My career with British Rail began in 1951, at the tender age of 15; in those days it was all steam, none of your diesel trade! It all began with an interview with the school Careers Officer when I expressed an interest in becoming a carpenter. Either he wasn’t listening or he had other ideas…Continue Reading “So Nearly an Engine Driver”
In June 2007, the Rt Revd Bill Ind, Bishop of Truro, wrote: “I am often asked about my attitude to the Prayer Book Rebellion and in my opinion, there is no doubt that the English Government behaved brutally and stupidly and killed many Cornish people. I don’t think apologising for something that happened over…Continue Reading “The Prayer Book Rebellion / Cornish Commotion (A Potted History)”
This is a captivating Cornish Story of a group of treacherous rocks that have sunk over a thousand ships. It weaves together stories of shipwrecks, engineering failures, and remarkable triumphs, focusing on the challenges faced in constructing the four iconic Eddystone lighthouses, the last of which still stands as a beacon against the unforgiving sea….Continue Reading “The Eddystone Lighthouses”
Lady Justice (Photo: Pixabay) Considering the length of bookshop shelves on crime and punishment it seems that many of us have an insatiable appetite for the genre. Television, too, brings us a seemingly endless stream of programmes and while watching one recently, a documentary titled You Be the Judge: Crime & Punishment, (6th May…Continue Reading “Crime and Punishment in Cornwall”
Memorial plaque on the Plume of Feathers pub, Pool. Now part of a popular walking tour[1] It’s around 7am on August 15, 1883. On 190 Fathom at Wheal Agar, off Agar Road, Pool, the night core is waiting to come to grass[2]. Unlike the nearby Dolcoath Mine, there’s no Man Engine here. Ingress to…Continue Reading “The Wheal Agar Disaster of 1883”
This is a Cornish Story, a story of the old wooden ships and the iron men who sailed them. It is also a story of a small fleet of Cornish ships from Fowey and of my own family’s maritime heritage. We have all seen those captivating old Victorian images of Cornwall featuring harbour scenes with…Continue Reading “Wooden Ships and Iron Men”