The day began with a stroll yesterday along Charlestown Harbour to admire the Tall Ships in the morning sun and recall the Poldark filming we saw there under floodlight on Sunday night. Then a short drive to the 14th century fishing village Mevagissey, on the southern Cornish coast, which is positively sparkling in the autumn sunshine.
We duck into Mevagissey Museum, housed in an 18th century boat building, and find a treasure trove of memories and objects from the village’s past including much focused on its legacy pilchard fishing industry. Once the pilchards were caught they were stored in salted layered stacks. After a month they were washed, barrelled and pressed using a screw press. The extracted oil was used for lighting lamps and there was a huge export market for the pilchards.
The fishing industry went through ups and downs over the years, but has now seen a revival, with a great demand from London restaurants for a range of the local fish.
In case you are wondering what to do with pilchards, a recipe for Star-Gazy pie is on hand:
We discover some of the more famous, or in some cases notorious, residents. Captain James Dunn who ran a successful boat building business in the 18th century used this as a cover for his smuggling. However 11 years after being converted by John Wesley he decided to go straight.
Andrew Pears was born in Mevagissey in the late 1760s and lived on the outskirts before moving to London where he experimented making creams and oils, eventually developing Pears soap.
Later walking around the port is a delight as it retains its fishing heritage with old boathouses, small fishing boats and nets drying out.
It is busy with day trippers, locals, dogs, cats and seagulls basking in the sun.
Some are looking for a bit more action like this dog we watch as he repeatedly dives into the sea from the pier to retrieve a ball being thrown by his master…
It’s too nice a day to eat indoors so we join the crowd and have some fish and chips sitting by the water and top it off with Cornish ice cream.
Stepping back in time
We leave the seaside to drive north to Lanhydrock House in Bodmin overlooking the Fowey Valley, taking a lovely walk through an avenue of trees decked out in their autumn glory amidst the 1000 acre park and woodland beyond.
Built in the 17th century it underwent significant reconstruction in the Victorian style after a fire swept through it in 1800s. The end result is a feeling of cosiness and light rather than the somber aloofness of some stately homes, despite the expansive and grand rooms.
What is remaining from the original 17th century build is a long gallery with a stunning barrel vaulted white ceiling with relief plasterwork portraying scenes from the Old Testament.
Lanhydrock was the family home of the second Lord Robartes and his wife and 10 children at the time of the fire. After Lord Robartes death not long after the fire the house was rebuilt by his son Thomas Charles in the current style and with new modern conveniences.
Thomas Charles married and had 10 children, and the eldest son and heir Tommy became an MP before going off to fight in the First World War. The family was shattered by Tommy’s death after being shot at the Battle of Loos in September 1915.
Walking through the large number of well equipped kitchens, servants quarters, children’s bedroom and classroom and family living rooms gives an insight into the upstairs-downstairs life from when a family last resided there.
We are left with much to think about when we end our visit and go back through the parkland to our car.