William Quintrell (1861-1920) By Ernie Parsons This is the first in a short series of articles focusing on some 19th century Cornish poets from labouring-class backgrounds. Largely now forgotten, they are nevertheless an important part of Cornish culture, overcoming their limited education to write poetry about the events and feelings affecting most Cornish people of…Continue Reading “William Quintrell (1861-1920)”
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”
A Cornish Dialect series by Tony Mansell “Here Sid, I just saw Fanny Trevethan down the road: she was in some state.” “What’s wrong with the bleddy woman this time, she’s always got er knickers in a twist bout somethin.” “See, from what I can gather, she had some sort of happarition last night.” “Who…Continue Reading “Sidney Zacharius Penpraze – Fanny Trevethan’s Ghost”
We thought that a few stories of Christmas past may be of interest and these extracts (paraphrased) from the Newsletter of The Cornish Association of Victoria (Ballarat Branch) of December 2025, caught our eye. Cornish Christmas Customs In Cornwall, there is a time-honoured observance attached to the early hours of Christmas morning. The adults…Continue Reading “Christmas Past – Cornish Style”
Marking the Centenary of Alfred Wallis’s start as an artist in August 1925 After the death of his wife Susan in 1922, Alfred Wallis was living alone in a two-room cottage in the old part of St Ives nearest the harbour, known as Downlong. He wasn’t important or well-known, and had a small circle of…Continue Reading “100 years of Alfred Wallis”
A portrait of St Ives by the late Mary Quick (1929-2021) who was born and raised there. It was probably written circa 2015. We are grateful to her family for allowing it to be published here. Over recent years St Ives has been recognised worldwide as a holiday resort, attracting visitors from many countries as…Continue Reading “As Time Went By”