Trelawny’s Cornwall

by Petroc Trelawny

For all but four miles of its course, the river Tamar marks the border with Devon. To a Cornishman, it is also the frontier with England. CORNWALL will use the geography of the river to consider the county's exceptionalism and individuality - a once independent Kingdom where the power of the ancient Stannary Parliament has not been completely forgotten, where new Bards of the Gorsedh Kernow are appointed each year, and the Prince of Wales is referred to as the Duke of Cornwall.

Passionate Cornishman and BBC broadcaster Petroc Trelawney will talk to members of Mebyon Kernow, the political party campaigning for Cornish devolution, explore the use of the Cornish language, and reflect on the acute poverty in the towns that run along Cornwall's spine - Hayle, Redruth, Camborne, St Austell - which contain some of the poorest council wards in the country; Penzance, sometimes locally referred to as 'brown town' due to the number of heroin addicts living on its streets.

For lovers of this singular county, the book reaches far beyond the 'my Cornwall' approach and finds a delicate balance between the Cornwall of the past and of today. Topical themes include climate change - Cornwall will be one of the worst-hit counties in the UK, with coastal villages being washed away. The book also embraces Cornish cuisine and confronts the effects of Covid and Brexit on its communities (Newlyn and the future of the fishing industry) and assesses the influence of the National Trust and Heritage Britain on this outstanding and unique county.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Travel

288 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2024

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book takes Cornwall as its subject as seen through the eyes after a Cornish man. It is refreshingly free from the usual cliches rolled out by celebs who get tasked with stomping around here pasty in hand and banging on about how ‘beautiful’ it all is. Instead, the author introduces a host of people and places he knows personally from his past as well as famous characters like Brunel and Causley who have contributed to Cornwall and its culture. I liked the piece on the railway and the pictures of the little stations and halts. Men in GWR uniform are seen tending their station flowerbeds, somewhat overstaffed for the two trains a day that came through yet unsurprisingly winners of the ‘GWR best kept station’ award several years in a row. Sadly, many of these halts and stations are no more, lost courtesy of Mr Beeching and confirmation, if ever needed, of the short sightedness of people and politicians in general.

[Kerry Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hireth... Throughly enjoyed this memior/historical book. From someone who grew up in cornwall, moved away and returned ten years ago the accounts of childhood trips to Plymouth made me smile. Learnt so much I didn't know, thanks for writing this book. So many places and stories still untold, enough content for another book

[Louise Culmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Petroc Trelawny grew up in Cornwall but moved to London to work in radio,and had only been back to Cornwall for short visits. He decided to do a longer more in depth visit and explore the places he knew as a child and find out more about Cornwall’s history. He describes his childhood on the Lizard Peninsula, and the tragic early death of his mother,which obviously affected him very deeply. The chapters of the book cover subjects such as the Methodist church, which was a major influence in Cornwall for two hundred years years, but declined sharply at the end of the 20th century. There are chapters about the sea, the Flora, dance, mining, Cornish poets, railways, among other things. The chapter about the remarkable Telegraph centre at Porthcurno is one of the most interesting, the story of how Porthcurno connected Britain to the rest of the world is remarkable. Of course, with a county with such a rich and varied history you can’t include everything, and either because it doesn’t interest him much, or because there wasn’t room, he says nothing about prehistoric Cornwall for instance, or the remarkable number of fascinating ancient sites there are in the county, especially in the Lands End peninsula. There are no saints, legends, castles or King Arthur. But what there is, is mostly very interesting.

[Ken Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

[26 Sep 2024] An excellent travelogue, mémoir and selective history of Cornwall written by a Cornishman. In a rapidly over crowded field, it is exceptionally well written, with beautiful prose that flow and meander from place to place, subject to subject. His observations are brilliantly described and he captures the essence of growing up in Cornwall in the 1970s and 80s. It is according to the blurb an 'autobiographical affirmation of his Cornish roots, and in part a vivid exploration of the people and places that distinguish Cornwall as, arguably, a nation in its own right within the British Isles'. It is much of that, but I have to say it's a bit light on the affirmation of Cornwall. They say that Cornish history is written in one of two ways; Kernow-sceptic - where Cornwall is seen as a territorial possession of England and hence just another county and Kernow-centric - where Cornwall is regarded as a Celtic nation - like all the others and although an integral part of the United Kingdom, definitely not a part of England. Trelawny, despite his undoubted Cornish roots sails closer to the first and it only seems to dawn on him right at the end when a sentence of pure Cornish nationalism suddenly finds itself on the page.

The other irksome undercurrent is - I'm guessing since he has spent much of his adult life in London, in media, particularly the BBC, that his views are shaped by life in the metropolis. He pointedly states (with an undercurrent of disapproval) that the Cornish voted for 'Brexit' despite receiving billions of pounds in EU funding. He also includes visits to Jewish, Muslim and black people in Cornwall in what felt like a politically correct tick to diversity. He includes a lot of well researched characters and events that hold your interest and amuse and entertain. He treads lightly or not at all on the massive population displacement with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of English inward migrants that have changed Cornwall irrevocably. However, all that said, a genuinely lovely book, well written and entertaining - a great story teller for the proud Cornish and a warm introduction to Cornwall for the uninitiated.

[G B Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me back to my childhood. Interesting trace of the author's history while learning facts I didn't know like the source of the river Tamar. Well written.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding homage to Cornwall - its history, traditions and topography. The author takes you on a journey around this wonderful area, blending personal reminiscences with a real sense of place. Petroc Trelawny is an engaging writer and brings considerable erudition and charm to the task. You don't have to be Cornish or particularly knowledgeable about the county to appreciate this book. It is strongly recommended.

[Francis Pellow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good mix of history, memoir and travel writing.

[Tilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great companion for a holiday in Cornwall. I really enjoyed the first 2/3rds but then I found it dragged a little. The best parts were the most personal sections, which painted a vivid picture. My personal regret is that it didn’t cover the part of the south coast my family come from. But he’s not to blame for that

[Conny Belzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A splendid read, informative and entertaining. Makes me want to jump in the car and drive straight across the Tamar!

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trelawny leads us on a gentle journey around the history and geography of Cornwall. Informative and well written - an excellent companion for a Cornish holiday.

[Dawn With-whippet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the chapters merit 5 stars . great mix of personal stories from his childhood in cornwall alongside cornish history from 18 th century onwards .
final chapters dragged a bit - he loves his railways but I found the details of each and every station more than a little dull

[Bev White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this journey through familiar Cornish towns and villages written in an easy, engaging style. The balance between historical fact and personal memories was perfect.

[Jack Nicholls · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tour of Cornwall by a man with a preposterously Cornish name. Trelawny delivers a surprising moving account of many areas of Cornish history, making for an informative read if nothing else. It is even sometimes quite entertaining, and it's clear the Radio presenter has quite a hold on language to conjure evocative scenery.

The book however is framed around a personal slight against Trelawny and him seeking to reconnect with his roots, but it doesn't pay off very well. It frequently diverts into a melodramatic tone that takes away from what's being discussed, becoming almost a parody of itself. Some of the more personal anecdotes are also measurably less interesting than others, and the actual history of the land always outshines these moments regardless.

Still a pleasant read. It's educational quality might make up for these shortcomings more for others than it did for me.

[Hailstones · Rating 5 out of 5]

How many voices on the radio have made an impression on our lives? Not in a dramatic or life changing way, but one where our speech has improved because of the voice’s influence. One where our enunciation has altered for the better because the voice on the radio pronounced it this way, ‘so it must be right’. The shock when hearing news of something of importance is as much about the voice who tells it as the news itself.

Sing Something Simple on Sunday, the stomach churning reminder that school followed the next day, was made more tolerable because of the Cliff Adams voice and singers on the ‘radiogram’. David Munrow was one of my first memorable voices, a man with so much energy who taught so much but died tragically young. Roy Plumley another and as the years progressed, Brian Redhead (who was a neighbour of one of my school friends) and most recently, Petroc Trelawny. His voice was heard on our local radio in the South West but it wasn’t just his charming voice that was so memorable, it was his name that held a fascination too. A true Cornish name that spoke of pirates, tin mining and the upheaval during the Prayer Book Rebellion as taught at our Methodist school and Sunday school.

When classical music fans became excited with the new Classic FM in the early 90s, Petroc Trelawny was one of the first presenters and, dare it be said that as time passed and the new radio station lost its appeal, in our household at least, my father and I had long decided that Petroc Trelawny was too good for the commercial station. And so it was, he moved to the bastion that is the BBC Radio 3, where he belongs. His breakfast programme, his cheery disposition, and of course his voice, like Sunday evenings once were dreaded, he prepares us for the work day ahead.

In spite of being called a ‘fake Trelawny’ and dwelling on that in a defensive way, he has taken us through the process of finding out more about his family and how they came to be in Cornwall. The book explores Petroc’s Cornwall where he grew up, to offer glimpses into how life led him away from Cornwall to London where he predominantly works. Whilst he wanted to escape in his youth, his heart has definitely remained in Cornwall. He takes us on a trip of memories, sometimes by rail sometimes on foot and on occasion, with his brother on a boat to explore the coastline from the sea’s viewpoint.

Do not expect this book to be a romantic, whimsical insight into the charms of Cornwall and its coastline, the Poldark, Doc Martin and Fisherman’s Friends approach is not what this book has sought to achieve, thankfully. There are enough romantic holiday reads out there where girl moves to Cornwall to escape and meets handsome, rich stranger on the cliff. This book is almost gritty in its honesty, the poverty in towns along the ‘spine’ of Cornwall compared to the skewed impression that the wealthy second home owners along the coastline may give. The demise of tin mines, the rise and fall of shipping and communication, the decline of Methodism and its many chapels, the problem with holiday letting and second home ownership and, in a melancholy way, Petroc’s reflection on the vast changes that have taken place in his own lifetime since leaving home as well as how he dealt with growing up without a mother and the awkward relationship with his father.

The railway features heavily in this book, rightly so, the arterial vein into and out of Cornwall, after the reduction of the shipping industries and before the destruction of countryside with roads and more roads perpetually bringing traffic into and out of Cornwall like a never ending slithering snake. As a child, an annual trip with my father was to St Ives on the railway, the nervous excitement as the train crawled its way along the bridge over the Tamar from Plymouth, eventually stopping at the railway station of St Erth before the final leg to St Ives for the day’s outing. It seems for Petroc in his youth, the rail journeys held as much thrill as it did for many other children venturing into the big wide world, looking out of the window as it all passed by.

Of Cornwall’s famous exports, apart from its tin, the Flora Dance, (sadly made more well known because of Sir Terry Wogan) is a topic well covered by one of its town criers, a young Petroc Trelawny. Sir Terry’s attempt at singing delighted a certain demography in the UK, Radio 2 listeners mostly, and even made an appearance in the sacred Top 40 charts which we all listened to and recorded as love sick teens waiting for our heroes and heroines to make it to number one. In Petroc’s book, the local viewpoint is quite telling on this. It is as sacred to the Helston population as that Top 40 was to sulky teenagers. It is an event in which only locals can partake and justifiably an entire chapter is dedicated to ‘The Flora Dance’, its first paragraph stating, “It has become a statement of Cornish identity, something, that, unlike an old fisherman’s cottage or a heart-stopping coastal view, cannot be bought at any price.”

For classical music appreciators like me however, it was the simple description of music and talented musicians that made my regard for this presenter even higher. How hard is it to describe a piece of music other than by using, ‘sublime’, ‘intoxicating’ or ‘delightful’ and so on? The page is easy to recall (as anyone who has to memorise something latches onto things that will help with recollection so for me who learnt to fly in a Cessna 172 page 172 to 173 is where the words can be found as used by Petroc). The final sentence after describing music lessons resonates with so many of us, “Sometimes at the end of our lessons she would play herself, leaving me with a wondrous appreciation of the truly talented, and their ability to create music that seemed capable of slowing time.”

A superb book written about the real Cornwall by a son of Cornwall.

[Liz Fenwick]

I listened to this during several long drives. Trelawny reads it himself and you feel invited along into his Cornwall (which overlaps with my Cornwall). It is a an interesting ans entertaining and provides different look at a Cornwall. I highly recommend.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this personal and historical exploration of parts of Cornwall I know well. Thoroughly recommend!

[James Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Torn between what was us a wonderful autobiographical reflection on his own life and the nostalgic of a Cornwall that lives in the monuments or overgrown places that once were, and the ending which lurched increasingly into a railway fanatics memoirs with reference to Plymouth, which of course is not in Cornwall.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed travelling back to Cornwall from my armchair. A perfect balance of biography, history, folklore, music and trains! Petroc is a latter day Derek Tangye but even more engaging.

[pastiesandpages - Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Petroc Trelawny has one of the most Cornish names it is possible to have (Saint Petroc is a Celtic, Christian Saint and founder of churches, and Trelawny is the unofficial Cornish national anthem, named after a famous 17th century soldier and MP), and so when the BBC Radio 3 presenter is challenged about his ancestry he takes a journey back to his childhood roots in Cornwall, visiting the people and places and researching the history of those that have given Cornwall its cultural identity.

What we get is an engaging personal journey and educational read. Part memoir, part history and part travelogue.

Cornwall is a big place so don't expect a comprehensive history of everything. But there's enough significant detail and interesting facts to keep history buffs happy, whether you're Cornish or not. I've lived in Cornwall all my life and there were some bits of historical information new to me.

Some of the places mentioned that Petroc knew well from his childhood were very familiar to me as were the times (we're a very similar age). There are parts of Cornwall that have changed significantly during our lifetimes and looking back on the way things were brings back that same feeling of being away from a place you love and longing to go back. The feeling that is called Hireth, a word shared by the Cornish and Welsh, that melancholic nostalgia for something lost or a deep homesickness.

The autobiographical elements are told with great warmth and mixed with local history to make those memories accessible to the reader.

Petroc is a lover of train journeys so there is a portion of the book where the focus is very much on the railways, and reminiscences of all the vanished branch lines that will never return. This part of the book slowed down for me purely because that's not my interest, although the building of the bridge across the Tamar by Brunel was very informative.

From the railways to the Falmouth Packet Ships, the building of Truro Cathedral and the rise & fall of Methodism, the works of Cornish poets, engineers, miners and businessmen, architects, musicians and filmmakers, sea journeys and shipwrecks, a lot of the aspects of life from West of the Tamar are captured in an easy going storytelling style.

Trelawny's Cornwall is also my Cornwall and there is still plenty to discover.
A charming read.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a member of the Cornish diaspora, I looked forward hugely to reading Trelawney's Cornwall. While I obviously have a much greater claim than Petroc on my Cornish ancestry and upbringing, I was interested that his affection for Cornwall is deeper than mine! I share a certain pride in my Cornish roots don't get me wrong but my emotional bond is of love and hate, so, for me the book was slightly saccharine.

Petroc was interesting on "communications with the outside world". Based , as he was, on the Lizard he lived with a constant visual reminder of the signalling station and he believes that this, plus the trading ports, emigration of miners and the global cable links at Porthcurno, led him towards his career in radio. I can see that it is a fairly big jump to make and obviously thousands of other Cornish men and women haven't but, even so , I do think we are affected by our environment and culture. Perhaps my eagerness to explore the rest of UK and the world was influenced by meeting house guests from "upcountry" and beyond as part of our Bed and Breakfast sideline. I reflect that I would have liked a bit more prodding of "peninsular psychology" in this exploration of the Cornish. What is it which causes Cornish pride to tip over into something faintly ridiculous and why do some of us stand outside that?

I appreciated the historical review of shipping , religious and mining fortunes, brought up to date accurately. I feel that contemporary Cornwall poverty could have been given more in-depth treatment. ( Simon Reeve's BBC TV series on Cornwall explored this brilliantly).

One small criticism - the strapline " A journey through Western lands" is not accurate as it is only a journey through the far southwest. There was no linkage between Cornwall and Ireland and Wales in the west - it would have been interesting to illuminate the significance of the "Celtic fringe".

In all, Trelawney's Cornwall was good as far it went.

[Andy Rendell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive,enjoyably readable account of Cornwall as it presently is and how it has come to be,for better and for worse,over the centuries. The history and descriptions of so many aspects of life in the Duchy fall lightly due to really good writing which leads on rather than becoming bogged down or merely anecdotal.
The author's own upbringing and later experiences in Cornwall fit naturally into the information - packed narrative and illustate some of the social and other trends discussed..I really enjoyed the descriptions of his comprehensive school days and the time of transition from boys' grammar when he started there.
It'
Its a mine of memorable and telling snippets, such as the survival into the 1980s of the Honorary
Consulate for so many trading nations in the person of. Charles Fox in the Arwenack Street office in Falmouth.
I'd recommend it to anyone who wants
to understand what makes Cornwall tick including people who already know a lot about it but want to know even more. It really gets to the heart of Cornwall,excellent..

[Christine Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book takes Cornwall as its subject as seen through the eyes after a Cornish man. It is refreshingly free from the usual cliches rolled out by celebs who get tasked with stomping around here pasty in hand and banging on about how ‘beautiful’ it all is. Instead, the author introduces a host of people and places he knows personally from his past as well as famous characters like Brunel and Causley who have contributed to Cornwall and its culture. I liked the piece on the railway and the pictures of the little stations and halts. Men in GWR uniform are seen tending their station flowerbeds, somewhat overstaffed for the two trains a day that came through yet unsurprisingly winners of the ‘GWR best kept station’ award several years in a row. Sadly, many of these halts and stations are no more, lost courtesy of Mr Beeching and confirmation, if ever needed, of the short sightedness of people and politicians in general.

[Darren Togwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

From shipwrecks to shopping centres; from smugglers to spires. This book is a lovely journey through Cornwall told from the perspective of the author: a Cornish born London-based career man who’s come to discover his roots.

This is a snapshot history of this ancient county blended with the current tales, struggles, and successes of those that live there. Detailing the highs and the declines, its commentary reflects the managed decline that many areas in Britain are currently experiencing.

But there’s hope woven throughout which makes the journey through this book more than the doom-laden commentary that’s all too prevalent today.

Worth a read for all Cornish residents past and present, and for anyone outside who has a fascination with Britain’s jewel of a county.

[Millstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

In which our hero has a mid-life crisis about how Cornish he really is and opts for a very readable public confession rather than private therapy, mixing autobiography with Cornish geography and history; railways are a recurring theme in all three strands. The main focus is on West Cornwall, but with a pinch of Plymouth and the Tamar Valley thrown in for good measure. Hopefully, there will be a further volume or two in a similar vein about the many places he's lived in and visited since leaving to explore the wider world. Excellent stuff.

[George Pickthorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trelawney does well here to use his own memories to bring out pieces of Cornish history grounded in buildings, the landscape and shipwrecks.

If anything, the author doesn’t delve enough into peoples’ lived experience although he does look at educational opportunities, industrial decline and the seasonal economy.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tour of Cornwall, rich with detail. Trelawny isn't attempting to cover the whole county here, but rather focuses on the parts of Cornwall he grew up in, and that he is most familiar with. There are a lot of great nuggets of information here that can send you down a rabbit hole. A good read. 3.5* for me.

[Georgia Swadling · Rating 5 out of 5]

so so cool! so many interesting titbits and especially interesting to me because kaine’s family live in helston which is featured heavily (trelawny went to secondary school at helston). the writing is personal but really thoroughly researched and i feel like i learnt a lot.
off i go to recommend this to the entirety of kaine’s family and all our cornish friends.

[Paul Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Half travel guide, half memoire this is a lovely account of the Radio 3 Presenter Petroc Trelawney's relationship with his home county of Cornwall. It's full of interesting facts and reflections on Cornwall, its inhabitants, its history and the challenges it face in the modern age. It's the personal, however, which makes this a really special book.

[Penelope Pitstop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and lively discursive account of his Cornwall.

Although it was a very quick and fun read, I prefer the more in depth myth-busting of Tim Hannigan’s similarly-themed The Granite Kingdom.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could only wonder why Trelawney wrote this book and concluded it was to prove how Cornish he really is. In its own way quite fascinating but still had me asking why.