Joan The Wad

A Memory of Lanivet.

I have bought Joan the Wad Cornish pickles at the Abbey and caught a trout in the river that runs in front of it. I was evacuated to the village in the war to Church Town Farm with Mr and Mrs Greenway and there was a large monkey puzzle tree in the front garden. Only this week I was given one of my own. It also gave me a love of the countryside. I worked on a farm down there when I left school and we all come to Cornwall for our holidays each year. I have been back a few times and over the years a lot has changed; the mill pond has gone and there are a lot more houses. When we come later in the year I will have a closer look - John.

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Added 28 August 2006

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Hello John Angus,
My name is John Jones (J.J.) & we (my wife & me) became the proprietors of St. Benet's Abbey on the 8th November 2013.
We have been slowly trying to restore The Abbey since then!
The pictures taken in 1931 are amazing, but more importantly your memory of our home would help us piece together the history that has & is difficult to piece together.
If you are interested in sharing your experiences & memories of St. Benet's Abbey, I would be very happy to invite you to visit us if & when convenient.
Hoping to hear from you, J.J.

By jjwembley on Mon Jul 3rd 2017, at 11:17 pm

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Hi I hope that you are having a great time at the Abby ,I was only there in the later part of the Second World War and was billeted at Church Town Farm I New of the Abby as it was just opposite the bamboo factory .when I was older I bought a book in Walthamstow market and in the back cover there was an advert for a Cornishpickies Joan the Wade and when on holiday more years later I called and got her I had her for a very long time ,then lost her sad to say regards John Angus

By John Angus on Sun Jun 9th 2019, at 12:54 pm

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I used to cycle to St Mary's primary school in Bodmin in the late 1950s and I remember the abbey as a somewhat overgrown and neglected but mysterious building - there should have been ghosts haunting it! We lived up on Goss moor opposite the transatlantic wireless station where the wind would howl through the wires on stormy nights and during the day there was the sound on distant hammering as workers kept the rust at bay on the tall T shaped towers. Later we moved to a house opposite the St Austell road turnoff which I understand no longer exists. I do remember shopping at the Lanivet store that was run by a Mrs Matthews who seemed tobe able to stock everything in that small shop!

By Greg Everard on Tue Aug 10th 2021, at 3:42 am

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Hi Greg how nice to hear from you .I remember the wireless station in later years we would pass it on the way to Newquay and the car radio would make quirky noises we called it the Eberly Eberly station there’s not much left now only a few polls but we st I’ll look out for it on our yearly trips to Cornwall last year was the first time in 40 years I missed going but went this year in June
Regards John

By John Angus on Tue Aug 10th 2021, at 10:53 am

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