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Charlestown, Harbour 1912
Charlestown, Harbour 1912 Ref: 64782
Memories of Charlestown, Harbour
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Charlestown & local memories
Read and share memories of Charlestown and Cornwall inspired by Frith photos
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Year: 1953
The Tiny Port Of Charlestown
I briefly attended Charlestown Infants' school in 1942 as it accepted children a years earlier than Mount Charles Infants (just a mile away) which I lived just a few yards from on Porthpean Road. I was four years old at the time. During those war years the quaysides around the inner dock had corrugated iron buildings that were used in the fitting out of inshore mine-sweeper vessels. These boats were built at nearby Par and had their engines and machinery fitted at Charlestown. These sheds were removed at the end of the war and once more the harbour looked very much as it had when it was built by Charles Rashleigh in the last decade of the 1700s. Inspite of wartime restrictions, we locals were permitted access to the beaches and the one on the eastern side of the harbour entrance was our destination whenever the weather allowed. As we grew older mother would be waiting for us there with a snack when we raced down the hill after school. The beach was very pebbley but with the breakwater to dive off and the wonderful rock pools to play in at low water spring-tides the pain of walking over pebbles was ignored, as only preoccupied, very happy kids can. During the late forties and fifties, there were water-polo matches played in the outer harbour during the summer, and evening tides permitting. The Charlestown team played against teams from Fowey, Mevagissey, Falmouth and others, both home and away. There was also an annual regatta and swimming gala and a memorable event was walking the greasy pole erected out over the harbour wall. The harbour was very busy during those years with the export of china clay from the claypits all around the St Austell area. The dried clay was loaded into small coastal ships (200-300 tons) from where it was transported to the Continent. It was always exciting to watch a ship that had lain anchored in the bay awaiting high tide, come into the harbour under the guidance of the port pilot Tommy Coates. The entrance was so narrow, and entailed a 90 degree turn towards the lock gates that retained the water in the inner harbour. Manually operated capstans, mounted at strategic points along the harbour wall, were used to winch the ships into position, so that with the engine "very slow ahead" the ship would creep into the inner basin with only inches to spare on both sides. At that time the two massive wooden gates were also opened and closed manually with capstans but some years later these were replaced by a hydraulically operated gate that was lowered into a horizontal position to allow ships to pass over. Last edited: 12/06/2007 15:15 by Peter Marks |
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 Porthpean, Beach c1955 (ref: P87005) |
Year: 1943
Anti Invasion Devices A memory of Porthpean, Cornwall I spent many happy hours on Porthpean beach, both with my family and my friends during the summer holidays. I remember the anti invasion devices well as we used them as monkey bars. After the war they became very rusty with many sharp rusty edges to get snagged on. I also remember during the war years that a few miles off the beach were some bombing targets and we used to watch bomber pilots practising their skills from time to time. Peter, I believe you were a year behind me at St. Austell Grammar school and that a few years back I think we swapped emails. I now live in Marblehead, Massachusetts, having moved here in 1968. Last edited: 08/08/2007 10:05 by Gerry Mewton |
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 Porthpean, Beach c1955 (ref: P87002) |
Year: 1951
The Boat House Porthpean Beach A memory of Porthpean, Cornwall The tall building at the bottom left hand side of the slipway leading down to the beach was used by a Mr Axford who had two or three wooden rowing boats that he hired out by the hour. He would sit on a bench outside the boathouse and having paid the appropriate monies one was issued with a pair of oars and allocated a boat. My dad bought one of Charlie's boats in the early '50's which we kept on the quay at Charlestown and used it for recreation fishing. We initially powered it with a 4hp Seagull outboard. Then, on one of our fishing trips we come across a large quantity of wood planks that must have washed overboard from some freighter in a storm. In that great tradition of Cornish wreckers we salvaged as many of these 15 or 16 foot long boards as we could pile onto our boat, leaving just a narrow gap to stand in as we ever so slowly made our way back to the harbour. I remember that the sea was glassy calm which was just as well as with this haul we had only a few inches of freeboard between us and being swamped. This timber was used by our family to add an additional bedroom to our house on Porthpean Road and the remainder we paid a local boatbuilder to build up the sides of our boat and add a small quarterdeck in the bows and we fitted a small Watermoto in-board engine to replace the outboard. Last edited: 02/04/2007 02:10 by Peter Marks |
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Porthpean, Beach c1955 (ref: P87005) |
Year: 1943
Anti-Invasion Defences-Porthpean Beach A memory of Porthpean, Cornwall During the invasion scare of WW2, Porthpean beach was protected from seaborne landings by the Germans by having anti-landing craft defences built along the length of the beach at I believe, the low tide mark. This consisted of an A-frame structure constructed from scaffold piping. Possibly this had mines attached but I have found no confirmation of this. Additionally, on the slope leading up from the beach there were pyramid shaped, concrete pillars about four or five feet high that would prevent vehicles using it. One of these can be seen in the photo "View from beach c. 1955" I lived on Porthpean Road at MountCharles from 1939 till 1955 and now live in Illinois, USA Last edited: 02/04/2007 00:57 by Peter Marks |
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 Biscovey, Edgecumbe Terrace c1955 (ref: B489009) |
My First Home A memory of Biscovey, Cornwall I moved to 12 Edgecombe Terrace in 1965, no 12. We were renting and had just got married. I remember the toilet out the back, my husband had to go out with me with a lantern when it was dark. We lived next door to a Mrs Cowley who kept chickens out back. My mother in law Mrs Jannie Gribbin lived near by. There was a telephone box on the green opposite where I used to phone my mum in Bristol. I remember parking the car once in the Four Lords car park and being told off by the landlord. Last edited: 28/04/2008 10:12 by Veronica Gribbin |
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