St Blazey, Cornwall

The Cinema

Tha Palace Cinema in St Blazey was one of the longest operating cinemas in England. I worked there as the usherette during the middle to late 60s (I believe it is now closed). We had films three times a week and bingo twice a week - there was a Saturday morning children's cartoon show. I did everything from... [more]

Home

I was born 1941. My mum was Pearl Renowden, daughter of John Renowden my grandad, Auntie Elsie, Uncle Leslie, & my brother David. We lived at 132 Landreath Place, St Blazey. Uncle Tom & Auntie Hilda lived at the top of our road. I have very happy memories of St Blazey, going to the farm to collect a jug of milk... [more]

Cornish Arms Hotel St Blazey

I have found from doing family history that my great grandfather George James Andrews died at the Cornish Arms Hotel on 25 Dec 1919. If anyone has any info about the hotel at that time I would love to see it ,or hear from any relatives of the Andrews family.

Gran and Granddad

Granddad helped to build Landreath Place, mum and her family moved into number 55, where both grandparents lived till they died. Also there was other family living in this street, my great grandfather John Renowden, my great Aunt Elsie Renowden, great Uncle Les great Aunty Gladys, great uncle Sid Bishop. all sadly passed away.Landreath today looks almost the same except the... [more]

Christened

I was christened at St Blazey Church, 24/12/1955, I was 2 months old, my mum is Patricia Nee Renowden, we were visiting my grandparents Hilda and Tom Renowden, after they had me christened, they filled the bottom of my pram with drink from the Cornish Arms next door to the Church,

Families of St Blazey in the 40s/50s.

My father was one of the local butchers, Jack Grigg. He and my mother ran the shop opposite the church.  My grandfather was John Charles Grigg who lived at a house called Mount View at the bottom of Rose Hill. When my father was born he was living at no. 9 Station Road. My greatgrandfather, Charles Rogers Grigg lived at Canal... [more]

Shops in St Blazey

I will continue with some information on the businesses in St Blazey around 1950. Station Road, starting with no. 1. Grigg's the butchers, the house where I was born and the shop run by Jack Grigg. The next business, no.3 Station Road was the fish and chip shop run by Everett Turner and his wife. I remember the coal fired range... [more]

Shops in Fore Street

As a native of St Blazey, I would like to write about the businesses there at the time. The first shop on the church side " The International Stores", a fine shop managed by Mr Vincent, who also owned the newsagents in Station Road. Next to "Star" (the name used by locals for the International, because it was originally the Star... [more]

Cornwall Memories

St Blazey is a modest town that sits inland from the port of Par in St Austell Bay. The wooded and beautiful Luxulyan valley is a magnet for lovers of industrial archeology, with its 1839 Treffry viaduct and aqueduct linking the mining and china clay industries with the coastal ports.

St Austell Bay Photographic Memories

This is a delightful view of the 15th-century church, which has a plain tower without pinnacles. The cottages have small gardens, walled enclosures, sheds and washing lines. The line of the Par to Newquay railway can be seen across the valley. It is interesting to note that the tide came up to this point when the church was built.

St Austell Bay Photographic Memories

We are looking south across the Luxulyan valley. The magnificent Treffry Viaduct was built in 1842 to carry a tramway and an aqueduct. The woodland in the rocky valley has matured, and the view today is nowhere near as open. This was the first viaduct to be built in Cornwall, but it was bypassed in 1874 by the Newquay railway, which runs along the valley floor... [more]