The Cornish Holiday Mystery.
Who were these 1920s holidaymakers?
For nearly fifty years I have collected old photographs and postcards of St Agnes Parish. I have also acquired several albums containing people’s holiday photographs. Most albums contain close-ups of individuals and groups with occasional views of the Parish.
One album, containing about 90 photographs, is particularly interesting for the quality and content of the images but I know nothing about the people in them.
The families in this album took their holiday at Trevaunance Cove in the 1920s staying at the recently converted flats. The building had previously been a marine store owned by Mr Hitchins of the Trevaunance Pier Company but around 1920 it was sold, together with some land around it, to Mr W J Kemp of Truro who employed local builder, Eddie Tredinnick, to convert the building into flats.
The photograph album measures 30cms. x 22cms. It has a hard cover with ‘Photographs’ stamped on it.The inside pages are made of stiff cardboard and each page holds 4 x 10cms. x 6cms. photographs. The photographs are mostly black and white although some had been hand coloured, an expensive process at the time.
Who were these people? There appears to be two sets of parents with their children. I don’t know if they are related. Many photos show the three teenage girls together but are they sisters, cousins or friends?
The Families spent a lot of time on St. Agnes beach possibly walking there in their towelling bathrobes with swimsuits underneath. At other times they were formerly dressed with one father dressed in a bow tie and blazer.
Some photographs were taken at the bottom of Rocky Lane showing family groups and tennis on Kemp’s tennis court. One a more distant view from Wheal Friendly towards the beach.
On one occasion the three girls went into the village and were photographed outside the post office. An interesting photograph showing several buildings that no longer exist.
On the left there are white cottages which were demolished c. 1936. The site was bought by Mrs. Jessie Repper who arranged for local builder, Eddie Tredinnick, to build a new shop on the site that would sell stationary, toys, tobacco and cigarettes. Rubin Repper then built a printing works behind the shop for his twin brother Sidney.
In the centre of the photograph, to the left of the girls, is the old shop frontage of a general store run by William Tonkin. Today the shop is ‘Select Convenience’.
To the left of this property is a two storey building with a shop below. The shop was a greengrocer and fruiterer run by Sarah Ann Thomas but owned by Hilda and Ethel James. The James sisters rented a shop by the bakery in Churchtown but were asked to vacate by Mrs. Cowl, the owner, who required the premises for her own use. In turn, in 1926, the sisters requested their property back from Mrs. Thomas. The sister then ran the shop as a draper and haberdasher and later became legends in their own lifetime. Stories are told of how they would lower a basket out of the upstairs windows for tradesmen to put their wares in and a tin-can on a piece of string containing the money for payment. They also befriended and tamed the rats that ran freely about the property. Mr. Tommy Coombe acquired the property in 1958 when the building was empty and derelict and demolished it in 1960.
Walking up or down from the beach the girls stopped near Wheal Friendly mine and had their photo taken lying on the grass. The small park and seating area, now called ‘Friendly Retreat’, was opened on the 12th May 1923 but it is not clear if this photo was taken before or after the opening. Note the lack of vegetation in the valley and on the spoil heap.
The photographs in the album show that, whilst on holiday, they travelled around Cornwall to many places including Perranporth, Lands End, Falmouth, Marazion, St. Michael’s Mount and took a boat trip from Truro down the River Fal to St. Mawes.
So who were these people?
If anyone recognises them do get in touch I would love to know more about them.
All photographs are copyright of The Clive Benney Collection.
Clive Benney is a local historian, author and Cornish Bard. He is the recorder of St. Agnes Old Cornwall Society and Vice Chairman of St. Agnes Museum Trust.
