St Austell Fore Street - Rivera Restaurant
The Rivera!! Once a week after school in 1964- 65, a group of us (mostly 6th-formers from the Grammar School, which was co-ed by that time) used to gather upstairs in the Rivera Restaurant (on the right in the photo) and order tea and buttered teacakes - all we could afford - and we'd make them last an hour or more. I'm sure we were often noisy, and took up a lot of room, much to the consternation of other customers and the staff, but we were regulars too, just learning how to be adults. I remember most of the old shops along Fore Street - WH Smith on the corner opposite the church where I was confirmed, the Home and Colonial store, which had boxes of biscuits with glass lids, just at the right height to tempt young children, Northcott's the butcher across the street from H&C (Stuart Northcott was in my class at school), and Sydney Grose, where we purchased our school uniforms. Saturday mornings were spent at the Odeon to watch the cartoons, westerns and Pathe News, all for the sum of sixpence - ninepence if you went up to the balcony. I attended the Infants at West Hill School where my father taught music, then Mount Charles. I lived on Bodmin Road for many years, so I walked along Fore Street to and from school each day, trudging up the steep hill to the green bridge over the railway lines, and on up Trevarthian Road. The family moved to Grampound Road for my last 2 years of grammar school. Never came back to live after college, and after 38 years in Montreal, Canada and South Africa, I now live in Nova Scotia, Canada, in a small lobster-fishing village. I still bake teacakes from time to time... just for the memories.
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RE: RE: St Austell Fore Street - Rivera Restaurant
Hi Elke,
Just read your account of life in St. Austell. Invoked some ""old, but happy memories" of life there. Well done you! Accounts like that and memories are irreplaceable! I was older than you, but you followed the same path as myself and many of us back then, although sadly the remaining few are getting more scarce by the year.
I too attended Infants school at West hill from age of 5yrs 1944 and then on to Junior school at Mt. Charles, finally to West Hill Secondary in late 49 to 54, leaving then to study at Cornwall Technical college. I remember your dad as if it was yesterday, especially as he worked with me helping me with the Violin playing, during music lessons at school during normal hours and sometimes after at extra tuition groups. He was a very good teacher, a very patient and understanding and helpful man dedicated to his profession, and very popular and respected there. My wife and I now live in Spain (Since 2002), with my wife of 53yrs marriage. After a full career in the R.Navy Police branch uniform and plain clothes Special Investigation Squad in Singapore and other parts of the world. I will click on Private e-mail with my e-mail address for you to respond should you wish to discuss and share "The old days" and swap notes on who we knew back then and whom are still with us. Should you choose not to do so, please accept my best wishes for your future, good luck and success in your future endeavours whatever they may be. Michael Cleave.
Comment from Michael Cleave on Thursday, 3rd November 2011.