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AUTHOR RAYNOR WINN •
A MUSICAL APP FOR TRURO • ART: THE CORNISH FAUVE • STREET FOOD IN PENRYN
LAVENDER
ON THE
LIZARD
COASTAL
HOME STYLE
INTREPID
CORNISH
EXPLORERS
Al
PLUS
fresco living
Open-air theatre, dining,
walks and festivals
myCornwalltv
JUNE - JULY 2022 ISSUE 72 £3.25
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 1 n
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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
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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
thatsmycornwall.com
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
jeni.mycornwall@gmail.com
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
Kevin Waterman
kevin@pw-media.co.uk
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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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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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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
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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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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 13 n
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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 15 n
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.
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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 17 n
n 18 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 19 n
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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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 21 n
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
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 23 n
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
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 25 n
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
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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.
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 27 n
NO - PORTHALLOW!
A farm on the Lizard peninsula is reaping the
fragrant rewards of small changes in the Cornish
climate. Words by Jane Reynolds
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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 29 n
n 30 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 31 n
n 32 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 33 n
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
n 34 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 35 n
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
n 36 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 37 n
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
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 39 n
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
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 41 n
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
n 42 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 43 n
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
n 44 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 45 n
n 46 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 47 n
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
n 48 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 49 n
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
n 50 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 51 n
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 53 n
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
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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 55 n
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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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 57 n
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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 59 n
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
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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 61 n
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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 63 n
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.
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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 65 n
n 66 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 67 n
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.
n 68 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 69 n
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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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 71 n
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
n 72 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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.
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 73 n
n 74 | My
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 75 n
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
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 77 n
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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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
t @myCornwall_ | G myCornwalltv | w www.thatsmycornwall.com 79 n
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
Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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
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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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Issue 72 | June - July 2022
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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Issue 72 | June - July 2022