The Old Harbour c1955, Newlyn
The Old Harbour c1955, Newlyn Ref: N22002
Memories of The Old Harbour c1955, Newlyn
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Newlyn & local memories
Read and share memories of Newlyn and Cornwall inspired by Frith photos.
My Great Grandfather
This is a photo of Henry Kitchen, my mother's grandfather, who was also one of Stanhope Forbes' favourite models. He was painted sitting in the rowing boat in Forbes' painting 'The Lighthouse', which now hangs in Manchester Art Gallery, and I have also read an account of a diary which he kept, when taken to London to be presented to Queen Victoria, on designing a new type of trammell net. According to my mother he was also the fiddler in the village band, and I remember being taken to visit a relative in Newlyn and viewing a beautiful portrait of Henry Kitchen holding his fiddle, engraved upon a mirror. I have no idea who the artist was, but would love to see it again.
In the photo he's standing in front of his home and birthplace, Vine Cottage. How wonderful it is to have such links to the past...does it explain why I have never been seasick?
The Old Quay
This photo is taken from the Old Quay, the medieval original Newlyn pier. My family lived in a shop (general stores) overlooking on The Cliff facing, near the Fisherman`s Rest and the Red Lion pub and bus-stop. Idyllic days were spent as kids pottering around the small harbour - catching small crabs which lived in the granite stonework of the quay using limpet bait and a length of string only, also many of us learnt to swim here from the steps in the foreground when the tide was in. Amongst us were evacuees from London, though for the major part of the Second World War access was denied by a duty policeman in a sentry-box.
The Old Quay, Newlyn
This photograph shows "The Old Quay" which was a medieval construction inside the outer arms of the Newlyn Harbour. Behind the Old Quay is the South Pier and the extreme end of the North Pier shows to the left of the picture (the other side of the harbour mouth). Outside the harbour you can see the "stoneboats" awaiting a full tide to enter the harbour and load stone for roadbuilding from Penlee Quarry just beyond the Pier. In fact an old steam locomotive used to run from the (now closed) Penlee Quarry towing up to 10 trucks loaded with the blue elvan stone to load down from the Pier into the boats. As boys we used to hitch rides on the back of the stone-laden trucks during this journey, jumping off as soon as Janner, the driver shouted at us! A dangerous adventure but no one ever got hurt!
SAILORS MISSION, NEWLYN
As a boy during the Second World War I served as a Sea Cadet at Newlyn where on numerous occasions we made use of the facilities at the Sailors Mission. I loved to listen to the old sailors talking about past memories and often shared in a mug of steaming hot tea.
Every so often my mother would ask me to visit the harbour where I would find the fishermen returning with their catch. Sometimes if they were in a good mood they would throw me a few fish which I would proudly present to Mum.
Happy days remembered with great affection.
