my own fault,

because it was my idea. It has driven me

mad at times. It will either shorten my life

or open up neural pathways I never knew I

had, giving me another 50 years. Perhaps

I’d do it again, if I had a long life.” l

With thanks to National Lottery Heritage

Fund. The Geography app can be

downloaded at fitkin.com


A celebration of the South West Coast Path

in words and music

“630 uninterrupted miles of coastline,

crossing wild headlands with the calls

of oystercatchers and the smell of salt

laden air ever present.” The South West

Coast Path (SWCP) is thus described by

Raynor Winn, who walked every single mile

with her husband Moth in 2013.

Faced with homelessness after a business

deal turned sour, they took off with just a

few belongings and a tent. Their journey

was the subject of The Salt Path, Raynor’s

best-selling memoir, published in 2018; its

sequel, The Wild Silence, explored what

happened before and after. Together they

have sold over a million copies worldwide,

the author praised for her lyrical descriptions

of the environment and her frank depiction

of the reality of homelessness.

One reader who was captivated by The

Salt Path was Deborah Knight, agent and

manager of The Gigspanner Big Band - a

collective of high-profile names on the

n 26 | My


folk-roots scene, including Steeleye Span

fiddle player Peter Knight and Bellowhead

melodeonist John Spiers. While on the

SWCP herself, it occurred to Deborah that

such a well-trodden trail must hold many

more stories of love, loss and the natural

world – and that these might be found in

the traditional songs and tunes handed

down through generations and logged by

Victorian song collectors such as Cecil Sharp.

This seed of an idea has developed into an

exciting collaboration between author and

band. Saltlines travels the length of the coast

path in July, starting in Somerset and ending

in Dorset, taking in three Cornwall venues

on the way: St Endellion Church, Princess

Pavilion in Falmouth and the Minack Theatre

in Porthcurno. Folk songs chosen for their

resonance will be interspersed with Raynor’s

words, written especially for the occasion.

Folk music fan Raynor was “touched and

honoured” to be approached. “I thought

about it for five minutes, then said yes,

absolutely yes,” she laughs. “How could I

turn down the chance to work with names

that light up the folk music world? I followed

them, and they in turn were inspired by my

book, so it’s a two-way collaboration.”

However, “this is not The Salt Path set to

music”. While Raynor will draw upon her

own experiences of the coast path, hers will

be just one of many stories to be told during

the evening. “Like the songs, the words will

reflect the path and the South West, our

history and traditions - some that still exist,

others that are slipping away - a feeling of

our past and present,” she explains.

“It has been a revelation, liberating even, for

me to be able to concentrate my thoughts

and words into a shorter form. Also, while

The Salt Path was a personal reflection on

my own life, it’s been a pleasure to look

beyond that and see the path in an external

way, finding its essence within these stories.

“When we’re walking, we tend to be

focused on our own lives and thoughts. If

you give yourself the time to look a little

deeper into what makes an area work,

these stories are there to be gathered -

in historical records or simply from the

people you meet. They are all around us.”

Raynor is already a seasoned face on the

literary festival circuit, but Saltlines represents

a different experience – more performative,

and with a tour bus thrown in. “It’s an entirely

new avenue for me,” she admits. “I’ve never

had anything to do with music before, and

I’m just going with the flow. With such an

incredibly talented group of musicians, I

don’t think anything can go wrong.”

At the same time as losing their home and

livelihood, Moth was diagnosed with a

potentially terminal illness. An unexpected

outcome of the SWCP pilgrimage was

that the intense daily exercise staved off

the degenerative aspects of his condition.

Today, the couple live on a farm near

Polruan, where they are working to restore

an orchard using the principles of Moth’s

degree in sustainable horticulture. They are

also still walking, and recently completed

a trek from the north of Scotland to their

home, a distance of over 1,000 miles – this

will form the basis of Raynor’s third book,

due out in September.

The success of The Salt Path was equally

unexpected. It was written as an aidememoire

for Moth, a record of their

monumental experience, but has become

a worldwide phenomenon and opened

up a new career for Raynor, who has been

asked to represent organisations from

the South West Coast Path Association

(for whom she is an ambassador) and the

homeless charity Emmaus.

Does she ever pinch herself? “Every single

day. A few years ago, I could never have

imagined myself writing my thoughts down

at all, let alone being approached by such

big names to go on tour. It’s quite surreal.

“But I’ve learned over the past few years

that I can put a few words together, and I

hope that by doing so with an incredible

bunch of musicians, we can give people

something really memorable.” l

Saltlines visits St Endellion Church on July

10, Princess Pavilion in Falmouth on July

12 and the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno

on July 16.


NO - PORTHALLOW!

A farm on the Lizard peninsula is reaping the

fragrant rewards of small changes in the Cornish

climate. Words by Jane Reynolds

n 28 | My


The sound hits you before the scent

does. On gently sloping fields facing

south into Falmouth Bay, bees gather

in their many thousands to feed on

the lavender planted by Mark and

Sam Hall-Digweed. It’s an arresting sight –

neat rows of varying purple hues against

the wilder greens, browns and gorse

yellow of Cornish hedges.

Sam and Mark have seven varieties of

lavender at Roskorwell. “It means we have

a longer growing season,” explains Sam,

“with each peaking at a different moment

in the summer.”

More importantly though, the different

varieties have different strengths and uses.

“Long stemmed, dark blue Grosso, for

instance, yields oil which is well suited to

candles, while the English varieties such as

bluey-purple Hidcote are especially good

for the skin.”

Roskorwell’s lavender flowers from late

May, when Melissa, a soft lilac-coloured

variety, comes into bloom, and extends

all the way through to August when

Grosso peaks. It means summer is spent

not only harvesting, but being available

for the visitors who book to bask in and

photograph the stunning sight.

The couple’s love affair with lavender

began when they honeymooned in the

Luberon region of France. Cornishborn

Sam had enjoyed a career with the

BBC in London, while Mark came from a

Gloucestershire farming family. When they

bought their house and land just outside

Porthallow, its free-draining, alkaline soil

seemed perfectly suited to a lavender farm

(although it’s not their only crop – there

are also 600 apple trees destined for cider

brandy production).

The pair planted thousands of lavender

plants by hand in 2016, with a successful

harvest the following year. But 2018/19’s

severe winter wiped out all their initial

good work. Undeterred, they set about replanting

seven acres of lavender. Last year

was their first harvest following the false

start, and they gathered enough lavender

to distill 24 litres of pure essential oil. This

year, with those first plants maturing and

further acreage under cultivation, they

expect half as much again.

One of the reasons Mark and Sam expect

to go from strength to strength is the

climate. They’re loath to suggest fullon

climate change, which would see

Provencal conditions moving north to the

Lizard; but, says Mark, subtle changes

are afoot: “Last year many of the older

locals and farmers said they’d never

encountered such a long period of drying

easterly winds in the springtime. Our

lavender loves a dry spring, and as long

as it’s not too cold, will thrive in those

conditions. Obviously sunny, warm dry

summers are crucial too.”

Harvest time at Roskorwell happens in two

ways: either by hand with a small scythe, for

gathering flowers for lavender bags and

confetti, or mechanically for essential oils.

Oil production is an important part of the

business. A custom-made still on site takes

45kg of flowers at a time, and Sam uses the oil

to make candles and soaps, as well as selling

it neat as essential oil or as more diluted

room and linen sprays. “It’s important to us,”

says Sam, “that we only use our own homegrown

lavender. We never supplement by

buying it in from elsewhere.”

In contrast, Roskorwell’s lavender is

becoming highly sought after. “Last year,

we were approached by French perfume

houses looking specifically for a Cornish

blend,” says Mark. “We declined, though,

because we wanted the freedom to use our

own essential oils locally. It’s important to

us that this is Cornish lavender, processed

and sold in Cornwall.” l

Roskorwell is open to visitors from

Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays

and July 2 and 3). Pre-booking essential.

Self-guided tour: £5 (under 14s free)

plus £1 booking fee. Guided tours

available. For further details, visit

www.roskorwellfarm.co.uk


n 30 | My


The biennial festival brings traditional sailing vessels to

Mousehole from July 1 to 3, writes Kirstie Newton

Photography by Paul Massey

The sight of a traditional sailing

boat on glistening azure seas

is quintessentially Cornish and

swells the heart of even the

most hardened landlubber. When those

waters are in a harbour as picturesque as

Mousehole, with the opportunity to see

numerous classic vessels in one place,

what more could one ask?

Such is the experience of Sea, Salts & Sail,

a biennial festival that takes place from

July 1 to 3 and will fill Mousehole harbour

with the sights and sounds of a bygone

era of sail, with not an engine to be seen.

The vibe is nostalgic: wooden hulls, spars,

topsails and canvas are framed against the

majestic beauty of Mount's Bay.

On Friday, July 1, the team at New Dawn

Traders, who work with sailing cargo

vessels to import Fairtrade produce –

salt, chocolate, rum, almonds - across

the Atlantic Ocean and along European

coastlines, will call into Mousehole and

unload its cargo for sale shoreside. And on

Saturday and Sunday, the boats will tack

back and forth in a parade of sail, out of

the harbour and around St Clement’s Isle

500m away, in moving tribute to the days

when fleets of Cornish luggers would have

headed out to their fishing grounds.

Some 2,000 visitors are expected to

converge upon the fishing village to see

more than 50 vessels which are not just

boats but characters, the wind in their sails

the very breath of life. “Fitting them all into

the harbour is quite a feat – like a giant game

of Tetris,” laughs festival committee member

Rob McDowell. “Equally, getting them all out

is frantic. Some don’t have engines, some

are very big. It’s all good for spectators.”

Many of these boats once worked hard for

their keep, their origins identifiable from

their sails and rigging and reflected in their

names: Edith, a 24ft Polperro Gaffer dating

back to the 1890s; Ellen, a 17ft Gorran

Haven Crabber built in 1882; Falmouth

Working Boat Winnie, from 1897; and

from further afield, the Morecambe Bay

Prawner, Lowestoft Smack and Bermudan

sloop. Drekly, a 16ft pilot gig, was built in

Cornwall 100 years ago and is now used on

the River Thames in Richmond.

Others were built more recently by

enthusiasts in tribute to their ancestors.

Take Agnes, a pilot cutter built in Truro and

modelled on the last of her kind to work

out of the Isles of Scilly; Port Isaac lugger

Rebecca Kate, built in 2001 along the

lines of a vessel fished out of that harbour

over 100 years ago; gaff cutter Holly Mae,

who has crossed the Atlantic since being

launched from Penzance in 2010, and

Maia, a St Ives sailing punt built by Jonny

Nance in 2015.

Rob is also a trustee of the Cornish

Maritime Trust, which has around 150

members ranging from sailing pre-teens to

“wise old armchair elderlies!” At its heart

is Barnabas, a 40ft St Ives mackerel driver

built in 1881 – last year, she celebrated her

140th birthday. One of the few survivors

from St Ives’ thousand-strong fleet of lugrigged

drift net fishing boats, today she

is used for training and leisure purposes.

Her layout and shape have changed little;

there’s no sink or shower (although there is

a toilet, mercifully) and sleeping quarters

are tight. But there is no shortage of

crew, and in 2015, Barnabas successfully

circumnavigated the UK with crew changes

nearly every week.

Once, fishermen would have sailed boats

like these in all weathers, with several tons

of pilchards slopping around the bilges,

to bring home that day’s pay. Today, most

trips are weather dependent and for

pleasure. “We have been known to sail

into Scilly, tie a bowline around a tree and

sleep on the beach, under the stars,” says

skipper and fellow trustee Toby Floyer.

“It’s hard work, but it’s also adventure and

reward. Ultimately, it’s fun.”

It costs £50,000 per annum to look after

Barnabas, and the way to raise this sum is

simple, according to Rob: “Sail her more.

Using a boat like this helps to preserve it;

sea water pickles the wood, where being

moored up in fresh water leads to rot.”

As well as Barnabas and Gorran Haven

crabber Ellen, the trust also looks after

smaller boats: Soft Wing, a Truro River

oyster dredger, and the dipping lugger

Silver Stream, acquired in 2014 and ideal

for training younger crew members before

they graduate onto her big sister Barnabas.

Not only are such craft better for the

environment, but they also feed into the

belief that blue spaces are beneficial for our

mental and emotional wellbeing. Falmouth

mental health charity Sea Sanctuary

recently announced the acquisition of

Irene of Bridgwater, a 100ft Westcountry

trading ketch built in 1907. This historic

tall ship has featured in several films and

adverts, including Disney’s Pirates of the

Caribbean, and will now offer day-long

and longer-term residential excursions to

those who need wellbeing support.

But ultimately, as sailing writer Tom Cunliffe

wrote of pilot cutter Lizzie May: “To lay

amongst these timbers listening to the

sea rushing past is to feel seafaring’s lost

heartbeat.” Rob agrees, adding: “It’s a real

privilege to be able to sail from here.” l

www.seasalts.co.uk

cornishmaritimetrust.org


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The Penryn homewares store was established in 2006 by

mother-and-daughter team Daun and Jemma

e spent a decade in

the French town of La

Rochelle. In the days

before the internet, my

parents subscribed to

Good Housekeeping

for me as a reminder of home. It was

there I read about someone moving to

Mevagissey, and I thought: “If I ever go

back to the UK, I’d like to live there.” We

discovered Penryn when Jemma studied

at Falmouth University. Life here suits us -

the old market town is beautiful, and the

people are so open and friendly.

Jemma and I both really love older pieces

of furniture with character and back

stories. I always have - my parents were

in the furniture trade. In France, I would

scour antique shops, or spot adverts in

newspapers and wind up collecting stuff

from people’s barns. Metal was my thing

– no fear of woodworm! Iron bedsteads,

benches - I’d get them sandblasted and

paint them up. That was what I had in

mind when we established Just Delights

in 2006.

The building is an old car showroom, hence

the plentiful parking! It’s not at all what we

were looking for, but having rented a small

part of it, we wound up taking it all on,

and it helped us to evolve. We now offer

a wide range of products, from beautiful

homewares to gifts for all, greetings cards

and an extensive range of stationery.

Jemma and the team aim to create a friendly

environment for customers to browse both

in-store and online, and our stock changes

regularly so there’s always something new.

We try to stay up-to-date with the latest

interior trends. Right now, people are more

eco-conscious so that is an important factor

when choosing our products. Dried flowers

and artificial plants are one of our biggest

sellers this year. The plants are amazingly

real, and customers often mistake them for

the real thing. At Christmas, Jemma comes

into her own and people come especially

to see our festive display.

Commercial Road has also developed

over the 16 years. It has become a little

destination in its own right. There are cafés,

galleries and many more independent

businesses, which is a joy to see. There

are also great walks along the river – and

central Penryn just a stone’s throw away,

with its illustrious history that can be seen

in all its glorious architecture.

Jemma and I complement each other. She

has a good eye for certain things, mine is

different and we join together really well.

We are both “people people”, and love

meeting customers of all ages. Jemma is

so gentle and kind, and I’m a chatterbox.

It’s not just about being a shop for us – we

are part of the community. l

Just Delights, Commercial Road,

Penryn, TR10 8AQ.

Open 9.30am to 5pm,

Monday to Saturday, noon to 4pm Sunday.

Tel 01326 379075

just-delights.co.uk


How to Achieve a

Coastal Interior

Words by Charlotte Dawson of Chestnut Interiors

The psychological impact of living by

the sea is well-documented. Studies find

coastal dwellers are happier and have

better mental health than those living

inland. Small wonder so many seek to draw

on the restorative effect of water, or simply

a year-round holiday vibe, by bringing the

coast closer and into their home.

Coastal interior style encompasses

everything you see, hear and explore from

the South West Coast Path, from the vast

beaches that wrap around this county to

the tumbling hills above them. Exceptional

interior design inspires and is inspired

by all senses. Follow the tips below to

experience the emotions evoked from

being by the sea.

Colour

From a colour psychology perspective,

coastal interior style is anchored by a

palette of calming blue, while green brings

feelings of growth and grounding. It’s a

gorgeous combination that promises to

evoke peace and balance. Start with white

and neutrals as your key colours to bring

a light and airy feel to rooms, and then

layer with accent colours found in the

ocean and hills: azure blue, khaki green

and dusky grey. This base colour scheme

then benefits from being accessorised

with a sharp contrast of either rich yellow,

reminiscent of beautiful gorse, or violet

blue like the sheep's bit scabious found

flowering on cliff tops.

Light

Think bright and breezy! Natural light

should be maximised - bring in as much as

possible, using white and neutral window

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dressings that won’t detract from the

abundance of light through the windows.

As the sun sets, bring some warmth into

the room by layering your lighting with

ceiling pendants, wall lights, floor and

table lamps. Use internal glass doors to

borrow additional light from other rooms,

and/or mirrors strategically placed to

bounce light around the room.

Texture

Drawing upon the contrast of smooth and

coarse coastal textures is key to bringing

interest and character to your home.

Combine pale toned, rustic wooden

furniture - limed oak, for example - with

coloured glass, low-maintenance linen,

imperfect ceramics, rugs and woven

textiles in baskets. Fabrics should be gentle

and free from shine, as should accessories

which will rarely be glitzy – strictly no bling!

Furniture

As hinted above, furniture in rustic woods is

well placed in a coastal-style home. However,

painted furniture, particularly in neutral

and white tones, also enhances the look.

Avoid furniture being too matchy, and with

upholstery, choose fabrics that flatter one

another - for example, a beaumont striped

chair, a relaxed linen sofa scattered with coral

print cushions, and a ticking stripe ottoman.

This style shouldn’t be overwhelming, so

ensure the amount of furniture in the room is

balanced and proportionate - there doesn’t

need to be something against every wall and

in every corner.

Plants

A final, very simple way to add some beach

vibes to your home is to bring in some plants.

Think breezy palms, fiddle leaf fig trees and

aloe. Try to cluster plants in groups of three,

and again, add interesting textures with pots

and baskets - this is another opportunity to

add colour and pattern.

Remember, coastal design should feel

effortless and serene. Keep things simple and

clutter-free so you can enjoy the tranquillity

in your home. I’ve chosen selected perfect

pieces for a coastal home from some of my

favourite local interior shops. l

1. Hemmick pure cotton bedspreads,

£140 each. From Jenny Aves,

16 Fore Street, Mevagissey PL26 6UQ

www.jennyaves.com

2. Botella throw, made using 35 recycled

plastic bottles, £40 (matching cushions

also available). From Just Delights,

Commercial Road, Penryn.

www.just-delights.co.uk

3. Seaweed prints by Comb Cornwall.

Cotton rag prints start from £20,

framed seaweed pressings from £50.

combcornwall.co.uk

4. Cambridge Rose Gold bell-shaped

ship pendant light, £144. From the

Soho Lighting Company.

www.soholighting.com

5. Flower jute table runner £32 and rug

£45 by Chickidee. From Circa 21,

21 Market Jew Street, Penzance.

www.circa21.co.uk

6. Baskets from £15. Grey Lurcher,

20 High Street, Falmouth

www.greylurcherfalmouth.com

1 2

3 4

5 6


Lower Penbothidnow

In Cornwall, 50 gardens are opening for the National Garden Scheme (NGS)

this year. Funds raised through entrance charges and refreshment sales will

support charities such as Macmillan, Marie Curie, Parkinson’s UK, Carer’s

Trust, Hospice UK and The Queen’s Nursing Trust. In 2021, £3 million was

raised nationally, including £28,000 in Cornwall.

IIn 2021, £3 million

was raised nationally,

including £28,000 in

Cornwall. Here are just

two gardens open to

visitors in June/July; one

an old hand, the other a first-timer. Both

offer home-made teas and are also open

for groups by arrangement.

Trenarth, Constantine TR11 5JN

Open Sunday, June 19 from 2 to 5pm.

Admission £5 (children free)

This year marks the 26th anniversary that

Lucie Nottingham has been opening her

stunning garden for the NGS. Lucie recalls

feeling rather nervous before that first

opening in 1996, but was rewarded by very

good attendance on the day. “People are

always interested to see a new garden

opening to the public for the first time,” she

says. "We’ve been delighted to welcome

plenty of visitors every year ever since, and

have raised lots of money for charity.”

Trenarth is a gem of a garden, a plantsman’s

treasure trove and a family-friendly oasis

all in one, blooming with rare and unusual

species and alive with swallows, bees

and butterflies. Such wildlife is actively

encouraged by providing appropriate

habitats and food sources. Summer is the

time to be dazzled by the prolific collection

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of Angel’s Fishing Rods (Dieramas), their

gently arching stems swaying gracefully in

the breeze, creating a dreamy haze.

Lucie likes to welcome visitors at the

gate and answer their questions; she

especially enjoys talking to visitors who

remember the place ‘in the old days’

when it was a farm. Trenarth is also open

by arrangement to groups for a more

personal guided tour.

Asked for her advice to someone

opening the garden for the first time,

Lucie answers: “Plan ahead, get a team

of helpers and delegate! Then remember

to have fun and enjoy the pleasure your

garden is giving other people.” She is

particularly grateful to NGS volunteers

who have helped and supported her over

the years: “They organise the publicity,

arrange insurance and are generally a

great encouragement.”

Lower Penbothidnow,

Constantine TR11 5AU

Open Sunday, July 17 from 2 to 6pm.

Admission £6, (children free).

Dorothy Livingston has been partnering

with nature for the past two decades. Keen

to share her stunning garden with others,

she is opening for the NGS for the first

time this year and confidently declares

that giving pleasure to visitors while raising

money for healthcare charities will be “a

win-win situation”.

Inspired by Hidcote Manor and Kiftsgate

Court Gardens, Lower Penbothidnow is

arranged in a series of themed ‘rooms’,

each with a different style, creating an air

of mystery and suspense. There are plenty

of places to pause and enjoy the tranquil

surroundings and appreciate the diverse

array of plants, all chosen to thrive in varying

garden conditions from the impoverished

soils of the Mediterranean Bed to the

damp, humus-rich Tree Fern Hollow.

The herbaceous border is at its best in

July, and other show-stoppers include

salvias, succulents, Eucryphia ‘Nymansy’

and the summer-flowering rhododendron

‘Polar Bear’.

The field of natural grasses and wildflowers

adjacent to the garden is a haven for wildlife

and is buzzing with pollinating insects, which

in turn benefit the garden enormously.

Yellow rattle helps to keep a balanced

equilibrium of grass species. Vetches are a

green manure, producing natural fertiliser

from their roots, while knapweed attracts

bees for its nectar followed by goldfinches

for its seed heads. l

G @CornwallNGS

A @cornwall.ngs

The traditional image of a village has a church at its

heart, yet many of Cornwall’s majestic buildings are

facing challenges. Kirstie Newton reports.

North Hill by Carol Billinge


For centuries, churches have been

focal points of our communities.

Here is where our ancestors were

hatched, matched and dispatched.

Their presence lingers in the statues

recumbent on tombs or through the light

refracted by stained-glass windows, funded

by the living to secure their place in heaven.

There are 301 churches across the Truro

diocese, often the oldest buildings in

their area and the majority listed. It’s

hard, therefore, to imagine the landscape

without towers and spires, and yet they are

challenged by sweeping societal changes.

While the Victorian era saw enthusiastic

building and restoration of churches, the 20th

century saw Cornish miners scattered around

the world in search of employment. This,

combined with increasing secularism, saw the

most cavernous churches, built to serve vast

working populations, dwindle gradually to

much smaller congregations, if any at all.

While many chapels have been converted

into homes, countless churches find

themselves in desperate need of funds

to repair their deteriorating fabric, be it a

leaking roof, a damp wall or an infestation of

bats. Listed buildings often require specific,

more expensive materials (quick fixes can

cause more harm than good), yet the Church

of England receives no central funding for

the care of these ancient buildings.

Instead, it’s down to congregations to find

the money for their upkeep, tradesmen

with specialist skills and volunteers to

take on legally required positions on

Parochial Church Councils – all of which is

becoming increasingly difficult. While the

recent pandemic saw a welcome boost in

worshippers thanks to Zoom, collection

plates remained conspicuously empty.

The Cornwall Historic Churches Trust (CHCT)

exists to help churches of all denominations

which are still used as places of worship,

offering grants of up to £5,000. On Sunday,

June 19 – Father's Day – the trust will hold

its summer fundraising event: an open day

with picnic at the historic 40-acre garden of

Trebartha near Launceston.

“Churches bring history back to life,”

says trust chairman Caroline Tetley. She

points to the tower at St Austell, built at

the time of the War of the Roses when

the Earl of Warwick was swapping sides

between Edward IV of York and Henry VI

of Lancaster; Warwick’s ancient heraldic

motif, the Kingmaker's Ragged Staff, is also

found on St Fimbarrus’ tower in Fowey.

n 38 | My


Likewise, a considerable number of

Cornwall’s churches were enlarged during

the late 15th and early 16th centuries –

known as the Perpendicular period - when

the effects of the Black Plague of 1349

were still felt. “God-fearing parishioners

were keen to secure safe passage for their

families through purgatory to heaven at a

time of high infant mortality and sudden

death,” Caroline explains.

“We have so few other such vivid

connections to our past, on our doorstep.

As such, churches are of huge emotional

significance to us, and once gone, they

are hard to replace. That’s why we urge

communities to inspect churches regularly,

the better to identify problems early and

repair them quickly before they develop

into major issues.”

All Saints Church in St Ewe suffered from

water ingress and stones missing from the

octagonal spire. Following grants from CHCT

and the National Churches Trust, work began

in 2019, with the removal of six bells and their

mechanism. “It became evident that the

tower was in worse shape than we thought,”

says tower captain Charles Francis. “The

weight of the spire was causing it to bulge.

Some stones were very loose, and resembled

beach boulders more than blocks.”

While the bells and their frame were

cleaned, repaired and painted in Bridport,

Dorset, the tower was restored to

better health. “The church is one of the

foundations of the village, along with the

pub,” says Charles. “People like it to be

there, even if they don’t use it regularly –

while Sunday attendance is low, everyone

mucks in for events like the summer fete

and Christingle service.”

While some churches are still used for regular

worship, others have long since closed

their doors. Take the tiny, secluded 13th

century creekside church at Lamorran, near

Truro. In spring, the peaceful churchyard

is delightfully carpeted with primroses,

violets and wild geraniums; inside there are

memorials of historical note.

But the phrase “bats in the belfry” turned

out to be more than just a euphemism;

two colonies of brown long-eared and

pipistrelle bats meant worshippers were

likely to receive not only blessings from

heaven, but also guano. Thanks to funding

from CHCT and Bats In Churches, the

Friends of Lamorran have equipped St

Moran with bat lofts, enabling humans and

winged creatures to live in harmony.

St Ewe by Charles Francis

Clerk of works Nick Jeans anticipates the Grade

II* listed building could reopen imminently, for

evensong and concerts but also for regular

services “if we can find someone to take them

for an eclectic congregation”.

It’s not just small churches that benefit. In

May, Truro Cathedral launched its public

appeal for St Mary’s Aisle, the oldest part

of the building and the original parish

church; a CHCT grant got the £450,000

campaign off to a great start.

As well as Church of England establishments,

the trust has also granted funds to

Methodist chapels like tiny Gunwen, tucked

away in the shadow of Helman Tor near

Luxulyan; and those within Cornwall’s rich

Quaker tradition, like Marazion’s meeting

house, where George Fox wrote his Epistle

to the Seven Parishes in 1655, just before his

imprisonment in Launceston gaol.

What happens to churches that aren’t

repaired in time is illustrated by the

attempted sale of two such buildings in

recent years. The medieval St Pinnock

Church, near Liskeard, is Grade I listed

and suffering from slipped slates and

vegetation growth. Having been put on

the market for a second time in 2021,

interest was shown by various parties but

the process of considering and potentially

accepting an offer is rigorous and lengthy.

The Lady Mary Window

Lamorran

In Truro, the Grade 2 listed Victorian St

Paul’s Church was paid for by banker

William Mansell Tweedy and richly

ornamented by JD Sedding. The repair bill

threatens to spiral into the millions, and

the church faces demolition if it cannot

be sold and repurposed. It remains empty

while conversations take place between

the Church Commissioners and potential

future users; meanwhile, a petition led

by the Cornish Buildings Group on 38

Degrees has gathered 2,700 signatures.

A happier future is already in sight for

St Torney’s church at North Hill, near

Launceston. With its rare dedication to

an Irish monk, the Grade I listed church

is thought to be over 600 years old, with a

corresponding holy well on the nearby River

Lynher. Its small congregation was no longer

able to meet routine costs like insurance

and utility bills, let alone tackle structural

problems and major damp issues. The last

service took place in 2019, the congregation

merged with nearby Lewannick and St

Torney’s has been closed ever since.

However, in April, St Torney’s was signed

over to the Churches Conservation Trust. A

national charity funded jointly by the state

and the Church of England, it is dedicated

to saving historic churches at risk and has in

its care over 350 buildings, which now host

mental health care, concerts, art exhibitions

and even circus skills training. Crucially,

they remain consecrated buildings

available for religious ceremonies.

St Torney’s is the charity’s second

acquisition in Cornwall after St Anthony-in-

Roseland. The tower will be scaffolded this

summer, with extended works likely to take

two years and exceed the charity’s average

spend of £350,000 per church.

“Churches host some our happiest

and saddest moments, and hold a lot

of emotions,” said Meriel O’Dowd,

Conservation Projects Manager (West).

“St Torney’s is a great church, with one of

the tallest towers in Cornwall and some

unusual monuments of exceptional quality.

It’s also nestled within a very active village

which obviously loves its church. We will

repair it back to a state for the community

to be able to use it the way it would like.”

Meanwhile, the tradition of remembering

loved ones through churches continues.

Former High Sheriff Kate Holborow oversaw

the design and installation of two stainedglass

windows by Scilly artist Oriel Hicks in

Ladock Church, in memory of her parents

Geoffrey and former Lord-Lieutenant Lady

Mary Holborow. Their funerals, in 2015 and

2017, raised donations for the church, and

wardens proposed replacing existing plain

glass with the new designs, which reflect

Cornwall and her parents’ interests.

“I see the windows not only as a memorial

to my parents, who contributed so much

to Ladock and loved this church, but also

as a reflection of what Cornwall is like right

now,” said Kate.

“They make a beautiful building even more

beautiful, and will be there for generations

to come. People come to the church to see

them, and the Victorian window by Edward

Burne Jones – and they make donations when

they do, which takes the church forward.

“I hope visitors will wonder who my parents

were, look them up and find out more

about them. It’s a huge privilege - I wish

everyone could have this for their parents.

For my part, when I visit the church, I feel

as if they are there.” l

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust’s

summer picnic and garden open day takes

place on Sunday, June 19 at Trebartha,

near Launceston (PL15 7BD). Arrive at

11am for talk by owner Caroline Latham

and pre-booked picnic: £25pp (£20pp for

groups of 4+). Entry after 2pm: £10pp.

All tickets include tea and cake between

3pm and 4pm. Visit St Torney’s church,

North Hill between 4pm and 6pm by

appointment. www.chct.info


Lander Silhouette© Roy Curtis

INTREPID CORNISHMEN

Elizabeth Dale uncovers the stories of three of our

most adventurous Cornish explorers.

As a seafaring nation, Cornwall

has always had one eye on the

horizon. From the early sailors

setting out on voyages of

discovery, to the 19th century Cousin Jacks

travelling to far-flung places in search of

work and a better life, the Cornish were not

averse to global travel.

Born in Penryn in 1597, Peter Mundy could

be described as Cornwall’s first true explorer

and one of the most intrepid adventurers of

the 17th century. His father and uncle were

merchants trading in pilchards and in 1609,

aged 12, Mundy sailed across the channel

with them to Normandy. It was the first

n 40 | My


journey in a somewhat peripatetic life that

would see him travel, according to his own

calculations, more than 100,000 miles over

land and sea.

After working as a cabin boy, Mundy

joined the East India Company in 1628.

His journeys took him around Europe,

the Balkans and Russia, but it is his trips

to China and India that are the most

remarkable. In Agra he witnessed the

construction of the Taj Mahal, describing

the lavish jewelled decorations. At the

time, the region was renowned for outlaws

and Mundy writes a startling account of

the roadside deterrents to this criminality:

towers decorated with the skulls of thieves

and in one town, “50 or 60 heads hung up

by a string through their noses”.

Mundy had a keen eye and his are some of

the earliest western descriptions of Indian

life and culture. From the roads to barber

shops and massage parlours, from the

astonishing riches and strange wildlife to

deadly famine and disease, he described it

all. In Fujian, China in 1637, he wrote: “The

people gave us a certain drink called Chaa,

which is only water with a kind of herb

boiled in it.” As such, he may well have

been the first Cornishman to taste tea! The

popular beverage did not arrive in England

until some 20 years later.

Mundy returned to Cornwall several times

throughout his life but in September 1663,

aged 66, he finally decided to come home

for good. On arriving back in Penryn, he

wrote: “From thence I began my travels

and here I hope to find my haven of rest.”

He died in 1667, and his story was forgotten

for nearly 300 years until his detailed

and insightful journals were published in

1897. The originals are now held by the

Bodleian Library and remain an invaluable

historical resource.

Another Cornishman who found himself

in uncharted territory was Samuel Wallis

from Lanteglos-by-Camelford (1728-95).

Samuel was one of three sons born to John

Wallis and Sarah Barrett of Fentonwoon,

a small estate owned by the family since

the time of Elizabeth I. Like many young

men of the era, in 1744 Samuel joined the

Navy, no doubt looking for adventure. He

fought in the wars with France, travelled to

North America and quickly rose through

the ranks, obtaining his first command

in 1756. Ten years later, aged 38, Wallis

was promoted to the command of the HMS

Dolphin, a large 24-gun frigate, tasked with

circumnavigating the globe and finding the

fabled great southern continent.

HMS Dolphin set sail from Plymouth Sound

with its companion ship, HMS Swallow, on

August 22, 1766. The little fleet passed close

to Lizard Point before heading out into the

open ocean. It wasn’t until three long months

later that Wallis and his crew finally reached

the Brazilian coast and then passed into the

Pacific Ocean in April 1767.

Sometime during the journey through the

Straits of Magellan, Wallis’ ship lost contact

with the Swallow but, short of supplies, they

decided to continue without them and thus

became the first Europeans to discover the

island of Tahiti the following June. They

remained there for a month and Wallis did

his best to foster good relations with the

native people.

After resting and replenishing their

supplies they continued on their voyage.

Then on the morning of August 16, 1767

land was sighted again. Wallis wrote in

his log that the island was “very pleasant

in appearance, the whole seemed to be

surrounded by reefs... As we sailed along

the shore, which was covered in cocoa-nut

trees, we saw a few huts and smoke. [I] sent

out boats to sound and examine the coast”.

The Dolphin only anchored there for a day

as it turned out that this time the locals were

less than friendly and Wallis was forced to

beat a hasty retreat. He recorded coyly in

his journal that the crew had named this

uncharted island after him, an idea which

he admitted he found flattering. The name

stuck - the island, now with around 10,000

inhabitants, remains Wallis Island to this day,

even after more than 100 years of French

control, and the Polynesian language

spoken there is known as Wallisian.

HMS Dolphin and Captain Wallis

completed their circumnavigation of the

globe with very little fanfare, arriving back

in England in 1768. They had not found

the fabled southern continent but the vital

information they gleaned enabled Captain

James Cook to set sail a few months later

with a far greater knowledge of what lay

ahead in those vast, uncharted oceans.

Perhaps Cornwall’s most well-known

explorer is Richard Lander, who was born

in 1804 in the Fighting Cocks Inn, close to

the city’s present-day bus station. He first

left England aged 11, on a merchant ship

to the West Indies, but it was his travels in

Africa which brought him real acclaim.

In 1823 he visited the continent for the first

time as a servant on an expedition to the

Cape of Good Hope with Lieutenant Hugh

Clapperton. A further expedition in 1825

into what is now Nigeria ended in disaster;

Clapperton died, and Lander was the only

European to survive. The experience did little

to deter him, however, and in 1830 he headed

a government-funded expedition to find the

source of the River Niger. Accompanied by

his brother John, Lander travelled hundreds

of miles through West Africa in a canoe,

mapping the river’s course and becoming

the first Europeans to discover that the Niger

drained into the Atlantic.

As a consequence, Richard Lander became

the first person to be awarded a Gold

Medal by the National Geographic Society

in 1832. Sadly, he died of a gunshot wound

in Equatorial Guinea just two years later

aged 30. The tales of his exploits and his

final days filled the columns of Cornwall’s

newspapers for weeks after his death.

Look out for his statue at the top of Lemon

Street; sculpted by Cornishman Neville

Northey Burnard, it dates from 1852 and

sits on land gifted by Sir Charles Lemon MP

for the occasion. l

Portrait of Richard Lander

by C. Turner, 1835


Betty & Janine

My Cornish Roots

Janine & Richard

Janine Flamank has

always been proud of

her historic name, and

of her Aunt Betty’s

Cornish ballads

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I was born Janine Flamank. My brother

Richard and I are part of a small group

of our generation of that name; at 97, my

Aunt Betty was the last surviving member

of hers. Our family history in Cornwall goes

back to the time of the Norman conquest

– it's said William the Conqueror gifted a

manor house to one Stephen Flandresis,

who had helped the king back onto his

horse in battle.

By 1250, under Henry III, the name

Flandresis had evolved into Le Flamank. The

manor house of Nanstallon, near Bodmin

(including the Barton of Boscarne, which we

have visited), passed through generations

of Flamanks in unbroken succession for

over 500 years. It looks most likely that

Richard, Betty and I are descended from

the line of Thomas Flamank’s brother, John,

who was an MP of Bodmin at the time of

the Cornish rebellion.

Perhaps the most famous member of our

family was lawyer Thomas Flamank, one

of the leaders of the Cornish rebellion

of 1497. Henry VII attempted to collect

taxes across England to fund an army to

send to Scotland. He intended to punish

James IV for supporting the claim of

Perkin Warbeck to the English throne, but

the Cornish felt this had little to do with

them and challenged the tax. Blacksmith

Michael Joseph – known as An Gof – set

off for London from St Keverne on the

Lizard, and Thomas joined him when he

reached Bodmin. As Thomas’ father was

Commissioner of Taxes for the King, the

rebellion was very embarrassing within

the family.

In total, around 15,000 people marched

towards London. In June 1497, they arrived

at Blackheath Common where they were

surrounded by the king’s forces; poorly

armed, they stood no chance. The Cornish

Rebels were defeated at the Battle of

Deptford Bridge, their leaders – including

Thomas and An Gof - captured and

executed at Tyburn. Flamank’s last words

were: “Speak the truth, and only then can

you be free of your chains.”

To this day, An Gof Day is celebrated

on June 27 in St Keverne, Bodmin and

London. In 1997, many Flamanks met for a

commemorative march, Keskerdh Kernow

(Cornwall Marches On), from Cornwall to

London on the 500th anniversary of this

uprising. My father Elwyn Flamank – Betty's

brother - carried one of the banners on

this march. A statue depicting Michael

Joseph and Thomas Flamank was erected

at St Keverne and a plaque unveiled on

Blackheath Common.

My grandfather, Paul Eva Flamank (1887

– 1956), was the son of George Henry

Flamank and Mary Jane Eva. The Evas

were a powerful family, owning what

we believe was the biggest farm in

Cornwall: Higher Croft West Farm near

Threemilestone. Mary Jane’s father was a

mine captain who died when he fell down

a mine shaft - he was unpopular, and

rumour had it he was pushed! Upon his

death, Mary Jane had to go to work in the

dairy at Higher Croft West. She disliked

it, and married the first man who asked

her: George Henry (1854-1904) was a gold

miner who worked two years in South

Africa followed by a year at home.

When the Boer war broke out, George

Henry was in England and could not

return to South Africa. He turned to

coal mining, moving the family to South

Wales, but suffered from the climate and

died of pneumoconiosis. Paul had had a

good education at Truro School and was

employed to do the book work in the

mine business in Caerau, near Cardiff.

My father Elwyn attended night school

to become a mechanical engineer, thus

escaping the mines – although when war

broke out in 1939, he was conscripted to

work in the mine to increase the rate of coal

production, a reserved occupation which

kept him on British soil.

My Aunt Betty moved back to Cornwall

through marriage. Her desire to return was

strong, and as Betty Gardner she settled

in St Ives, where she swam in the sea well

into her 80s. We spent our holidays with

her – we lived in Scotland, so the trip to St

Ives was particularly long and we travelled

through the night. When I took my

Betty's first dance at 19 - 1943

Softly, let me sing of Cornwall,

Voice my love from heart and brain,

My pisky-playful land of magic

Holding in thrall the boundless main.

Sea-girt beauty, oft time mist-clad,

Granite-cliffed her ramparts strong,

Cover coves, silk-sanded beaches,

Reefs where mermaids pause for song.

Onward! Westward! To the limit!

Gasp in wonder at Land’s End,

Where “The Armed Knight” guards the gateway,

Poised and ready to defend

His fair country, rich in legend

And in elemental worth,

Cornwall’s a treasure, beyond measure,

A Peerless paradise on Earth.

Song of Cornwall

by Betty Gardner (nee Flamank)

entrance exams, aged 10, Betty sent me

a Cornish piskie for good luck. I passed!

I haven’t removed the piskie - christened

Petroc - from around my neck since, and

never wear any other neck jewellery.

At 97, Betty still had a sharp mind and

considerable wit. She wrote 24 ballads -

clever, informative tales capturing some of

Cornwall's social and historic past in rhyming

couplets, proudly old-fashioned in style.

She was able to recite many of them from

memory, but could no longer read them as

she had lost her sight. They lend themselves

very well to performance, and I recorded

them to be relayed to her via smartphone.

Examples include “I Stay”, the tale of Stephen

Flandresis, which refers to the manor house in

Aunt Betty

Pentallon (a pseudonym for Nanstallon); and

“Forgotten Heroes, A Ballad of the Cornish

Rebellion of 1497”, from which excerpts were

recited in Bodmin town square in 1997 as part

of Keskerdh Kernow.

Sadly, Betty died in February, and her

funeral took place in St Ives in March. In

characteristic style, she planned it herself,

writing poems to reflect her keenness to

cut her losses and exit. My husband, Chris,

did extensive research into Flamank history

before we came, and we spent three days

visiting churches, finding Flamank plaques

in St Enoder and stained-glass windows in

St Mabyn. We also visited the sites of two

Flamank manor houses: Boscarne Barton

near Bodmin (1400s), and Gounroensen

Barton near Summercourt (1700s).

I was born on the Wirral and was always

proud of being Janine Flamank. It was a

singular surname - people always asked

twice about it and how to spell it (although

at primary school in Scotland, my classmates

made fun of it). I married in the 70s, and

never thought of being double-barrelled as

it wasn’t really the done thing. In the early

1800s, Honour Flamank married Nicolas

Phillips - there being no male Flamank

siblings, her son William was granted a royal

licence to keep the surname alive. But I was

very happy to be Mrs Turner, although both

my sons have Flamank as a middle name.

Chris, recently took up stained glass work

as a hobby, and is now designing a window

featuring the Flamank coat of arms with its

cross and four stars, from an original at St

Mabyn Church. Amazing! l


Y’n pymthegves ha hwetegves kansbledhynnyow, trevow and

gwigow oll a-dreus Kernow a restri performyansow a wariow

kryjyk yn Kernewek. Unnik dhe Gernow ens i, an performyansow

ma, neb a usya gwarivaow kylghek kevys yn ken tyller vyth yn

Europ, plen an gwari aga hanow. Y krysir an goslowysi dhe sevel

a-dro kres an kylgh ha’n warioryon a berformya a-dro an amal ha

war eth gwariell, po ‘gorsav’, gorrys a-ugh ughelder penn war

tommen, bysow y furv ynwedh. Hag yma’n gwrians ow kwaya

gorsav dhe gorsav, po yn fenowgh war-nans yn-mysk an bush,

eksperyans troghysek ha dramasek re bia yn tevri.

In the fifteenth and sixteenth century, towns and villages all

across Cornwall organised performances of religious plays in the

Cornish language. These performances were unique to Cornwall

and were staged in circular amphitheatres called ‘playing

places’ found nowhere else across Europe. It is believed that the

audience stood around the centre of the circle while the actors

performed around the edge and on eight stages or ‘stations’

positioned above head height on a ringed embankment. With

the action moving from station to station or often down in

amongst the crowd, it would have been a truly immersive and

dramatic experience.

kryjyk

religious

performyans

performance

plen an gwari

playing place

goslowysi

audience

amal

edge

gorra

to put, place

ughelder

height

tommen

embankment

bysow

ring

gwrians

action

gwaya

to move

war-nans

downwards

yn-mysk

among

bush

crowd

troghysek

immersive

dramasek

dramatic

Yn spit na vos plen an gwari oberi hwath yn Kernow, y’gan

beus tybyans da fatell o an gwariow performys gras dhe duyow

gwariva skrifys y’n mammskrifow, prederis dhe vos an kottha y’n

bys! Rag konvedhes yn hwir hag yn us byttegyns res yw dhyn

ni daswul plen an gwari lel, ha rekna a-nowydh fatell dhe wul

askorrans mar komplek. Yma ragdres yn poran an par na owth

avonsya hedhyw, ledys gans Askorrans Gwydhen Owr, an para a

wrug lies ragdresow a vri kernewek ha gonisogethel hag awenek.

Owth oberi gans pennser ha pennseri-tirwel, y rer avis desin sad

hag unn jydh martesen ni a wello plen an gwari oberi arta!

Let's Speak Cornish

Despite there being no working playing places left in Cornwall,

we have a good idea how the plays were performed from stage

directions in the original manuscripts, thought to be the oldest

in the world! To really understand in practice, however, we will

have to recreate an authentic ‘playing place’ and work out anew

how to stage such a complex production. There is just such a

project in progress today, led by Golden Tree Productions, the

team behind many well-known Cornish creative and cultural

projects. Working with an architect and landscape architects, the

idea is being given serious design consideration and one day we

might see a working playing place again!

tybyans

idea, thought

gras dhe

thanks to

tuyow

directions

gwariva

theatre, stage

mammskrif

original text

komplek

complex

askorrans

production

para

team

ragdres

project

gonisogethel

cultural

awenek

creative

pennser

architect

tirwel

landscape

avis

consultation, consideration

sad

serious

gweles

to see

NEBES LAVARENNOW GWARIVA

SOME USEFUL THEATRE PHRASES

“Dew tokyn rag an performyans gorthugher, mar pleg?”

“Two tickets for the evening performance, please?”

“Ple’m’agan esedhow?” “Where are our seats?”

“Drog yw genev, oll an tokynnyow gwari mir yw sevel hep ken!”

“Sorry, all miracle play tickets are standing only!”

“A allav prena korrkeryn a dhewen rew, mamm? Saw tri feuns...”

“Can I buy a mini-tub of ice cream, mum? Only three ponds...“

“Pygemmys?” “How much?”

“Arghhh, yth esos ta ow sevel war ow besyes troos!”

“Oww, you’re standing on my toes!”

Prag yth yw an hirra den pupprys a-dheragov!”

“Why is the tallest man always in front of me?”

“Pur dha ywa ‘vel Tormentor, a nyns yw ev!”

“Very good as a Torturer, isn’t he!”

For general enquiries: maureen.pierce@kesva.org

For enquiries about publications: roger.courtenay@kesva.org

For enquiries about examinations: tony.hak@kesva.org

For enquiries about the language correspondence course:

kernewekdrelyther@hotmail.co.uk

For more Cornish Language visit: www.kesva.org

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A carefully curated selection of

affordable gifts, cards, kitchen and

homeware, alongside a selection of

Cornish makers and designers.

20 High Street, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 2AB

Open: 10am-4pm Daily • Tel: 01326 618240


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InfrAbandoned is an exhibition of infrared photos taken of Cornwall’s

magnificent mining heritage. “The human eye cannot see infrared light

but a converted camera can, allowing a glimpse into an invisible world,”

says photographer Barnaby Attwell. “Depending on the filter used,

the effect can be ghostly and haunting, or garish and surreal - I love

both.” Photographs are on display until August at the Red River Cafe in

Heartlands, Pool - once one of the wealthiest places in the world as the

centre for mining in Cornwall. Open daily, 9am to 4pm.

48 ART NEWS

54 WHITEWATER CONTEMPORARY, POLZEATH

56 LIZARD ART: HIDDEN TREASURE

AT TRELOWARREN

58 THROUGH THE EYES OF...

SHARON MCSWINEY

60 TIM NEWMAN: THE CORNISH FAUVE

62 STEPHANIE SANDERCOCK

64 VIP: YEW TREE GALLERY, MORVAH


Art News

JACKSON FOUNDATION

The multi award-winning Jackson Foundation Gallery

in West Cornwall hosts three concurrent exhibitions

this summer, each focussing on environmental issues

(both man-made and ‘natural’), the disaster that is

marine plastic pollution, and the ongoing climate

emergency. In Mermaids’ Tears and Clay Country,

leading contemporary artist Kurt Jackson addresses

these issues through his trademark visceral en plein

air paintings, ceramics and printmaking. Meanwhile,

textile artist Sally Baldwin engages through delicate,

finely balanced works created from silks, paper and

scrim in Fragile Earth. These two creatives work

in vastly different media and scale but share the

conviction that the role of an artist is to take a step

back and reflect on the symbiotic nature of art and

environment, and to ask the difficult questions - and

that it is up to us all to seek answers. l

All three exhibitions run until August 13, 2022

at the Jackson Foundation Gallery, St Just TR19

7LB. Call 01736 787638 or take a 3D virtual tour

at www.jacksonfoundationgallery.com

EARTH MINUS ENVIRONMENT

Kestle Barton is an ancient Cornish farmstead situated above the Helford

River. The gallery, garden and wildflower meadow beyond host a programme

of free exhibitions and other visitor events each year, from early April to late

October. This season sees three exhibitions. At its heart is Gustav Metzger’s

Earth Minus Environment (June 25 to September 4), which aims to give

dramatic visual form to the visible and invisible tensions in our relationship

with the natural world. This exhibition will be launched by a weekend of talks,

presentations and performances on June 25 and 26, and a programme of

public events focusing on different aspects of our relationship with trees,

from forest ecosystems and the ancient woodlands around the Helford River

to carbon sequestration, woodland management and rewilding. The show

is bookended by Abigail Reynolds’ Flux (until June 12), showing glass made

using only the simple materials of Cornish seaweed and sand; and Feet of

Clay (September 10 to October 30). l

For more details, visit www.kestlebarton.co.uk

DAVID BEATSON IN

PORTHLEVEN

The Customs House Gallery in Porthleven is now open

daily from 10.30am to 5pm, with a constant flow of

new work arriving from its featured artists. New to the

venue is David Beatson, who hails from Sheffield but

is inspired by the vivid colours, stunning scenery and

unique light of the Cornish coastline which he loves

and visits numerous times every year. David’s aim is

to capture the fleeting effects of light and movement;

more recently, he has focused on completing

paintings “en plein air” in addition to his studio work.

Pictured: Sailing in Mounts Bay. l

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Commercial Road, Porthleven TR13 9JD.

Tel 01326 569365, www.cornwall-art.co.uk

TRELISSICK GALLERY

Summer Exhibition ‘Treasure’

Continues until 25th September

Focus on Ceramicist Debbie Prosser

15th June – 4th August

Open daily between 10am - 5pm

www.cornwallcrafts.co.uk

Improve your skills and meet like-minded

people with pottery classes and workshops

in Redruth, Cornwall.

These sessions are a great way

to further explore the world of

pottery.

I have three types of weekly

workshops; on the wheel, for

those who want nothing more

than to learn to throw and are

focused solely on that; general,

for those who want to try

everything and those who just

want a few fun hours making

a mug, plate or bowl.

My studio has a relaxed and

happy atmosphere, 10am-

12noon and 1pm-3pm

throughout the week, also

some weekends 10am-12noon

G10 Percy Williams Building, Krowji,

West Park, Redruth, Cornwall TR15 3AJ

Text: 07855 102 598

Email: susywardg10@yahoo.com

www.susywardceramics.com


NEW GALLERY PORTRAIT STUDIO REOPENS

Following a lengthy closure due to Covid-19, the New Gallery in Portscatho

has reopened its portrait and figure drawing studio. "Covid changed things

for all art galleries, but possibly the greatest loss for us was contact with our

customers,” says gallery owner Chris Insoll. “Before Covid, we didn’t even

need a website; after 35 years of opening three days a week, we had some

very loyal visitors, many of whom had become friends.” The gallery offered

customers the opportunity not only to meet the artists and visit the studio

upstairs, but also to be in a painting. “This can be a rewarding experience

for both artist and customer,” says Chris. “Willing sitters are under no

obligation to purchase anything, although those who had not exactly

planned to start a modelling career often head straight off to buy a suitable

outfit. Either way, it’s a win.” Visitors are welcome to view the studios on a

Thursday, Friday or a Saturday, or by appointment. l

The New Gallery, Portscatho. Tel 01872 580445, chrisinsoll@gmail.com

PENZANCE ART FESTIVAL:

CIRCA 21

Penzance Festival of Art (June 3 to 19) brings

together the town’s plethora of artists, galleries

and museums for a celebration of the very best of

Penwith art. Participating locations include Circa

21 in Market Jew Street, which will display Theresa

Shaw's painting Wild Flowers, Wheal Prosper

in the shop window as part of the art trail, while

Sophie Dennett's art studio on the top floor will

be open to visitors. Circa 21 showcases a great

selection of Cornish contemporary prints alongside

remarkable coastal pottery: Penryn artist Pete

Shields’ Out To Sea (pictured) is a favourite print

and sits beautifully alongside Newlyn-based Lucie

Sivicka's wild swimmer range, or Lincoln Kirby-Bell's

vibrant spot pots, while earthy ceramics by John

Webb complement Julia Crimmen’s wild bird range.

Find Amanda Slade's beautiful Agapanthus small

paintings and Chris Thompson's prints of Scillonian

II or Newlyn Harbour. Stephanie Croydon has

recently delivered framed original seascape art and

the delightfully liberating work of illustrator Tanya

McBride is fresh out on display. l

Circa 21, 21 Market Jew Street, Penzance TR18

2HR. Open 10am to 4pm (closed Sundays and

Bank Holiday Mondays). Instagram @circa21

CAROL CHAPMAN AT THE COWHOUSE

Carol Chapman became interested in sculpture while living in Surrey,

where she attended classes at the local Adult Education Centre. After

moving to North Cornwall in 1990, Carol studied with the Open College

of Art. Her chosen medium has been almost entirely polished concrete,

but she has made a recent foray into ceramics. Her work is mostly in the

abstract, concentrating on strength of line to create form. Carol has been

a member of the Boscastle Group since its inception and exhibits regularly

with them, but you can find a significant display of Carol’s work at the

Cowhouse Gallery in Perranuthnoe. l

The Cowhouse Gallery, Lynfield Craft Centre, Perranuthnoe, TR20 9NE.

Open daily, 10am to 5pm.

Tel: 01736 710538, www.cowhousegallery.co.uk

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Tim Newman Art

A self-taught artist who moved to West Cornwall in 1981.

After four years away from Cornwall when he was based in

Exmouth, Tim is now back in Falmouth, and his work can

be seen by appointment both at his studio or home gallery.

Tel: 07906 367783

Email: cornishfauve@hotmail.co.uk

www.timnewmanart.co.uk

@timnewmanartbodywork / @maleformfalmouth


JIM MOIR IN PENZANCE

Artist Jim Moir – also known as comedian, actor and

author Vic Reeves - presents The Lord of the Radiant

Garden, a solo exhibition of his paintings at Cornwall

Contemporary in Penzance throughout June. Widely

celebrated for his irreverent wit, glorious eccentricity and

tremendous creativity, Jim attended the Sir John Cass

Art School in London before becoming a household

name in British comedy for his TV work. Art has always

remained his first love, and the anarchy and wonderful

eccentricity for which he is synonymous is evident in his

bold, vibrant and often surreal artworks, which merge his

interest in the natural world and his witty imagination. l

www.cornwallcontemporary.com

AROUND CORNWALL IN 38 CHURNS

An unusual art project has been launched to raise funds for

healthcare charity Cornwall Hospice Care. Artists from across

Cornwall – including Kurt Jackson, Michael Praed and Dick Twinney

- have decorated milk churns, kindly donated by Rodda’s Creamery,

in their signature styles to be displayed around Cornwall. Art lovers

are encouraged to follow a trail around venues including Paradise

Park in Hayle and St Agnes on the Isles of Scilly, using an interactive

map. The trail was devised by Sue Dennett, chair of the charity’s

Newquay fundraising group and a supporter of Mount Edgcumbe

Hospice and St Julia’s Hospice for almost four decades. A grand

auction will be held at Truro Cathedral on Wednesday, September

21 - bidding is expected to be feverish. l

Find out more at www.38churns.co.uk

Painting by Simon Jewell - Oil - ‘Brooding Mount’

CREATIVE & CULTURAL LIVING

A stunning gallery located at the heart

of the timeless Trelowarren Estate, run

by a co-operative of exciting and diverse

professional artists all sharing an enthusiasm

for living and working on the Lizard

Peninsula. Exhibiting a varied selection of

paintings in a variety of mediums and a

large selection of Prints and Cards. Crafts

available include ceramics, glass, serpentine

sculpture, jewellery and mixed media.

A warm welcome awaits you at Lizard Art.

Stableyard Gallery, Trelowarren Estate,

Mawgan-in-Meneage, Helston, Cornwall TR12 6AF

Tel: 01326 221778 | Open Weds-Sun, 11am-3pm | www.lizardart.co.uk

Facebook: thestableyardgallery | Instagram: lizardartgallery

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADVERTISE IN OUR 2022

ART GUIDES PLEASE CONTACT JENI SMITH

TEL: 01209 494003

EMAIL: JENI.MYCORNWALL@GMAIL.COM

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ART HOUSE GALLERY

Always on the lookout for new talent, Art House Gallery features a diverse

mix of mediums, blending representational and abstract styles.

The exhibition evolves all season with fresh and dynamic work.

Their collection includes more than 20 of the most respected artists

working in Cornwall today.

Open times: mostly 11:30am-4:30pm • Private views are available

Art House Gallery, Island Square, St Ives, TR26 1NT

T: 01736 794423 M: 07512 978 730 E: theahgallery@gmail.com

www.thearthouses.com


GALLERY OF THE MONTH

This ‘white cube’ gallery has thrived over the last couple of years, thanks to great

artists, virtual 3D shows, and classically beautiful curation

These have been tough years for the arts,

but one of Cornwall’s rising new galleries

has bucked that trend, doubling in size

and quadrupling its artist list since the

start of the pandemic. In 2019, owners

Suki and Nick Wapshott took a gamble on

expanding the original Whitewater Gallery,

which looks out across Polzeath beach,

with the aim of establishing a classic

white space for the curation of fresh and

progressive new art shows.

“As it turned out, the timing was tricky,”

says Nick, “but we’d had this plan in mind

for some years and we weren’t going

to let the pandemic steal our dream of

establishing a really great art space. Suki and

I were confident in our vision for Whitewater

Contemporary, and we felt strongly that

there would be continuing demand for

great art here in Cornwall, maybe even more

demand - and we were right.”

Nick and Suki’s investment proved

worthwhile, despite the turbulence of the

following two years of restrictions. Though

their doors were frequently shut in line

with lockdown rules, they found innovative

ways to keep collectors viewing and

buying artwork.

“Straight away, we invested in a 3D

virtual tour camera and software for

the gallery so we could continue our

exhibitions digitally,” says Nick, “That

allowed us to invite clients to ‘walk

through’ the gallery space virtually, and

browse our shows online whenever they

wanted. It’s innovative stuff – the tour even

n 54 | My


lets you walk up close to an artwork and

examine the surface detail.”

Whitewater also began hosting online

private views. “These were great fun!”

says Suki. “Guests logged in for live Zoom

events – lots of them sitting ready with

their own wine and cheese - for a virtual

tour of the show and a chat with the

exhibiting artist. It worked beautifully! It

gave our clients the chance to socialize,

as they would at a real PV, and to carry on

enjoying their love of art. It was one of

those unexpected lockdown things that

turned out to be incredibly positive and

bonding for everyone. I almost miss them

now our doors are open again.”

The creation of Whitewater

Contemporary has also allowed Nick and

Suki to show major artists, plus new and

very different work, at a time when artists

are much in need of support from galleries.

The pair are artists themselves - Nick is a

surf and fine art photographer, Suki one of

North Cornwall’s best-known painters.

“It’s important we show established

work and help further the careers of

new artists,” says Suki. “We understand

that artists need positive, long-term

relationships with galleries, so they can

focus on making great work.”

A key part of that is Whitewater’s

monthly Featured Artist series, which

launched in the spring of 2020 with awardwinning

new painter Luke Knight. This

year, the series opened with painting and

sculpture by Simeon Stafford, one of the

great characters of British art. Showing

established names like Stafford alongside

relatively unknown new talent makes for a

fascinating programme of shows.

Next on the bill is rising young ceramicist

Hannah Billingham, exhibiting throughout

July. She is much talked about, as the winner

of this year’s Prestige Award’s Yorkshire

Ceramic Artist of the Year, as well as

receiving the Gibney Prize for Outstanding

Achievement in 2016 and a nomination for

the Emerging Artist Award in 2019.

Her incredibly beautiful and complex

work combines her passion for glazes,

texture and in particular her obsessive

love of symmetry and perfection. Each

hand-thrown piece is detailed with an

intricate surface of raised slip-trail dots,

applied entirely by hand and eye, titled

for the number of dots on its surface: for

example, ‘Two Thousand, Six Hundred and

Seventy-Six'. These are special works, and

extraordinary labours of devotion. “Every

piece is an individually made, unique, oneof-a-kind

treasure,” says Hannah.

Suki adds: “Hannah's work is exquisite and

highly collectable. We are very proud to

have her showing here at Whitewater, as

we are with all our talented artists.” l

See Hannah Billingham on show from

July 1 to 30, 2022 at Whitewater

Contemporary, The Parade, Polzeath

PL27 6SR. whitewatercontemporary.co.uk

Words by Mercedes Smith


n 56 | My


ART FOCUS

Tucked away in the Stable Yard Gallery at Trelowarren, midway between Helston and

St Keverne, Lizard Art is a vibrant and fascinating space both to visit and to exhibit.

It’s also delightfully rural, with a recently

reclaimed walled garden to the rear of the

gallery providing a charming horticultural

area, home to Gloucester Old Spot pigs

and chickens alongside rows of neatly

planted fruits and vegetables that supply

the nearby Pantry and Bistro.

In the stableyard, the gallery entrance is

almost hidden, peeping from behind two

enormous palms that hang casually above the

entrance, enticing you to enter and discover

a wealth of artwork. Having 15 members in

the cooperative brings a considerable variety

of genres including woodcut/lino prints,

dramatic seascapes, landscapes and abstracts

in a variety of media.

Sarah Trewhella and Amelie White

are united by a shared philosophy and

interest in our connection to nature and the

species that are vital to our ecosystems,

which seems highly appropriate given the

location. Sarah makes crafted wire bugs,

pâte de verre pieces and ink paintings all

inspired by nature, while Amelie - an Art

Foundation Student from Truro College,

taken under the wing of Lizard Art –

creates beautiful painted moths which are

presented discerningly on the wall.

Jane Chetwynd exhibited at the Royal

Academy Summer Show 2021. Her work

explores the delicate balance between

the past and present, and is a slow-burner:

it often takes months and in some cases

years to resolve a piece of work. All kinds

of materials inform and become part of her

pieces: metal, found objects, fabric, paper,

paint, wax, glass and, most recently, film.

Jane is concerned with the inherited

landscapes of memory, belonging,

place, sentiment, family, ancestry and

evolution. She finds this in her immediate

surroundings, be that a Victorian bottle

dump, sandy beaches or the subtropical

gardens of West Cornwall. She is

fascinated by the marks left by the passing

of time, while the patina left by human

or elemental intervention, often found

in partially decayed or eroded objects,

informs the way she makes work.

Victoria Smith recently returned to Lizard

Art after maternity leave. Now juggling

two children, a job and home, she is

enjoying her precious, albeit limited free

time to put paint to canvas. Her paintings

are a search for equilibrium; a stability of

space and form fabricated by a process of

layering, and generating illusionary depth.

Vertical and horizontal divisions are a

common occurrence in her work.

Relationships between interlocking

forms, colours and lines inspired by

Victoria’s surrounding landscape are

a strong influence. These connections

often appear jumbled, lost or unclear

as a result of working from memory,

although restructuring these memories

to re-establish parity is her aim, allowing

the viewer to enjoy her work and create

their own interpretation, which is equally

rewarding and exciting.

The gallery also hosts craft associate

members. Karen Needham's ceramic

work is mainly black or regular stoneware

clay with lava glaze surface decoration;

Sally Ould’s mixed media ceramics are

fascinating and carefully assembled using

driftwood and raku fired pieces; Rachael

Stowe creates beautiful jewellery and

textiles; and Donny Taylor’s sculptured

serpentine pieces are inspiring and

appealing. l

Forthcoming exhibitions

• Summer: May 25 to August 21

• Autumn: August 24 to October 30

Open Wednesday to Sunday,

11am to 3pm.

Stableyard Gallery, Trelowarren Estate,

Mawgan-in-Meneage, Helston, TR12 6AF.

Tel: 01326 221778, www.lizardart.co.uk

G @TheStableyardGallery

A@LizardArtGallery


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THROUGH THE EYES OF...

Tell us about your favourite location

My husband, Tim, and I relocated to St

Ives from land-locked Worcestershire in

2013. Prior to that, we had visited regularly,

always out of season, usually February or

October. Each time we came, it felt more

and more like where we should be, so

we took the plunge. We opened our first

gallery in the Drill Hall; Tim ran the retail

space while I made the work to stock it.

This successful system has continued in

our new space in Island Square.

What inspires your work the most?

The artistic atmosphere inspires me to

create on a daily basis. I’ve been a maker

for 30 years, but since moving here, my

work has developed in a more coastal

direction - when surrounded by the sea,

you can’t help but be inspired! Think

seaweed, sea creatures and mythical

mermaids, and also the colours of

Cornwall. Walking down to the gallery

from the top of town where we live always

results in a photograph or two - rooftops,

colours, beach finds or patinas; while I

don’t always work directly from these

images, they invariably influence my work.

Which elements of this location

appear most in your work?

In winter, we take more walks on the

beach to see what the tides have “gifted”.

Several of my silver jewellery pieces are

recreated from fragments of sea creatures,

in particular urchins, crab shells or limpets.

I always make a note of where pieces

were found as I like to name the jewellery

with the place of origin; St Ives has

several beautiful beaches, each affected

differently by the weather.

How do you hang onto this

inspiration once in the studio?

I always have a notebook beside me to jot

down thoughts, as I often think about new

ideas while working. My studio is in the

garden, and I am surrounded by nature:

foliage and birds right outside the windows,

and a collection of interesting plants

with unusual leaves – I have a passion for

succulents, and a big gunnera gives the

garden an exotic feel in summer! Inside, the

shelves are filled with Kilner jars containing

found treasures such as seed heads,

feathers and fragments of worn sea glass.

What processes and materials

do you like to use?

My paintings have a free way of working, in

contrast with the control of my metalwork

and jewellery. I use a photographic etching

process to create the metal components

for my wall pieces. I draw the designs by

hand, filling all the gaps with tiny elements

which often get used on my greetings

cards. This is then transferred to acetate

to be used as the tooling for the etching

process. It’s quite an old-fashioned

technique and is gradually being replaced

by laser cutting, which I may have to

explore moving forward. I then silver

solder the copper and brass designs

together using a blow torch - this also

starts the oxidising process on the metal

surfaces, resulting in unique colour effects

– and decorate the surfaces further with

hammered textures and flux patination.

Working with copper enables lots of

variation in colour, combining with brass to

give vibrant contrasts.

What’s your home like?

Our cottage is an eclectic mix of vintage

furniture such as Ercol and GPlan mixed

with more modern Habitat pieces. White

walls are filled with original artwork –

mostly from Cornwall, often pieces found

at fairs we are exhibiting at ourselves. At

home, I prefer to surround myself with

other people’s work rather than my own.

Your gallery has an interesting history -

tell us more

In 2021, we relocated to Ponckle’s old

gallery on Island Square. Ponckle (1934 –

2012) was a well-known St Ives character

with a passion for cats (like me!). She

established her gallery in 1985, and we met

her (and purchased a painting) on our first

ever visit to St Ives. Several years later, we

had afternoon tea at her sail loft apartment.

We have a small collection of her work,

some of which is on display in the gallery.

It’s nice to retain the connection and tell

visitors about her work. I’ve also created a

collection of “crazy cat lady” jewellery –

I hope Ponckle would approve! l

Sharon McSwiney, Gallery on the Square,

Island Square, St Ives TR26 1NX

Tel 01736 448293

www.sharonmcswiney.co.uk


ARTIST PROFILE

Tim Newman

The Cornish Fauve

As a painter, for me it has always come

down to shape, colour and feeling -

aspects no doubt relating to the exotic

childhood I experienced. Until I was 11,

I lived in West Africa - mainly Accra, the

capital of Ghana. My father worked for

Unilever, which was a big trading company

in all sorts of areas – cigarettes, petrol, you

name it. Although I was a privileged white

child and kept largely separate from the

local community, the impact of the heat

and colour and different vegetation were

strong. I think that’s why I love Cornwall

- with its palm trees and mild winters, it’s

arguably the most tropical part of the UK.

We returned to England very suddenly. I

was barely able to say goodbye, and to cap

it all, our possessions fell into the harbour

due to a freak accident as we were leaving

Accra, meaning I lost all mementoes and

souvenirs of my time there. It marked me

very deeply - I felt like a fish out of water

in England, with no cultural references. In

contrast, my parents were thrilled to come

home, which made it hard for me show my

distress. For years, I felt an acute sense of

loss, grief and longing to return.

I was “disallowed” from doing art,

because it wasn’t a “serious” subject.

Instead, I went to university to study

anthropology and comparative law at the

School of Oriental and African Studies

(SOAS), with an emphasis on West Africa.

Looking back, I can see I was indulging

a sense of longing - I was still pining for

Africa. I didn’t finish the course and took

a variety of jobs: packing in a factory,

working for a travel agency, organic

gardening. Later, I restored oriental rugs in

Oxford, which gave me a whole new route

into colour, design and touch.

I was introduced to the photographer

Felicitas Vogler by a mutual friend. I spent

time at her home in Switzerland, helping

to catalogue her work. She was the ex-wife

of the artist Ben Nicholson, and her home

was full of fabulous artwork from Tibet,

Africa – and St Ives. That was instrumental

in my decision in 1981 to leave London for

Cornwall, and to try and be an artist. Having

experimented with alternative therapies, I

trained in acupuncture and massage, which

n 60 | My


enabled me to be self-employed and have

time to work on my art.

Initially I was inspired by colourists such

as Van Gogh and Gauguin. It was Gauguin’s

The Day Of The God that made me want to

paint. The Fauvists were directly descended

from their immediate predecessors’

innovations, and were just getting going

when Gauguin died in 1903. “Fauve” was

a derogatory term - meaning wild animals

or beasts, by extension primitive and

instinctual - applied to a group of artists

from 1902-10. In the narrow sense, this

referred to their use of primary colours in a

shocking and ’savage’ expression, no doubt

with other ignoble inferences about the

artists’ lives and morals.

I was called the Cornish Fauve by a

friend who saw a natural link in my use of

colour. I see an overlap with the bright,

hot, exotic tropics of my childhood, where

local textiles and fruit were constant

splashes of pure colour, and the ability to

shed clothing and feel the skin and the

impressions of nature more directly. This

all combined in a feeling of being back to

nature, escaping restricting conventions, in

glaring contrast to the dullness of England

as I perceived it then.

Today, my approach to painting is

vigorous, risky - the opposite of inherited

timidity and shyness. I have learnt to

trust my instincts and allow them to

complement and inform my more ordered,

intellectual side. Gauguin still inspires my

landscape work - I went to the Scillies with

Paul Lewin and got back into landscapes in

full colour, which was great. My next step

will be to combine figure within landscape.

Being in Cornwall enabled me to meet

many influential artists. Felicitas sent

me home with a letter of introduction

to Patrick Heron. From 1989 to 1991,

I shared a studio with John Miller at

Sancreed House; inevitably he was able to

observe my all-too-obvious struggles as

an untrained painter, and with a few quiet

words and the offer of some of his superior

materials, I began to make progress with

my practice. Romi Behrens became a good

friend, and and I painted the female nude

with a small group of artists, including

Rose Hilton, at her house in Botallack.

However, I was more interested in the

male figure. I had come across the work

of Henry Scott Tuke, as well as the more

modern interpretations of Keith Vaughan,

both of which appealed to me as someone

emerging not only as an artist, but also as a

man of same-sex affection and attraction. My

first model was a runner I met on Penzance

promenade. I couldn’t afford to pay him, so

I traded massage instead. It worked well, we

became friends and it set a template for how

I enagage models. During the lockdowns my

work had to be remote, and I stuck to pencil

sketching for a two-year period; but drawing

from life is my strong preference.

In my experience, those who personify

archetypes of beauty or apparently

ideal physiques nearly all suffer from a

lack of confidence. They are not at all

heroes and gods with the qualities or

attributes people project onto them.

Such assumptions are the subject of

a project I've been working on called

“What is a man?” that has grown out of

my participation in Cornish men's mental

health charity Man Down. My Instagram

handle for this is @blokesandladsinthebuff

- and it is intentionally light-hearted. It

offers an opportunity to be either still for

an hour, or to talk, whichever the individual

prefers whilst being drawn. Needless to

say, the amount of kit retained or taken off

is also up to individual participants.

My studio and gallery are at home, so I

open by appointment. I’m participating in

Open Studios Cornwall - search for Maison

Fauve – and I also exhibited in The Crypt at

St Ives with the PZ Eleven group in May. l

To preview the kind of mixed display at

the Maison Fauve premises, please visit

the Instagram profiles that represent

the collections:

A @20centcontemporarycornishart

A @maleformfalmouth

A @falmouthtextilegallery

A @timnewmanartbodywork

Maison Fauve, 2 Windsor Villas,

Falmouth, TR11 3BW

Tel 07906 367783

www.timnewmanart.co.uk


n 62 | My


ARTIST PROFILE

STEPHANIE SANDERCOCK

A spiritual connection with the Cornish coastline

When Stephanie Sandercock arrived in

Cornwall in 2014, she was seeking musical

inspiration but found love and a new

artistic direction instead. Eight years later,

she is married and an established artist

with an especial interest in the rugged

Cornish coastline.

The close details in the Cornish coastal

rocks - the lines and cracks, tiny pebbles

entrapped in fissures and the variety

of colour in the sand and stones – all

captivate her and are represented on a

larger scale in her work. Textured abstract

paintings are created using unconventional

materials including shiny muscovite mica

crystals, rusted steel, crushed limestone

and Venetian marble plasters, alongside

acrylic, oil and wax in bright, bold colours.

This summer, Stephanie will take

part in a group exhibition on a theme

of Cornish Perspectives at Thompson

Galleries in London’s Marylebone, followed

immediately by her fourth solo exhibition at

Penwith Gallery in St Ives, which invited her

to take full member status earlier this year.

Stephanie grew up in the Ribble Valley,

just north of Preston in Lancashire, and

spent much of her childhood “writing

songs, painting and daydreaming”.

Childhood trips to the seaside were to

resorts like Southport and Blackpool or

North Wales. “I’ve always been obsessed

with rocks, and my dad would have to

empty the boot of all the rocks I’d tried to

smuggle home,” she laughs.

But her connection to Cornwall is on

another level, verging on spiritual. “The

rocks aren’t just beautiful – they vibrate,

and give off a sense of safety and deep

calm,” she says. “They make me feel

grounded, like I’ve been here before. It’s

like when you meditate and get to your

peaceful place.”

Her first experience came at Gwithian.

“It had a profound effect on me. I became

obsessed. I stood with my forehead on

the rock face, feeling the ancient pulse of

the Earth.”

She struck up a relationship with the

Penwith Gallery in St Ives and her fourth

solo show coincides with being made a

full member. “It’s a really big deal,” she

says. “When I first arrived, I didn’t know if I

was any good at painting, just that I loved

it. There was a lot of experimentation. At

school, we had to paint real things, but

when we could do what we wanted, it was

always abstract for me.

“There are so many galleries in St Ives,

it can be overwhelming, so it helped to

focus on one. I felt naturally drawn to

the Penwith, with its great reputation for

abstract work; I thought if I could get on

the walls there, I must be doing something

right. As for full membership, my goal was

to achieve this in my 60s or 70s.” She’s now

52 so well ahead of schedule.

Gwithian formed the basis of her first

exhibition at Penwith, described as a

“promising debut” by art critic Frank

Ruhrmund in 2016. She has since set

herself the deadline of mounting a new

show every two years. Godolphin To

The Sea (2018) saw abstract ploughed

fields creeping into her subjects, and the

introduction of limestone and marble

plasters. Hayle To Halzephron (2020)

drew open the bold colours of lichen and

produced heavily textured works.

Her latest collection, entitled Alchemy,

leans heavily on mica and is “magical,

like jewels – it has glamour and sparkle.

I’m a girl, after all!” she laughs, adding:

“My work is progressing, and I’m still

experimenting. I love being immersed in

it and get a real sense of excitement and

freedom. Whether the end result is any

good is for someone else to decide.”

Her studio is at home near Hayle, but in

2021 she took on a workshop/gallery on St

Ives’ Porthmeor Road. “I love working on

my own at home, but this was an amazing

opportunity to be part of the St Ives artist

community and has enabled me to meet

so many people and get feedback and

sales.” It was here that she was scouted

to take part in the summer group show at

Thompson Galleries. “It was one of the

very few days I opened in December - I

got lucky.”

Under her maiden name Stephanie

Kirkham, she released the infectiously

upbeat album Tiny Spark in 2015 – one

track, Easy As 123, was used in European

TV campaigns for Peugeot and EDF as well

as for Miracle Gro in the States. However,

music has since taken a back seat. “All my

ideas are painting ideas – as long as I have

a way of expressing myself, I’m happy,”

she explains.

“With music, I would go for a walk and

find a beat in my footsteps, leading to a

song forming in my mind. With painting,

I’m moving my hands and losing all my

worries and concerns, just living in the

moment. I find an aliveness in it that

makes me keep going back – it's physically

demanding, yet addictive.” l

Find Stephanie Sandercock at Whites

Old Workshops, Porthmeor Road, St Ives

TR26 1NP. For current opening times,

email stephaniesandercock@gmail.com

Alchemy runs from June 18 to July 17

(preview night Friday, June 17, 5.30pm

to 7.30pm - all welcome) at the Studio

Gallery, Penwith Gallery, Back Road West,

St Ives TR26 1NL.

Tel 01736 795579

www.penwithgallery.com


VIP

A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE

Fishing barge by John Maltby. Kindly lent by Jason Wason

HOMAGE TO JOHN MALTBY

From May 21 to July 3

Yew Tree Gallery, Keigwin, Morvah, TR19 7TS.

A retrospective exhibition in homage to John Maltby (1936-2020) opens on May

21 at Yew Tree Gallery, celebrating a life of creativity. A man of great talent and

vision, John lives on through his work - an abiding legacy for all to share.

Following a degree in sculpture and painting, John met Bernard Leach in St Ives

in 1962. Leach encouraged him to follow his passion to become a working artist;

John was apprenticed to his son, David Leach, in Bovey Tracey, where he learned

the skills of making functional pots in the Leach tradition.

In 1964, John opened the Stoneshill Pottery with his wife, Heather. However, he

soon tired of making domestic ware and started experimenting with form and

decoration, which gradually resulted in the slip-decorated sculptural vessel forms

that earned him international acclaim. Inspired by Picasso’s large dishes, which he

saw on student travels to Vallauris, John drew on his own graphic skills, “making

patterns and drawings on the pots which sprang from my personal experience of

the English landscape and weather”.

Following major heart surgery in 1996, he lost the strength to work big slabs of

clay and started ‘playing’ with small lumps. These emerged as tiny figures - angels,

tigers, birds, boats, kings... Greater strength led to larger composite sculptures

with echoes of stories, legend, archetypal figures and unusual juxtapositions. This

new work excited collectors and galleries as much as his earlier vessel forms, and

his role as one of Britain’s finest ceramic artists was assured.

Humour, albeit wry, is never far from John’s work. His perceptive eye lit on

the vagaries of human nature and reduced pomposity into something rather

endearingly comical. This is also visible in the painted wood automata that he

was making alongside the clay work. His ‘swing boats’ are legendary; a number

of these, as well as personal pieces made for his wife, are on display.

n 64 | My


An illustrated book accompanies the exhibition.

CIRCA 21

CREATIVE & CULTURAL LIVING

COWHOUSE GALLERY

INSPIRE MAKERS

Discover Circa 21, a wonderfully creative shop in the

heart of Penzance & established in 2014 by Esme &

Alan Burton. Spread over two floors, you’ll find work

from some of the region’s top makers like John Webb.

West Penwith is bursting with creativity and Esme has

captured some of this talent for you to admire and fall

in love with. In amongst the Fair Trade homeware are

around 30 Cornwall based makers, including owner

Esme’s pretty floral silver & copper jewellery that she

makes in house. Feel inspired by a colourful and

energetic shopping experience this summer!

During Penzance Art Festival 3-19 June, pop up to

the top floor studio of fine artist Sophie Dennett

whose work is direct & emotionally charged without

sentimentality.

CIRCA 21, 21 Market Jew Street, Penzance,

Cornwall, TR18 2HR • Open 10am-4pm

(closed Sundays & Bank Holiday Mondays)

Instagram: circa21 • www.circa21.co.uk

The gallery is run by a group of local artists and craftspeople and offers a

wide range of original arts and crafts at very affordable prices. A stroll away

is Perranuthnoe Cove with breathtaking coastal walks looking towards St

Michael’s Mount in one direction and to Prussia Cove the other.

Left: Coral Fantasy by Carole Venables • Right: Radiance Pendant by Neil Wills

Summer hours open daily 10-5. Lynfield Craft Centre, Perranuthnoe TR20 9NE

T: 01736 710538 • www.cowhousegallery.co.uk

JACKSON FOUNDATION

MERMAIDS’ TEARS

Until August 13th. This exhibition,

originally shown in Scotland during

COP26, charts Kurt Jackson’s efforts

to address the blight of plastic in

the ocean, and draws attention to

the resin pellets or nurdles from

plastic manufacturing (known as

mermaids’ tears) that pollute the

environment. In association with

Surfers Against Sewage.

CLAY COUNTRY

Until August 13th. For this project

previously exhibited at Wheal

Martyn and Worcester, Kurt Jackson

worked in situ at the Littlejohns

China Clay Works, observing the

workers in the pit as they extracted

and transported the china clay in an

extraordinary manmade landscape.

The dramatic (and sometimes

extreme) variations in the weather

inspired a diverse range of drawings

and paintings, perched on the edge

of the pit or down in the depths –

including the clay and stone itself

in the mix.

SALLY BALDWIN - FRAGILE EARTH

Until August 13th. Textile artist Sally

Baldwin’s Fragile Earth is a body of

work evoking natural forms such as

trees, pods, flowers, insects, sea life,

water. The materials used - recycled

paper, handmade paper, silk waste,

silk, cotton scrim - are ghostly,

white and ephemeral, suggesting

delicate, fragile, finely balanced and

vulnerable landscapes.

Please check website for seasonal opening times

North Row, St Just, TR19 7LB • T: 01736 787638

www.jacksonfoundationgallery.com

Located towards the top of Falmouth High Street, Inspire Makers is

a creative space showcasing the talent of over 50 Cornish artists and

craftspeople. There is a wide range of contemporary work from both wellknown

and emerging makers, across jewellery, ceramics, textiles, painting

& prints, stationery, and homewares. There is also a pop-up gallery which

hosts a year round programme of short exhibitions by Cornish artists, and a

dedicated workshop space which offers classes to inspire people to become

creative themselves. Check our website for details on what’s coming up.

Opening Times: Tues to Sat 10am-5pm

Inspire Makers, 5 High Street, Falmouth, TR11 2AB • T: 01326 531176

E: create@inspiremakers.com • W: www.inspiremakers.com

A @inspire_makers • G inspiremakers

MARTIN JOHN FOWLER

SHARON MCSWINEY

Martin John Fowler is a

professional working artist

based in South Yorkshire

with strong connections

to Cornwall. Displaying

in several local galleries,

Martin’s work looks to

capture Cornwall’s rugged

and wild coastal areas,

often en plein air when

possible, and as a result

has had his work exhibition

both nationally and

internationally in solo and

mixed exhibitions.

www.martinjohnfowler.com

We have moved to a new gallery space exhibiting handcrafted metalwork,

jewellery & paintings. Inspired by the sea unique metal seaweed wall

pieces & silver limpet jewellery capture the Cornish coast.

Sharon McSwiney, Gallery on the Square, Island Square, St Ives TR26 1NX

Tel: 01736 448293 • www.sharonmcswiney.co.uk


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Photograph courtesy of

Rodda's Cornish Clotted Cream

68 FOOD BITES

70 SUMMER SESSIONS AT THE

ALVERTON AND GREENBANK

74 TAKING FLIGHT: MOTHER’S RUIN 1751 GIN

76 PLACES TO EAT: AL FRESCO DINING

80 WEEKEND AWAY: LONDON

82 EXPERIENCE: SHACKLETON AT

THE SHIPWRECK MUSEUM


bites

The

Springtide arrives

in Charlestown

Springtide is a tasty new fish and

seafood restaurant, with views over

the historic world heritage site of

Charlestown Harbour. The newest

addition to Harbourside Hospitality

- the family-run collection of eateries

including the Longstore restaurants

in Charlestown and Truro - Springtide

is based in a restored 19th century

building previously used as a fish

cellar and boat store. Its opening

menu - created by executive chefs Will

Spurgeon and Matt Liddicoat – features

seaside classics, family favourites and

a selection of meaty mains. Think surf

& turf, prawn linguine alfredo, New

England chowder, mackerel fillet burger,

and vegan Banana Blossom ‘Fish’

and Chips – as well as daily specials,

decadent desserts, delicious sides

and extras to share, plus bar bites of

cockles and scraps. Open Wednesday

to Sunday from 5pm, Saturday and

Sunday from noon to 3pm, 5pm till

late. To book, call 01726 879053 or visit

www.springtidecharlestown.co.uk l

Tasting menu at St Enodoc

St Enodoc now offers guests two and wonderful greens foraged from the

wonderful dining experiences under one sealine. Originally built in 1924 as a private

roof. As well as providing laid-back allday

dining in the Brasserie, head chef Guy seaside-chic boutique hotel in 1999 and

house, St Enodoc was transformed into a

Owens oversees the pass in Karrek, offering was taken over by James and Lucy Strachan

an exquisite six- or nine-course tasting in 2017. Six courses £65pp, nine courses

menu in an intimate, welcoming setting. £100. Accompanying wine flight £70pp.

Dishes, small but perfectly formed, range enodoc-hotel.co.uk l

from scallop and Cornish crab quiche to

oyster and mussel risotto, bouillabaisse

and roast duck. Much of the produce used

- rare breed meat, vegetables and fruits -

is grown at the hotel’s own farm, meaning

that from field to fork, the distance is often

just a short walk, with fish from the day

boats at Padstow, oysters from Porthilly

New on the high street

Look out for two new shops offering toothsome treats. In St Ives, Flapjackery on Fore

Street (pictured) sells a variety of mouth-watering gluten-free flapjacks and other sweet

treats; choose a St Ives specific box of three or six flapjacks, and 50p/£1.50 will be

donated to the St Ives Lifeboat Station. And in Truro’s Little Castle Street, Campaniaborn

Valentina Langley has launched La Pineta Italian Deli, selling fresh Italian breads,

pastries and pasta as well as handmade sauces, street food, proper pizza and carefully

selected Italian wines. Look out for future tasting evenings, and the La Pineta market stall

on Lemon Quay every Wednesday and Saturday. l

STOP PRESS: Charlestown Food

Festival takes place within the

historic harbour on June 18, from

10am to sunset. Find fabulous local

food suppliers and stall holders, a

family yoga session, an audience with

Mischief the mermaid, face painting, a

pirate scavenger hunt, craft and beach

school sessions and more.

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Festival flavours

This year’s Tropical Pressure Festival

is going 100% plant-based. Travel the

world through your tastebuds with Indian,

Mexican, Chinese, Nepalese, Italian,

Middle Eastern and South American

street food all featured. Music is themed

throughout the three-day festival: Latin

American Friday, African Saturday

and Caribbean Sunday. July 15 to 17,

www.tropicalpressure.co.uk


is Here!

And there can be few better places to be than way

down west. Two of Cornwall’s flagship hotels, The

Alverton in Truro and its sister venue The Greenbank

in Falmouth, have upped their food and drink game

over the summer period, with several events popping

up to add an extra buzz.

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The view from The Working Boat

at Greenbank Hotel

Dining at Greenbank Hotel

The Greenbank dates back to

at least 1640 and is thought to

be Falmouth’s oldest maritime

hotel. Illustrious guests include

Florence Nightingale (whose name in the

guest book is on display in reception) and

Kenneth Grahame, author of The Wind In

The Willows.

As such, it seems only right that a new

cocktail series in the Water’s Edge bar

should be inspired by the National

Maritime Museum’s Monsters of the

Deep exhibition. Expert mixologist Holly

Bennett has curated and crafted 12

delectable tipples including What Lies

Beneath – a gin martini-style cocktail

inspired by Cornish sea monster Morgawr,

and featuring Tarquin’s Seadog Navy gin

and Knightor Rosso vermouth; and Song

of the Sea, a fresh and citrusy drink perfect

for warm days on the terrace – like a

mermaid, beautiful but dangerous.

The last Friday of every month will

be made even more special by the

Sundowner Sessions, featuring talented

local musicians performing in the lounge.

From 7pm until 10pm, sip your tipple(s) of

choice while relaxing to dreamy acoustic

tunes from Ross Galt (June 24), Joe

Hurworth (July 29) and Mog (August 26).

These events are not ticketed so arrive

early to avoid disappointment.

At The Working Boat pub, Sunday night is

quiz night, with plenty of prizes (including a

generous bar tab) to be won from 7.30pm.

Entry is free to enter but donations are

invited; almost £2,000 has been raised so

far, for charities including Treliske Neonatal

unit and Macmillan Cancer Support.

The annual Dragon Boat Race launches

from The Working Boat’s private quay on

July 9, and the pub will also provide a

stage for the Falmouth International Sea

Shanty Festival (June 17 to 19) and live

music from Jonah’s Lift and Falmouth Soul

Sensation during Falmouth Week (August

5 to 14).

The Alverton offers the ultimate inner city

elegance. In summer, it’s all about the

terrace, which comes into its own in the

warmer months and is a lovely spot to

savour lighter seasonal dishes.

The Alverton’s Summer Sessions are

brought to you by Offshore this year,

Sharps’s flagship pilsner lager. Elevate your

Thursday evening with live acoustic music

on the sun-drenched terrace, sipping

CONTINUED OVER THE PAGE


Caesar Salad

Executive Chef Nick Hodge’s Caesar

Salad is the perfect meal to pair with

white wine and Cornish sunshine. Enjoy

with cooked chicken breast, jammy

eggs, salty anchovies or crisp bacon.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES TWO):

For the dressing:

2 garlic cloves, peeled

7 anchovies

½ lemon, juice

30ml white wine vinegar

25g parmesan, finely grated

15g Dijon mustard

1 egg yolk

5ml Worcestershire sauce

60ml rapeseed oil

salt and white pepper to taste

The Alverton

For the garlic croutons:

a drizzle of rapeseed oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 slices of stale bread, diced (focaccia

and ciabatta work well)

a sprig of rosemary, chopped

a pinch of salt

1 lettuce, large

The Alverton's

Summer Terrace

Offshore or cocktails (two for £10) while

chefs rustle up tempting terrace tapas.

Performers include Rue (June 16), Ash

Harding (July 14), Sam Richardson (July 28),

Miranda Brook (August 11) and Tom Baker

(August 25), all performing three sets from

5.30pm onwards. The season will come

to a grand finale with singer-songwriter

and Britain's Got Talent semi-finalist Josh

Curnow in The Great Hall on September 8.

The Summer Sessions are ticketed events

– the £17 entry fee (grand finale £22)

includes a reserved table on the terrace

and a pint of Offshore or a cocktail. If

there’s a chance of rain, sessions will take

place in The Great Hall with its perfect

acoustics and capacious dance floor.

Afternoon teas are served Monday to

Saturday from noon to 5pm (Sunday

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3pm to 5pm). Look out for a new vegan

addition to the menu, featuring all the

usual delights but with a twist, including

vegan cheese and scones with jam and

oat cream (must be booked 24 hours in

advance).

Be warned: these highly desirable

locations get busy in summer, so book

ahead to ensure you don’t miss out. l

The Alverton,

Tregolls Road,

Truro TR1 1ZQ.

Tel 01872 276633,

www.thealverton.co.uk

The Greenbank Hotel,

Harbourside, Falmouth TR11 2SR.

Tel 01326 312440

www.greenbank-hotel.co.uk

www.theworkingboat.co.uk

Optional extras:

Crispy bacon, Cooked chicken breast,

Boiled eggs and/or Anchovies

METHOD:

1. Dressing: Put ingredients in a

blender and blitz until smooth.

Set aside.

2. Croutons: Preheat oven to 155°c / gas

3. In a shallow bowl, mix together the

oil and garlic. Soak the bread in the oil

until coated, then stir in the rosemary

and salt. Place the croutons on a baking

tray and bake in the oven, turning

occasionally, until golden brown.

3. Lettuce: Wash and drain well. Tear

off the outer leaves (save the small

inner leaves for garnish) and mix with

4-5 tbsp of the dressing.

4. Assemble: Place the dressed leaves in

a salad bowl. Layer with the inner leaves,

croutons and any optional extras. Finish

with a generous grating of parmesan.


n 74 | My


Kirstie Newton discovers how Cornish Blue Flamingo

Gin is ready to take the spirit world by storm.

Most flamingos are pink; a blue

flamingo is incredibly rare and

beautiful, to the point of mythical,

and spotting one brings good

fortune. Lady Luck is smiling on Cornwall

right now, as Cornish Blue Flamingo Gin

from Torpoint is popping up at stores and

shows near you.

In July 2018, Craig Brook-Hewitt founded

parent company Mother's Ruin 1751 –

the year of the Gin Act, which sought

to restrict sales in the face of perceived

drunkenness - with his father and business

partner Ken, who had 20 years’ experience

in the brewing and distilling business and

is now head product developer.

Craig developed a passion for gin while

he was serving in the Royal Navy – he

entered Cornwall Division in 2002 and

later joined the crew of HMS Cornwall

and HMS Portland. Now ranked RN Chief

Gunner, Craig is soon to retire after 21

years’ service and will focus his energies

on Mother’s Ruin 1751.

His Eureka moment came during the

Royal wedding of the Sussexes. “We

were celebrating in a big gin bar, and

the cocktails were coming out on ‘flights’

- boards with bottles and glasses,” he

recalls. “They weren’t that great, and I

thought: ‘I can do better than that.’”

Having worked on a range of gin flights

with Ken, Craig found that not only were

they popular, but buyers were asking why

he didn’t sell the gin to go with them. He

set about researching and meeting fellow

Cornish distillers: “There is no doubt in

my mind that Cornwall produces the

best gins in the country,” he says of that

time, which cumulated in the Gins & Fins

festival at Plymouth’s National Marine

Aquarium, raising funds for the Ocean

Conservation Trust.

The seeds were sown for Craig to create his

own gin. He studied hard and spent many

hours mixing flavours, coming up with design

ideas and trialling them on family, friends and

industry colleagues. The result: Cornish Blue

Flamingo Gin, produced using the facilities at

Colwith Farm Distillery and using botanicals

ranging from Cornish Black Bee honey to the

antioxidant açai berry from South America.

You can find it at farm shops including Tre, Pol

and Pen in Launceston and Trevallick’s near

Liskeard, and specialist stores such as the

Little Gin Shack in Wadebridge and John’s in

St Ives. Craig is also stocking Blue Diamond

Garden Centres, which includes Trelawney

at Wadebridge, and will be attending

festivals throughout the UK this summer,

including Chris Evans’ CarFest in July and

August. Sunderland-born Craig has also

used his contacts to stock the north-east and

Yorkshire, and is hoping to sign a deal with a

wholesaler to help him widen his reach.

In the online shop, you’ll find double G&T

in a can, and an array of gin preserves and

sauces created in collaboration with the help

of The Cornish Larder in Tregony: honey,

jam and marmalade, and sauces including

jalapeno & lime and peri-peri & herb.

A second gin launched in April: a spiced

variety called Commander Fox after Craig’s

Pomeranian pooch. Craig describes it as an

Old Tom-style gin - a recipe popular in 18thcentury

England and slightly sweeter than

London Dry – and recommends serving it

with ginger ale. Batch one sold out in two

weeks – all 1,000 bottles – and batch two is

flying off the shelves.

And Craig’s eco credentials are still evident;

as well as keeping Blue Flamingo plastic-free

and sponsoring beach cleans, he is happy to

flatten used bottles with a heat machine to

make cheese boards and key rings.l

www.mothersruin1751.co.uk


AL FRESCO DINING

Verdant Taproom, Penryn

Penryn’s Verdant Brewery recently opened a new taproom offering

16 lines of beers on tap and four cask lines. Already well-known for

its Neapolitan-style pizzas, Verdant has teamed up with Sham Mulji

of Situ Café to offer al fresco casual dining this summer. Cooking out

of an old German ambulance, Sham’s signature style is derived from

the Gujarat region of India via the east African country of Uganda -

the perfect complement to hop-forward beers. Sham adapts family

recipes, using direct trade spices from Jodhpur and local produce

where possible, including sustainable Cornish beef from Homage

to the Bovine in Stithians. The atmosphere is friendly, with shared

bench seating and awning coverage, plus live music. Currently open

Thursday 5pm to 9pm, Friday and Saturday noon to 9pm, with more

to come with the summer sun. verdantbrewing.co

Camel Trail Summer Nights

A beautifully renovated vintage railway carriage halfway along

the Camel Trail cycle path will dish out takeaway fine dining this

summer. The Atlantic Coast Express (aka ACE) has been serving

up ice creams, crepes, coffees and cakes to walkers and cyclists

since 2009, but the addition of Summer Night Supper Clubs has

proved extremely popular. David Sharland (formerly Rick Stein’s

executive chef) and Eric Taylor will create imaginative dishes

celebrating the best of local produce, including local lobster and

samphire picked along the estuary. Arrive by bike, foot, boat or

horseback; pull up a picnic blanket, bring your own cutlery/glasses

and sit watching river life pass by as you enjoy gourmet bliss! Each

event has just 40 covers, so booking is essential. Friday, June 17;

Saturday, July 16; Monday, August 15 and Saturday September 10.

atlanticcoastexpress.com/supper-clubs/

The New Inn, Tresco

The New Inn has reopened following a substantial refurbishment.

The Driftwood Bar has had a fresh lick of paint and new fabrics, while

The Pavillion has been transformed, with features include zinctopped

and reclaimed wooden tables, a warming log burner and

walls decorated with Tresco treasures. The new menu crafted by head

chef Liam Caves puts pub favourites such as the New Inn Burger

and traditional fish and chips alongside half- lobster with local chilli

and herb butter, monkfish scampi or freshly-caught crispy skinned

mackerel. In summer, the new outdoor Ox Grill will be fired up and

food cooked over the coals, bringing to life the flavours and aromas

of locally sourced produce such as the daily catch of islanders Jordan

Penhaligon and Hannah Keith. www.tresco.co.uk

My

n 76 | Issue 72 | June - July 2022

Carlyon Bay

A feast of food and drink pop-ups, live entertainment, activities

and shoreside events have joined forces to create a mini-festival

village at Carlyon Bay near St Austell. A delicious mix of local

independent foodies have transformed Crinnis Beach into a riot of

flavours, trading from shipping containers, a stylish beach shed and

a quirky horse box. Beachgoers can take their pick from gourmet

burgers, stone-baked pizzas, wraps, seafood feasts, cream teas

and proper Cornish ice cream, all washed down by drinks from the

Shoreside Bar. Traders include Harvester Seafood Shack, Jasper’s

Kitchen, Wrap Shack, Ogy1 Pasty Shack, Manor Made Cornwall and

Callestick Farm. A timber pagoda provides all-weather cover for a

new seating area, and live music at weekends – look out for hardhitting

Chicago blues band Smokey King Shufflers on Friday, July 8.

www.carlyonbeach.com

The Old Coastguard, Mousehole

The Old Coastguard has a lovely new terrace with an

uninterrupted view out over the sun-dappled sea. The day

boats and trawlers of Newlyn tie up just two miles west of

here, meaning the menu boasts plenty of fish and seafood

without neglecting quality Cornish beef and poultry, game

from local estates and cheeses from some of Britain's best

dairies. The Crabshack currently serves nibbles but is having a

kitchen installed and should be serving lovely shellfish soon.

www.oldcoastguardhotel.co.uk

The Vine by Knightor

The perfect destination for English Wine Week (June 18 to 26), The

Vine by Knightor is a new dining destination brought to you by the

Knightor Winery team. Nestled away in a Knightor’s Portscatho

vineyard, with stunning panoramic views along the south Cornish

coastline, this is a down-to-earth atmosphere in a laid-back space.

The Vine serves small plates, sharing dishes and more in a rustic

barn setting, with long sharing tables to encourage the notion of

coming together. The bar is stocked with local tipples including

8 Track rum, Tarquin’s gin and Navas Tonics. Open Thursday to

Sunday, noon to 9pm (food served until 7:30pm). TR2 5EH.

www.knightor.com


Port William, Trebarwith Strand

The Port William is tucked into the cliffs above one of Cornwall’s

renowned surfing havens. The modern restaurant and bar serves a

delicious menu featuring a choice of reimagined pub classics, fresh

seafood and mouth-watering sweet options, all paired perfectly with

St Austell Brewery beers. Sink into an outdoor seat to drink in the

delights of the area. Expect impressive surf, rugged rock formations,

and a wealth of wildlife. At low tide, Trebarwith Strand boasts a

sizable stretch of golden sand with a fascinating collection of caves

and rockpools. www.theportwilliam.co.uk

Lula Shack Hayle

Close to Hayle beach and a sister venue to Amelies

Porthleven, Lula specialises in lip-smacking Cajun recipes

inspired by owner Sam Sheffield-Dunstan's travels in

America’s deep south. Think slow-cooked gumbo, crab

claws cooked over a fire pit, southern-fried chicken,

po’boys, dirty fries and Creole Sunday roasts, not to

mention key lime pie for dessert. All a stone’s throw from

three miles of golden sand. www.lulashack.co.uk

Feast on the ferry

Philleigh Way cookery school is a hop, skip and jump away from the

King Harry Ferry, at the heart of the Roseland peninsula; head chef

Rupert Cooper hosts courses from pizza making and Lebanese cuisine

to knife skills and foraging. The ferry itself will host a super-party on

Friday, June 17 from 7pm; the Ferry Feast menu has yet to be revealed

but promises to be “fun, filling and tasty”. Book soon to avoid

disappointment. www.philleighway.co.uk/event/feast-on-the-ferry

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Mama Shelter's Restaurant

The Royal Albery Hall

Mama Shelter

Tower Superbloom © Historic Royal Palaces

Great Western Railway

St Paul's Cathedral © Chapter of St Paul's

n 80 | My


WEEKEND AWAY

TALES FROM THE CITY

Take a weekend break in London to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee,

writes Kirstie Newton

As Her Majesty’s Platinum

Jubilee approaches, what

better time to consider a visit

to the nation’s capital? Let the

train take the strain, and London is less

than five hours from Cornwall, leaving you

free to relax: read, enjoy coastal views or

(like us) play GWR Top Trumps.

Our own trip was almost jinxed by Storm

Franklin, which littered the line with debris

and left stock and crew in the wrong

places. In the event, we left on time

but a 50mph speed limit threatened to

double our journey time, with no promise

of reaching our destination. Despite

challenging circumstances, the GWR staff

remained professional and cheerful in the

face of ever-changing information and

we arrived barely an hour and a half late -

quite an achievement.

We headed straight to our digs in trendy

Shoreditch: the funky French chain Mama

Shelter, proving you can do budget in

style. Here we feasted on continental

breakfasts before setting off to discover

the city over the next three days. We

have always booked family rooms in

the past, but Mama Shelter also offers

interconnected rooms, meaning Daughter

was able to have her independence (and

we grown-ups our peace) while retaining

some proximity.

Is it possible to visit the capital and not

check into the Tower? Apparently so, as I

never had and I’m some age. Clearly, I’m

in a minority, as it’s the UK’s most popular

historic attraction, with three million

visitors immersing themselves annually

in a millennium of British royal heritage.

Throughout its long history, the Tower has

served as royal palace and fortress, prison

and place of execution, an arsenal, royal

mint, menagerie and jewel house. Today,

it’s home to some of the most potent

symbols of British history: the Yeoman

Warders (aka Beefeaters), ravens and

Crown Jewels.

We spent an entire day here, sailing past

the jewels on a handy conveyor belt

and seeing where the young princes

disappeared and Anne Boleyn met her

grisly end. Charles II decreed that there

must always be at least six ravens here,

lest the kingdom fall; there are currently

nine in residence. Daughter sat among

them and sulked awhile (we considered

leaving her there, but sadly, they no

longer take prisoners).

The 13th century moat is well worth a

visit this summer. In 2014, it was filled

with 888,246 ceramic poppies to mark

100 years since the first full day of British

involvement in the First World War. More

than 20 million seeds (chosen specifically

to attract pollinators) were planted this

spring, and from June to September, the

‘Superbloom’ display will erupt in waves

of colour, pattern and scent in celebration

of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum

Jubilee. Grab a mat and slide down into

this spectacular field of flowers for a multisensory

experience including a specially

commissioned sound installation.

When in London, an exhibition is

obligatory, so we enjoyed a family-friendly

exploration of The Beano at Somerset

House. While this is now over, a special

Beano comic strip will guide visitors on

a wild journey around the Eden Project

during the summer holidays from July 23.

London has some fabulous museums

that are free to enter and tailor-made for

families. The Science and Natural History

Museums are both near South Kensington

tube. We chose Science - perfect if you’re

into rockets or right-angles, cars or clocks.

On the top floor, the Wonderlab exhibition

(entry fee applies) offers an opportunity to

interact with real scientific phenomena:

see lightning strike before your eyes,

play with forces on giant slides or travel

through space under a canopy of stars.

Both museums are round the corner from

the Royal Albert Hall, which was another

one ticked off my bucket list. We saw the

magnificent Cirque du Soleil, but this

summer you could opt for titan performers

like George Benson and Gladys Knight,

daily Proms throughout August, or watch

Superman on the big screen accompanied

by the Royal Philharmonic Concert

Orchestra performing John Williams’

original score live.

A cityscape view is always a must, so we

climbed to the top of St Paul’s iconic

dome, where I edged my way around the

Golden Gallery in abject terror of the drop

below. Inside the cathedral, our tour was

interrupted by the bishop saying a prayer

for all in Ukraine, which had been invaded

that very morning. It was a timely and

moving reminder of how lucky we were to

have a safe home to return to.

And indeed, it was time to head back to

Paddington and our GWR service home.

We had a great time, but I always find

London exciting and exhausting in equal

measure - the pressure to fill every second

with excitement, and the fear of losing

my brood on the Tube (it very nearly

happened). Small doses are the thing - I’m

already planning our next trip. l

• Find Mama Shelter at

mamashelter.com/london-shoreditch/

• Book your train journey at

www.gwr.com

• Discover more about Superbloom at

www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london


The Shackleton Experience

Charlestown’s Shipwreck Treasure Museum, perched on the UNESCO World Heritage Site’s

stunning harbour, is home to thousands of artefacts salvaged from more than 150 ships.

Museum said: “Sir Ernest Shackleton’s

story of human resilience and endeavour is

truly inspiring. We’re very excited to host

this special exhibition, in association with

the RGS-IBG, and display it in Cornwall for

the first time. It’s something that visitors of

all ages can enjoy, and we will have some

fun, interesting activities for younger

guests to engage with as well.”

The sea has acted as a huge time

capsule, but pioneering divers eventually

managed to find and recover its secrets,

many of which had been lost for many

centuries. These artefacts provide a

fascinating insight into the past for the

museum’s visitors.

This year the museum has added new

content that brings to life and tells the

incredible tale of famed polar explorer

Sir Ernest Shackleton, and his ill-fated

Endurance expedition to Antarctica.

Visitors descend into The Shackleton

Experience and begin their journey within

the network of tunnels found below the

museum. Entering this atmospheric polar

realm, the immersive experience sets

the scene of how the Endurance mission

began and a taste of what life was like

on board the stricken vessel during this

daring expedition in unchartered and

unforgiving frozen waters.

This is followed by a striking exhibition of

images and excerpts of film captured by

celebrated photographer Frank Hurley,

highlighting the stark and harsh realities

of the crew’s desperate battle for survival

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against seemingly insurmountable odds.

It is staged in association with the Royal

Geographic Society with IBG and is on

display in Cornwall for the very first time.

Another new exhibition, Frozen in Time,

is image-led and contrasts the historical

photography taken at the time of

Shackleton’s adventures with four exciting

archaeological discoveries in the Arctic

and Antarctic seas that have employed the

latest, cutting-edge technology. Modern

colour photographs and advanced

archaeological scans alongside images

of underwater archaeology in action

showcase how shipwrecks are discovered,

explored, and documented today.

The four shipwrecks featured are Franklin’s

HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, Benjamin

Leigh-Smith’s Eira, the infamous RMS

Titanic and Shackleton’s Endurance. Also

on display are images and video captured

by the Endurance22 expedition that

finally located the historic ship beneath

the frozen Weddell Sea earlier this year.

Lynné Raubenheimer, Visitor Engagement

Manager at the Shipwreck Treasure

Alexandra Shackleton, the explorer’s

granddaughter, was the guest of honour at

the launch of the museum’s new features.

Alexandra never met her grandfather

but grew up inspired by the stories of

his incredible life and in particular his

leadership skills.

The award-winning attraction is planning

a host of associated talks and events

during the exhibition’s run. This will

include a screening of South, a silent

movie captured by Frank Hurley during

the expedition and released in 1919. l

For more information visit

www.shipwreckcharlestown.co.uk

L-R: Alasdair MacLeod (Royal Geographical Society

with IBG), Alexandra Shackleton, Lynné Raubenheimer

(Shipwreck Treasure Museum)


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