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Gunnislake memories

Here are memories of Gunnislake and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Gunnislake or a Gunnislake photo.

Looking For Family in Gunnislake

Kingswood Road c1955
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My father was born in Gunnislake, and lived there until two years of age with his mother Olive Sutton-Willcocks. My grandfathers name was John Willcocks, I think his sister's name was Sussie, but I'm not sure. My grandmother's, brothers name was Frank Sutton, he was in the Navy and was a Mason. My grandfather's family owned the Rising Sun Tavern in Gunnislak,e or that is what I was told. My father Douglas Willcocks, was born in 1921 and returned to the US with his mother and brothers and lived in Michigan, until his death this last summer, he was 90. He always talked about as a boy, how he would run to the mailbox every day and without fail there would be a letter from his grandmother in England, and he would deposit a letter from his mother to her mum. He always said, he would have loved to have read one of the letters from his mother, as it would have most certainly have contained news about family life, and... Read more

Quietways

Kingswood Road c1955
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Hello, I am trying to locate "Quietways" home. A very close friend of the family has written to me many times and the only address he has given me is "Quietways", Kingswood Road, Gunnislake PL18.9DF. Would it be possible to assist me in contacting Peter Wills at this address? I would be very grateful if we could contact him. Thanking you in advance, Ann Laing

Mum's Past

Hi, does anyone remember the Trelawny stores in Pengelly? On my birth certiificate it has this as my mother's address at the time. Her name was Daisy Hart and my father was Clarence Edwin Thomas, he was a sawyer. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you.

Remember The O'Hara Nelson Family?

An elderly friend of mine would dearly like to know what became of her good friend, Mr. Tony O'Hara Nelson whose family lived in Gunnislake in the 1940's. I believe Tony was an actor in a touring company during the war.

Memories of Cornwall

Day Trip From Calstock

I used to holiday in Calstock with my parents, staying with my grandparents who lived in the village.  I used to regularly take their golden Cocker spaniel, Vicky, for a walk up to the railway station. This was around the early 1950s to about 1956.
I remember being taken, with my parents and by a family friend, to a place which I think would have been perhaps up to an hour's car ride away - probably much less. I believe it was still on the Cornish side of the Tamar but we may have crossed to Devon. At this place I was able to swim. My recollection is that is was a sort of rectangular, stone construction pool, possibly spring fed as it was very cold! It wasn't a 'public' pool and wasn't all that large but I am unable to suggest how big it was. ( I believe it was fresh water.) I've read Roger Deakin's book, 'Waterlog', but can't find anything there!
Does anyone have a clue where... Read more

The Best of Holidays

It is the 1960s, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones are the music everyone is listening to and three young eighteen year old boys with a tent and a boat and some basic camping equipment set off from Saltash Passage where they live to have their first holiday (without their parents) in Calstock, Cornwall. After a limited degree of preparation and strictly minimal organisation they cast off from their home turf - the passage and head upriver. The Tamar has always been a beautifull if perhaps sometimes daunting river at its widest point, and rowing against the tide was always a challenge even for a young man with friends to take over if you got too tired - of course you could always start up the seagull! We came up the river in our dinghy with a little seagull outboard motor and a sail and oars just in case. Sometimes it was more fun to sail or row if you wanted a quiet journey without disturbing the wildlife. You get to... Read more

Memories.

The Village c1960
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My mother ran Burraton Post Office from 1950 to about 1990 and sold Frith postcards. The cows are being driven by Mrs Cook, a farmer's wife, whose farm was about 300 yards behind the photographer in Liskeard Road, Burraton. The farm was called 'The Elms'. The farmhouse is still there, but is now an old peoples' home called The Elms. The farmland has been built on.

Burraton Post Office

The Village c1960
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Hi Bob. I remember your mother behind the Post Office counter. Your cat used to regularly attack our dog as we passed your front gate on the way to Burraton Park.  We both went to Saltash Grammar School in the late fifties.  I lived with Mrs Richards at 382 New Road a matter of a couple of hundred yards away near what used to be called the Coronation Inn and later was renamed the Rodney.  Roger's shop was further down New Road from us.  I believe it is now a Spar Store.

Nanny Cook

The Village c1960
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The lady driving the cows was my great-grandma Nanny Cook and the little girl in the photo was my mum.

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