Electric Bikes. Yes or No?
I’m thinking about a cycling book for next year as I love cycling and want everyone to find places to enjoy it as much as I do. One of my recommended routes is the Mevagissey to Eden trail. It’s about […]
Research
Persian delights. Iranian art and architecture
Behind the Veil: the Arts of Islamic Persia – John Osborne So my second BODFAS approached and I was determined not to make such a mess of it this time. However, the fates are cruel and things cropped up. The phone rang […]
The History of China Clay in Cornwall
In the late seventeenth century, traders from the far east began to bring home beautiful cups and plates made out of exquisite porcelain. To a continent that was used to pottery and stone wear, these pieces were treasures to be […]
The Little White Hare of Lanherne
While researching the Vale of Lanherne I came across this lovely old folk tale. I have reproduced it in full courtesy of the magnificent Project Gutenberg. Unlike most tales about White Hares this is not one of betrayal and revenge. […]
Blackberries and Cornwall
I have a theory and it’s this. Blackberries grow best on tin. Now my proof for this is sketchy and my explanation is even poorer but bear with me. I walk a lot, all over the place, and the best […]
Frustrations of building a new walk
For a while now I’ve been convinced that there must be a decent walk that links Roche Rock, St Dennis Church and Castel-an-Dinas. It would be a big walk, around 10 miles I think, so it’s one to build up […]
With Pola Negri, trying to track down The Woman He Scorned, in Mevagissey
When you write a history you need to make sure you are not simply repeating facts without establishing the truth of them. This involves lots of enjoyable detective work hunting down primary sources. One established “fact” was that Pola Negri, […]
Who put that river there!
Well, I’m a bit embarrassed, fancy not spotting a stream in a place you’ve lived in for nearly twenty years. Not having a car for a while has meant that I’ve had to walk everywhere and I’ve been discovering loads, it’s like being […]
The Launch of a New Book
Well, all bar the sweeping up and a bit of publicity, my book is done. It is written and published and yet here I sit feeling concerned and deflated. When it launched as a digital version over the weekend I […]
The Great and Terrible Blizzard of 1891
What a fabulous day. I was very lucky to be allowed to look through the Mevagissey Harbour Trust’s historical records. I have been browsing through their ledgers from their inception in 1774 and looking at schematics for the various stages […]