The 15th Century Respryn Bridge And The English Civil War

Other than being built in the 15th century Respryn Bridge may not otherwise appear very special - but it made it's mark during the English Civil War (1642–1651).

Respryn Bridge was guarded by Royalists at the outbreak of the Civil War and played an important part in the Battle of Lostwithiel in 1644. The bridge then lay between two estates Lanhydrock and Boconnoc - one side Royalist (King Charles) and the other in Parliamentarian hands.

Following success at Lostwithiel, King Charles rode over Respryn bridge in 1644, on his way from Boconnoc to Lanhydrock.

After the war, an avenue of trees leading up to Lanhydrock House from Respryn Bridge was planted by Lord Robartes to celebrate the King's victory.

Moving on from the Civil War. It can be seen from the photo above that Respryn Bridge is very narrow - only seven feet wide to be precise. There are many such narrow roads in Cornwall and these can take the uninitiated by surprise. An example of this was when the bridge was damaged in 2006 by a 40 tonne lorry that got stuck between the parapets while trying to cross!

I wonder what on earth the driver was thinking? Perhaps it was his Sat Nav that led him astray but, whatever, the mishap caused £30,000 worth of damage,

Hopefully warning signs will now keep the bridge safe.

The photo below is another view from the bridge.

 
See also: The 500 Plus Year Old bridge, St,Austell, Cornwall

More Flavour of Cornwall's Eden Project - 14 Photos

The day was confused and couldn't make up its mind whether to be sunny or rainy. But we had planned to go to Cornwall's Eden Project so that's what we did. All seemed well at first.

But then it rained, it poured down and not another person in sight. So we headed for the biomes.

The Rain Forest biome was pretty steamy and my camera misted up as soon as I tried to take any photos.

In the biome there was, however, the photo by Sebastiai Salgado (as below). It was there to make a point about the uncontacted people of the world. To quote:

"The uncontacted Awa People, of the Amazon Rainforest, are particularly vulnerable. Like all uncontactable tribal peoples they could be wiped out by violent loggers who steal their land and resources, and from diseases like flu and measles to which they have no resistance."

The orchids I tried to photograph gave off a pink mist - and my lens kept steaming up ...

... so we moved in to the, Mediterranean biome.

Lots of colour and a pleasant temperature inside.

I snapped a few flowers and ...

... grasses.

Several birds reside inside the biome and I managed to get quite close to the little fellow below - he seemed quite friendly.

We left the biomes and wandered round the gardens and finally the wild section.

It was time to leave as the dark clouds were rolling in again and we had quite a walk to the car.

Like many tourist attractions nowadays you have to exit by going through their shop. Somehow I managed to resist the Cornish cider!

Also see: A Flavour of Cornwall's Eden Project - 15 Photos

Beyond The Beacon Near Du Maurier's Manderley / Menabilly

Briefly following on from yesterday's post, which mentioned Daphne du Maurier's book Rebecca.

Here's a passage from the book, which could well be the scene in the photo above :

"And I thought of the tide, how swift it ran and strong into the little cove. The wind blew down from the headland like a funnel. I got the boat out into the bay. I got her out there beyond the beacon ..."
~ Quote from Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The beacon can be seen in the photo and this is adjacent to Manderley /  Menabilly - as mentioned yesterday.

The Wonderful Coastline At Menabilly - Daphne du Maurier Country

A few photos of a walk along the coast path from Menabilly on Cornwall's south coast.

The author Daphne du Maurier lived at the estate house here from 1943 to 1969.  Unfortunately the house is hidden away from the beach and coastal path 

Menabilly was Du Maurier's inspiration for Manderley in her book Rebecca. The first sentence of the book reads : Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. 

The sentence is almost like a cry from herself. At the time her husband had been temporarily posted to Alexandria, which she disliked. She longed to return to Menabilly, her Manderley, and to see the cliffs, sea and the wooded headlands. And who can blame her!

I did manage to dig out a very old photo - below - of the author at Menabilly with her children - though the quality isn't very good.

The Menabilly estate extends along one side of the coastal path.

The day we walked along the coast path it was quite hazy in the distance, as can be seen from the photos. The photo above and below shows where the River Fowey joins the sea.

Lots of ups and downs, of course, along the path but such wonderful views, especially on a clear day.

Retracing our footsteps the sun brightened up the day - and even the cows came out to play!

It's a lovely stretch of coast to walk.

See also:
Daphne Du Maurier Featured On Large Cornish Mural

From Charitable Daffodils to Loot and Extortion

Just a few days ago life seemed to be all daffodils and blue sky. The arc of daffs in the phot0 were planted originally on behalf of the Marie Curie charity who offer care and support through terminal illness. Their symbol being the daffodil.

At the time of writing though it's now grey and raining - and I have a job to do - decorate our living room! So we headed off to Trago Mills Liskeard branch to buy paint and wallpaper. 

They are housed in quite an unusual store, it's more like a big castle, with its own river, than a massive shopping centre.

Of course, when we arrived it was raining! So not many photos.

Over the years the original Trago owner, and now his son, have had clashes with authority. Their tongue in cheek response is to erect statues in their large grounds to make their opinions known. There are dozens of them.

For example the photo below is an opinion of UK's taxes - loot and extortion.

Another statue, below, is making a point about pillaging and plundering - now who would do such a thing ...

And finally a photo of the river and the store.

Oh dear decorating - what fun!

Newquay, Cornwall - Wonderful Beaches, Stunning Views

A while back, when I snapped these photos, we had lunch at the Fort Inn, Newquay. The first three photos were taken from the Inn where there are stunning views.

The photo above is looking right - along the popular Towan Beach. Not too many people about out of season.

The photo above is the Fort Inn's terrace and the photo below is Newquay Harbour looking left from the terrace.

After lunch we headed back towards the main centre at Newquay. Towan Island (below) always fascinates me. The only access to the house is over the slender bridge. The island is surrounded by water when the tide is in.

And finally looking back in the direction of the Fort Inn. 

Newquay, with it's wonderful beaches, gets very busy in the summer season - several good surfing beaches. It has been voted as "one of the nation's favourite seaside towns."

Also see: The Hue and Cry Made From A Huers Hut At Newquay, Cornwall

The Hue and Cry Made From A Huers Hut At Newquay, Cornwall

The photos are of a Huers Hut overlooking the sea at Newquay, Cornwall. It is said to date from the 14th century - but could well be older - and was used as a look-out when shoals of pilchards were expected in the bay.

The huer would sound his horn raising a hue and cry alerting townsfolk to the arrival of the fish.

By means of hand signals the huer enabled the fishermen to position their boats and encircle the shoals into their nets.

Previous to being used by a Huer the hut may have been a hermitage. Externally the building has a large, typically Cornish, late medieval chimney and a narrow stairway leading to the roof.

Though I have used the words hue and cry above there are other suggestions as to how the phrase originated. Wikipedia, for example, suggests the following:

By the Statute of Winchester of 1285 it was provided that anyone, either a constable or a private citizen, who witnessed a crime shall make hue and cry, and that the hue and cry must be kept up against the fleeing criminal from town to town and from county to county, until the felon is apprehended.

See also : Newquay Harbour in 1875 and 2019