Polzeath Walks

30/12/2024

I think this is probably the oldest photo of Polzeath I've ever seen! It shows Cornish wrestling taking place on the beach which I wrote a post about a couple of years ago.
Unfortunately, I don't know the exact date or source of the image and have had to remove the large crack in the original glass of the original photo.
Things to note are the complete lack of houses on Dunders Hill, the original Anns Cottage building and the Polzeath Beach House built in 1830 for the captain of the mines.
If you have any information or a matching photo from today please leave them in the comments.

30/12/2024

Tucked in time between Joel Gascoyne's 1699 detailed map of Cornwall and Thomas Martyn's 1748 map is Herman Moll's 1724 map of Cornwall.
This was part of "Fifty-six new and accurate maps of Great Britain" and had details of early mines but our area of North Cornwall is disappointingly lacking in accuracy.
Moll engraved and published many maps from London with some being used to promote worldwide British empire building interests.
Reassuringly for Cornish fishermen, he labeled the Atlantic Ocean as the "Sea of the British Empire" and marked in the cod fisheries off Newfoundland. From 1600 many fishermen sailed for over a month in summer to reach the cod rich waters there.

Note the Eddystone lighthouse marked on this map of 1724. It did not seem to fit in with my Polzeath Timeline where I have it as:

1879: Stone for Eddystone Lighthouse from De Lank Quarry, Blisland, shipped on barges out of Camel Estuary, after being cut in Wadebridge, until 1882.

However, Moll's 1724 map actually shows the second Eddystone lighthouse built around 1609 to replace the first one completed in 1698 and made out of wood. "Our lighthouse" shipped down the Camel was actually the current and fourth Eddystone Lighthouse with stone supplied from the works of Messrs Shearer, Smith and Co of Wadebridge.

While we consider the incredible amount of rain we have recently received in Cornwall you might like to consider how the area about 5 miles south of Redruth managed to become the "richest square mile in the Old World". Between 1815-1840 Gwennap the "Copper Kingdom" was then the richest known mineralised area in the world and this was mainly due to two ways the Cornish miners were able to get rid of the water flooding their mines! One way was a brilliant bit of tunnelling of 1748 when a remarkable system of interconnected adits drained many of the mines naturally and then later by the invention of steam driven pumps.

29/12/2024

"Connect Polzeath to Paddington".
A previous post connected John Betjeman's teddy bear, Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, Jeremy Irons and a cheesy joke in the Polzeath Spar to Paddington.
But Top Gear links Polzeath to Paddington too.
Here's how it works:
Jeremy Clarkson, star of Top Gear and now Clarkson's Farm, is directly connected to Paddington Bear through his mother, Shirley Clarkson, who designed the first Paddington Bear soft toys as a Christmas present for Jeremy and his sister Joanna in the early 70's. Shirley began selling the bears without licensing rights and that's how Jeremy's father came to met Michael Bond in a lift in London on the way to get one.
They became friends apparently and Bond gave the family the worldwide licensing rights to the toy... thus putting Jeremy on the way to becoming quite rich and eventually a Top Gear presenter in 1988.
Unlike Betjeman, Clarkson didn't go to Oxford with his teddy bear, although in 2005 he did get an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Oxford Brookes!
Anyhow, in the summer of 2010 Clarkson took Top Gear to Polzeath on a Motorhome challenge.
You can watch the Motorhome Cliffhanger - Top Gear Series 15 Episode 4 - on BBC on iplayer and it is quite funny. Lots of screenshots which jog your memory.
If you were there and have a story to tell about the filming at Southwinds or on the beach with Wavehunter's Andy Cameron please feel free to comment.
Andy Cameron may actually have an interesting connection to both Paddington, via Betjeman's book Archie and the Strict Baptists, and Top Gear, because Wavehunters was originally a surf minibus service!

25/12/2024

Can anyone help date Polzeath in this card found on a Padstow Facebook group as dated 1925?
I have it on my Polzeath timeline that in the Polzeath block of shops built on the site of Couch’s Tea Rooms in 1935.

The new block appears to be new, although it is hard to work out if the road and bridge is built (1934)

21/12/2024

Connect POLZEATH to PADDINGTON.

Hugh Grant starred in Paddington 2 (2017) and Paddington in Peru (2024) and there is still a picture of him in the loo in the New Polzeath house in which he stayed.
Jeremy Irons was not in any of the Paddington films but was in Brideshead Revisited, the TV series adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's book which featured a bear called Aloysius.
John Betjeman's teddy bear was called Archibald Ormsby-Gore and went with him to Oxford in the 20's where his bear was known as Archie.
Evelyn Waugh and John Betjeman were at Oxford together and although they had an "edgy" relationship Waugh signed off a letter to Penelope Chetwode, John's wife, with "my love to John. Though he doesn't love me as I love him".
Waugh loved "Archie" so much that he had Sebastian Flyte's bear, Aloysius, play an important part in Brideshead Revisited. The TV adaptation, with Charles played by Jeremy Irons, is considered among the great British television dramas and literary adaptations.
Incredibly Betjeman died in his Daymer Lane house with Archie by his side in 1984.
By coincidence, but perhaps not connected, Jeremy Irons was in the Polzeath Spar this summer and was told a cheesy joke by Michael at the checkout: "What did the cheese loving decorator do to his wife? Apparently, he double glossed her." Iron's smiled, which some say is the sign of a truly great actor.
A Bear Called Paddington, was the first book in the Paddington Bear series by Michael Bond, and was first published in 1958.
Archie and the Strict Baptists, written and illustrated by John Betjeman, was first published in 1977. However, Betjeman had written and illustrated a version for his own children in the 1940s and so his Archie predates Paddington.
Although there is no statue of Betjeman in Paddington station there is one at St Pancras Station in tribute to his efforts to save the station from demolition in the 1960s. Betjeman's connection to this area of Cornwall is of course well documented and although he wrote the Shell Guide to Cornwall for motorists he would have travelled many times down here by train.
Michael Bond got a statue of his bear at Paddington Station and saw a parallel between Paddington's arrival at Paddington Station and the evacuee children he witnessed passing through Reading Station during World War II. These children, often carrying labels with their names and addresses, were being sent to places like Polzeath as I've mentioned in previous posts.
A final connection I can make with Polzeath and Paddington is with the local artist who made the orange tree forest for the film set of "Paddington in Peru" and because of that job had to drop out of a Beach Art project with me this summer. Probably a connection for another day!

14/12/2024

Map lovers may know that although Joel Gascoyne produced a one inch to one mile map of the whole of Cornwall in 1699 it didn’t actually record Polzeath on it!

The first time we see Polzeath on a map is in Thomas Martyn’s 1748 map of Cornwall. He spent 15 years making it and died on Christmas Day just three years later surveying Devon. He was 56. Born near Redruth his very rare maps today are real works of art. Martyn’s map was reissued many times and a reduced version was issued by James Wyld the Younger, after his father’s map issue of 1832. This reduced version, dated between 1862 and 1883, is altered from earlier editions and includes railways with reworked decorations.
Interestingly, especially if you are a Daphne du Maurier fan, Jonathan Rashleigh of Menabilly was the dedicatee of the first reduced version of Thomas Martyn's map of Cornwall, published in February 1749. This map was drawn at a scale of one third of an inch to the mile and included many villages not found on the larger one inch to one mile 1748 map.
The 1749 reduced map, which is dedicated to Rashleigh, is described as "better balanced, de-cluttered and more pleasing" and "more manageable" than the original.
Martyn's map included an elaborate title and dedication cartouche, coats-of-arms of subscribers, an inset plan of the Isles of Scilly, and a compass rose with surveyors in it.
Later, in 1813, Ordnance Survey’s map of Cornwall (surveyed between 1803 and 1810) records Polzeath again. It’s impossible to say for certain who was responsible for making this particular map, but the name Mudge and some others are at the bottom of it!
William Mudge had led the creation of the first one-inch-to-the-mile OS map of Kent in 1801 and over the following two decades, he oversaw the mapping of about a third of England and Wales at the same scale. It’s probably true to say that William Mudge was a pivotal figure in the early development of the Ordnance Survey. His leadership, mathematical expertise, and dedication to precision transformed the art of cartography in Great Britain and left a lasting legacy that continues to influence mapping practices today.
Robert Dawson’s name isn’t mentioned but he was a highly skilled topographical artist working from the Tower of London who joined the Ordnance Survey in 1794 and was promoted to first-class draughtsman in 1802. He was known for his artistic talent in sketching and shading ordnance plans and must have been involved in the artistic rendering and finalization of the map along with other Royal Military Surveyors and Draughtsmen headquartered in the Tower of London.
There’s an essay to be written about the place names used on this first OS map of our area and you’ll be surprised by the 1813 roads and places like Delabole. I won’t go on but if you’re interested you can study this map in detail at https://maps.nls.uk

I’ve screenshot some parts of both maps as I thought you might like to consider those parts.
You can look more carefully at the Martyn map (revised version of 1784) at https://digitalarchive.mcmaster.ca/islandora/search/A%20new%20and%20accurate%20map%20of%20the%20County%20of%20Cornwall%2C%20from%20an%20actual%20survey%20%3A%20%5Beast%20sheet%5D?type=dismax

13/12/2024

Not suggesting that people were sending each other Christmas cards with a Triggshire address but it’s interesting that Polzeath is in the hundred of Trigg. Also of course in the parish of St Minver.
Hundreds were ancient administrative divisions in Cornwall, similar to counties in other parts of England and Trigg was one of ten hundreds in Cornwall and included areas such as Bodmin Moor and the surrounding districts.
We can trace Trigg back a long way but there’s no mention of Polzeath being in Trigg until it’s recorded that the Barton of Pentire within the hundred of Trigg, was granted a license to mine lead ore in 1664.
Triggshire’s history is rooted in the Cornish language and potentially linked to a region in Brittany. The name Trigg is first mentioned in the 7th century as "Pagus Tricurius", translating to "land of three war hosts". Suggesting a historical connection to military gatherings and the significant strategic importance of the region. The high incidence of imported pottery found at Tintagel Castle within Triggshire supports this idea of an important meeting place for regional war bands, sadly of the non musical variety.
The name Trigg might also be related to the land of Trégor which is one of the nine traditional provinces of Brittany and closest to Cornwall. This linguistic link suggests a shared cultural connection between the two areas.
The "shire" suffix was added to most of the Cornish hundreds between 1184 and 1187.
I have no idea if Tolkien got his “Shire” ideas from Cornwall but he certainly came here on holiday in 1914 spending two weeks exploring and painting the Lizard Peninsula with his guardian Fr Francis. Coincidentally about the same time as the Battle of Mons which inspired the poem For the Fallen written on the cliffs of Pentire by Laurence Binyon.

You'll not be surprised that Polzeath does not make it into the Domesday Book but places like Padstow, Chapel Amble and Trelights do... but only just.
The total population of Cornwall in 1086 was about 26,000 (roughly St Austell's population today) and our area was then within the hundred of Stratton.
Probably the oldest building in Polzeath is Shilla Mill but this water powered corn mill was not built until 1591 (operated until 1885).
However, there were settlements nearby that were recorded in the Domesday Book. The closest ones to Polzeath include Dannonchapel, which is still there, but only just. A short walk from the Sea View Farm Shop Cornwall it had 5 households including a mix of villagers and slaves and some livestock and pasture.
Trewethart had just one household while Carmar had 4. Trefreock, or Trelights as it is called today, had 6 households and nearby Roscarrock is recorded as having 13 households with 4 ploughlands, 1 lord's plough team, 1 men's plough team and also 4 cattle, 4 pigs and 30 sheep.
Chapel Amble had 9 households including smallholders and slaves while Burniere, one of the larger settlements in our area, had 26 households and substantial resources including ploughlands and livestock. You might have been able to wade across the Camel nearby and make it to Padstow with its 12 households.
The economy was largely agricultural and controlled by lords, with the overall tenant-in-chief being Count Robert of Mortain who was the half brother of William the Conqueror and with him at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
As a reward for his massive contribution to Hastings which included a fleet of 120 ships William granted Robert a large share of the spoils. This included 797 manors with these holdings concentrated in Cornwall.
He probably visited Launceston, and also Montacute in Somerset, to oversee the admistration of his lands but he was mostly an absentee landlord spending most of his time in Normandy where he was buried. Interestingly it was Robert who gave St. Michael's Mount to the Norman Benedictine abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy.

11/12/2024

These beautiful photos taken by Daniel Kavanagh Art capture a great reason to visit a beautiful Cornish church at this time of year… whether you’re religious or not!
They all belong to the Church of England and I wonder if you can identify them from the photos.
Here are some background hints:
St. Enodoc is known as "Sinking Neddy" due to it being buried in sand. I’ve not attended a service by entering through a hole in the roof but have been there on a dark and stormy Christmas Eve service pre electricity days.
St. Julitta's Church in St. Juliot is a church with a romantic twist! This is where the novelist and poet Thomas Hardy met his wife while restoring the church in the 19th century.
St. Adwen's Church in Advent boasts a unique feature – it's the only church in Cornwall with eight pinnacles on its tower! This beautiful church is dedicated to St. Adwen, a daughter of the Welsh King Brychan of Brycheiniog.
Minster Church in Boscastle is a Norman church dedicated to Saint Materiana. It suffered flood damage but was restored. The church is also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to it housing a large population of greater horseshoe bats.
Forrabury Church is known for its legend about the lost bells. The story goes that a ship carrying bells from Spain for the church was wrecked, and now their ghostly chimes can be heard.
Finally, you’ll recognise Tintagel Church as it’s so dramatically situated and has such a very large churchyard.

09/12/2024

One of the greatest mapmakers of all time came to put Cornwall on the map.
His name was Joel Gascogne and he was born in Yorkshire.
So what bought him at the age of 43 to map Cornwall over the next six years of his life? The answer was the money of a couple of big Cornish landowners. One whose estates included land around Polzeath as well as his main estate in Bodmin. You’ve probably already guessed that it was Lord Robarts from Lanhydrock.
Gascogne was way ahead of his time. Actually about a hundred years ahead of Ordnance Survey who took another 150 years to even copy his example to put parish boundaries on to their maps.
He finished the Cornwall map in 1699 and we assume used triangles to do it. His accuracy was truly remarkable and allowed the other land owners who sponsored the map to know exactly how much land they owned for the first time and resolve things like boundary disputes.
This level of detail on the Cornwall map was unprecedented in Britain and Gascoyne became the pioneer in large-scale county mapping. Ordnance Survey didn't achieve this level of detail until their Kent map of 1801.

How Gascoyne might have used triangles in his surveying:
1 by carefully measuring a baseline distance on the ground to form one side of a triangle. 2 measuring the angles from each end of the baseline to a third point 3 Using trigonometry and the known baseline length and angles, the distances to the third point and the length of the remaining triangle sides could be calculated.
4 This process could be repeated, using the newly calculated points to form more triangles, gradually creating a network of interconnected points across the area being mapped.
Surpringly it took until the 1930’s before over 6000 Trig Points were put in by the OS (see a previous Polzeath Walks post).

Gascoyne's use of this technique, way ahead of its widespread adoption by OS, put Cornwall at the number one spot on the map of 1699 and for the next century.

08/12/2024

"Stepper" may now provide a right royal connection for the area and no doubt some local controversy.
One of the oldest houses in the area, it is to undergo a significant transformation with Cornwall Council recently granting planning permission to SEQUENT (UK) Ltd. for its redevelopment.
Proposed plans include the construction of a new, larger dwelling, along with the addition of a swimming pool, gym, and games room. While the project aims to modernize the property and enhance its functionality, it has also sparked considerable local debate.
Concerns have been raised about the scale and design of the new building, with many residents arguing that it may not be in harmony with the surrounding area's character. Others, however, welcome the development, believing it will positively impact the local economy and community.
The Barlow family, who built Stepper in 1937 and lived there until 1995, have a rich history in the area and I wrote last week about how Ralph Barlow bought students down from Sherbourne to work on local farms in the last war and stayed at Stepper.
The property's historical significance and position perhaps were a draw card for reports suggesting a potential royal owner(s). Rumours suggest that the new owners are actually cousins of William and Harry. They famously used to stay not so far away from Stepper when they came surfing at Polzeath.
Finally, some good news for those who find new builds in this area challenging. Dolphins in New Polzeath has shed its "budget supermarket" look and emerged architecturally stylish. Could it and Harbour Construction be contenders for building awards? What do you think?

07/12/2024

Storm Darragh's strong north to northeasterly winds made it extremely difficult to walk/crawl up to Pentire today. However, some of the way was actually in the lee of the headland and although I can't recommend it from a health and safety point of view, there were some magical moments as the sunlight broke through the clouds.

06/12/2024

Before the Storm: Alignment and sychronicity. I'm not surprised that James Arthur made a music video on Pentireglaze Haven last week.
Beach Art followers and those into Cornish energy fields will appreciate how things line up on this small beach.

05/12/2024

The Salt Path (film) will be available to watch in the UK at the end of April 2025. It’s already be premiered in Canada and is currently screening in Palace cinemas across Australia. Although UK audiences will have to wait many will be delighted to spot locations like Port Quin and Padstow making it into the trailer. I suspect the iconic shot across Port Quin will be used on film posters. Incidentally it’s the same spot used in Swept From The Sea (1997).

The Salt Path stars Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs with a screenplay based on the 2018 book by Raynor Winn which was at once a memoir, a piece of nature writing, a travel book for the whole of the south west coastpath, being homelessness and the ins and outs of wild camping. Her second book, The Wild Silence, was published in 2020.

Raynor Winn appeared at the North Cornwall Book Festival at St Endellion in October 2019 to discuss her life and what it means to have a home. Since then she’s written The Wild Silence (2020) and in 2022 Landlines which is about a thousand mile journey from north west Scotland to the south west coast path.

04/12/2024

As usual I was wondering what merits going onto my Polzeath Walks Timeline and what not. I’ll happily take your point of view on this so please feel free to comment!
Creatives like film director David Lean are now being added to the Polzeath timeline but just last week one of Britain’s most successful singer songwriter’s was recording a music video on Pentireglaze Haven (Baby Bay to me and you) and he hasn’t been added yet.
James Arthur’s “Impossible” sold 2.5 million copies and “Say you won’t Let Me Go” (co written by Steven Solomon) has just streamed 3 billion times making it one of the most listened to songs of all time!
James and Chris Bourne are musicians with admittedly much closer links to Baby Bay than James Arthur but even Busted’s most popular song “Year 3000” has only been streamed 117 million times! Yes, perhaps they should be on the timeline somewhere too!
The slight irony here is that “Space for Love”, a musical about aliens saving the music industry from Spotify, was written in New Polzeath only last year and I helped Christian and Marie with the filming and beach art for their promos. Their song “The Joy of Giving”, inspired by the plastic bags you have to purchase in the Polzeath Spar, is probably a much better song than anything mentioned so far but has only been streamed a couple of times!
My thanks to WE LOVE Rock & Polzeath for sharing my last post and Eve Stewart for sharing her photos of James Arthur on Baby Bay.

02/12/2024

Forgotten hotels of Polzeath. “Drakestone” was likely built in the 1920’s by Harry Jones and run by a Mrs Watts and Harry Jones’s sister Miss Bessy Jones.

01/12/2024

Cornwall is full of spies and more code cracking is done here than just about anywhere.
So I guess it’ll only take you a couple of seconds to break the “LK” code used on the Holywell and Polperro film locations recently.
Everyone on set was sworn to secrecy but you’ll work the code out from the photos.
By the way does anyone know what was filming on Polzeath’s Baby Bay last week?