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Towan
Towan maps
Historic maps of Towan and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Towan maps
Towan photos
We have no photos of Towan, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Constantine Bay| Harlyn Bay| St Merryn| Treyarnon Bay| Mother Iveys Bay| Trevose Head| Trevone| Porthcothan Bay| Padstow| Little Petherick| Bedruthan Steps| St Issey| Trenance| Rock| Trebetherick| Mawgan Porth| Polzeath| St Mawgan| St Minver| Tregurrian| Watergate Bay| St Breock| Port Quin
Towan area books
Displaying 1 of 16 books about Towan and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Towan
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Cornwall memories
Summer of ''67
I won the Cornish longboard championships at Constantine Bay in 1967. I was the profesional lifeguard at Treyarnon Bay in 1967 and 1968. Friendships established then and still true include Anhtony Richards, Robert Ede, David Powell, Peter Andrews, Rick Stein, Steve Bond, Andrew Blight, Rip Kirby, John Ball, John Jewell, Mike Hannaford and others. Brilliant years never to be experienced again
Summer of 1990
I was lucky enough to go abroad for our family holiday every year. Towards the end of the 1980s my second holiday around August time would be to go to Treyarnon Bay with my best friend Becci and her parents, and I fell in love with the place and the surrounding areas. I'm sure the pub/hotel was named the Beachcomer back then. The owners of Treyarnon Bay Hotel were Anne and Clive, along with Anne's brother Chris and his wife Lorraine. Becci and I begged them to let us come and work a summer season for them. 1990 soon came around. Me and Becci were at the grand old age of 17, and our parents unwillingly let us go! Off we went to Treyarnon for the summer. I'm sure to this day Clive and Anne regret taking us on. We were pretty rubbish chambermaids and our waitressing skills weren't that great either! But we quickly became experts at enjoying ourselves. I remember waking up and looking out of our window to see... Read more
My Years in st Merryn at Towan Farm House
My father was in the Fleet Air Arm during the war and in about 1949 he was stationed at the camp in St Merryn, my parents lived at Towan Farm House where I was brought back to from the hospital after I was born at Redruth hospital. My maiden name was Wells. The couple that owned the farm was called Mr and Mrs Old, they did not have any children of their own. I was calling them auntie and uncle as we had become very close, so much so that when my dad left the Navy and got a job on British Rail at Padstow and then a council house up at Trevithick, I stayed most of my time at the farm with auntie and uncle visiting their friends and relatives with them and going to market with them in the school holidays. I went St Merryn School and three years later my brother joined me but I will never forget his first day, because he thought he was going... Read more
Birth
I was born on 8 October 1939 in a house called Trewalder, at Treyarnon Bay. The house belonged to Nan and Sam Odhams and they persuaded my mother to leave London - everyone was rushing anywhere and every place once war was declared on 3 September. My father was in the TA and had already been called up. So I announced my intentions on the eve of the 7th. The others were all out at the time - but by the time they returned the midwife had arrived. I'm told that every time my mother groaned they all had another gin and shouted "cheers". Sir Peter Horlick boiled the water and the midwife was most impressed "I've never had a lord to boil me water" she said - or so I'm told. My mother stayed for about a month and then took me to my grandmother in Saltdean, Sussex ... by the sea again. Is that why I love water and... Read more
Evacuation to St Merryn
My sister and I were evacuated to St Merryn in 1940. I was aged 6 and my sister aged 11. We lived in Bermondsey, London. I shall always remember our first night in St Merryn. We were sitting in the School Hall,and were the last to be allocated. This was because my sister had been told by my mother, that we were not to be parted. Eventually a woman with two children approached us, and said we were to go with her. We didn't go very far, and were escorted up some steps and into a very dark house. The lady then lit a paraffin lamp, and I can remember asking her if it was a farm, and they all laughed. We were billeted at 2 Towan Cottages, or Villas, with a Mr and Mrs Ellery, who had two children slightly older than us, a boy whose name was Alan, and a girl called Peggy.
The house was something of a surprise to us as there was no electricity,... Read more
Two Sisters
Yes I remember the two sisters from my childhood - my sister and I thought they were really scary - when our father drove the car up to Trevose lighthouse we would hide in the back seats of the car when we went past the toll gate! Reading the memory above brought this memory back - I think they were always dressed in black - my memory is that they had knarled faces and my sister and I were convinced they were REAL witches - not what you would expect to find at the seaside!
Rowing Our Boat
My children, Molly, Libby, and George loved taking turns with me rowing across from the shallower of the two beaches the short distance across the calm bay to the lifeboat station which as we got closer loomed large like something from a James Bond adventure. We came ashore on the small beach under the lifeboat station that appears at low tide and explored under the legs and hulk of the boat store and slipway. On the way back a seal popped up alongside to inspect us but finding us thoroughly uninteresting lay on its back in the water to bask in the sun.
