(photo: Terry Harry)
Botallack
When you gaze out to sea at Botallack
You’re transported back in time
As you stand on top of the cliffside
And look down on the remains of the Mine
The two most iconic of buildings
Are set low on the edge of the sea
The Mine stretches out under the water
Fathoms below any trace there could be
The Mine workings once also went inland
But it’s now a World Heritage Site
It was producing tin, copper and arsenic
But the price seemed to drop overnight
The Botallack and Crowns engine houses
Were silenced when demand seemed to drop
With no takers to buy them at auction
The miners working there all had to stop
A royal visit had changed miners’ fortunes
When tourism created a boom
But as time passed low demand for the tinplate
Meant the Mine’s future was literally doomed
There were lives lost when accidents happened
Miners were used to the risks they would take
Henry Boyne was a Captain that’s mentioned
And men worked for their families’ sake
But the ruins are still so impressive
Like monuments to honour the past
With protection may they continue a long time
To help Cornwall’s rich history to last
(photo: Terry Harry)
Ruth Tremayne Harry
Ruth was born in Quintrell Downs to Hugh and Edna Tremayne and believes her poetry stems from her love of music lyrics and the Methodist hymns from her childhood when her father was the organist at Kestle Mill and Quintrell Downs Methodist Chapels. Her writing in rhymed couplets was further developed during her many years in creative writing groups in New York City. One of her poems about a Cornish childhood was written for the Toronto Cornish Association and sent by her brother-in-law to cornwallyesteryear.com a newly created website in 2020. This re-connected Ruth and Terry Harry who had worked together at Barclays Bank Trust Company in Truro during the late 1960s. Reunited when Ruth visited for a holiday in 2020, they married in 2021 and now make their home in St Day. Her poetry is currently inspired by her homecoming to Cornwall and is enhanced by Terry’s photography and posted to the website. They have jointly published a book entitled A Cornish Homecoming.
