Good old Royal Mail

 

by Annette Shaw

I was amazed to receive this in the mail this morning. Someone had simply folded a visitor survey, stuck a stamp on it & put it in a postbox.

Well done Royal Mail for safely delivering it to us.

The Eradication of Bar House

by David Wilson

The recent demolition of the Admiral Nelson public house on Bar Road saw the removal of the last tangible reminder, apart from Bar Road itself, of The Bar, otherwise known as Arwenack Bar. This was a large natural sand and shingle bank enclosing an area of tidal pools, artificially embanked in the seventeenth century to support the operation of corn mills powered by the tide. Subsequently shipyards were developed on the bank and around the edge of the seaward pool known as Bar Creek. For 150 years or more a number of shipbuilding firms built and repaired a great variety of vessels here; including packet ships, merchant vessels from barques to smacks, pilot cutters and quay punts, steam tugs and pleasure yachts. From the 1920s the pools were gradually filled in with spoil from the expansion of Falmouth Docks; the last of the shipwrights moved away to Ponsharden and Little Falmouth. The whole area has, of course, now been built over, to form the Port Pendennis marina complex, the Events Square, and the Maritime Museum.

The Symons family shipyard was one of several sited on the side of the creek, with its landward entrance off Bar Road. The family residence adjoined the yard on the edge of the foreshore, and was known as Bar House. In the early nineteenth century, apart from the sound of hammering and sawing, and the smell of sawn timber, the creek was still relatively unspoilt. With the expansion and increasing affluence of Falmouth, in 1831 shipwright Francis Symons decided to try to cash in on the new craze of bathing. Where better to establish sea-water based health cure facilities and lodgings than at his own Bar House? The following notice was one of a number Symons placed in the Royal Cornwall Gazette to advertise his secondary business. How successful it was is not known. He continued ship building until about 1860, when his son George took over. W.H. Lean is believed to have been the next occupant of the site, until driven out by the Falmouth dock expansion. Meanwhile Symons Bar House had become the Dock Inn, later renamed and redeveloped as the Dock and Railway Hotel, and then the Riviera Hotel. After the second world war it reverted to the name of Dock and Railway Hotel. It subsequently became the Admiral Nelson.

Grumpy Volunteer's Corner

by Keith Evans

The kids have gone back to school, hooray! Oh, sorry, that slipped out. The talks in the Lookout are less likely to be interrupted by noisy children and as such are easier for the speaker and the audience. Most parents are co-operative and remove their off-spring from the situation. A few are pathetic in controlling their little dears. Some couldn't care less and very occasionally are quite belligerent.

Recently two little urchins pushed their way through to get at the noisy video. 'Not whilst I'm speaking if you don't mind' I said. 'Come back in a few minutes.' I didn't know where their parents were. One glared at me in defiance while his brother looked sheepish and pulled him away.

Shortly after, a couple of raucous seagulls decided to have a 'bit of a domestic' outside on the balcony before flying off. I apologised for the yobbish Falmouth seagulls. Just before I had finished a Merlin helicopter drowned out my oration. 'I don't believe it' I thought. There was more laughter from the audience. Right on cue, when I had finished a ship sounded its siren. I wasn't quite sure whether it was in appreciation or a raspberry. The dozen or so in the audience appreciated it with laughter and applause!

Farewell to Lady Mary

Anne Powell and I represented the Museum at the Eden Project on Friday 9 September in the grand farewell party to say farewell to Lady Mary Holborow as Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall. All the great and good of Cornwall were there, many of them wearing chains. Two people (us two) from each of the 33 organisations with which Lady Mary has been involved formed a wonderfully informal (think slightly chaotic) little procession, all of us bearing banners. We carried a large paddle with a flag on it and carried a model boat which was rather appropriate given the torrential rain outside.

Speeches were made - excellent and witty ones by Sir Michael Galsworthy and Lady Mary herself; dancing was done by TR14 a youth group from Camborne; Suzanne Manuell sang; a band played and the Truro Male Voice choir led us in Trelawney. All good Cornish stuff.

Lady Mary did say that there were two things she would not miss: too many emails and chicken breasts. At so many functions she has attended, the 'light and simple food' has included chicken breasts which have hung around for just too long and have ended up slightly dry and curling at the edge, or like reconstituted cardboard. She was looking forward to spending more time with her husband who was given a case of unbelievably expensive claret.

It was good to pay tribute to Lady Mary, a person about whom, as Tim Smit said, no one has ever said an unkind or critical word and who is a true ambassador for the county. Her help in setting up this Museum was, as delivered in her usual unassuming and yet influential manner.

Jonathan Griffin

Charlie, the WalMart Senior Greeter

Charlie, a new retiree-greeter at WalMart, just couldn't seem to get to work on time. Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late, but he was a really good worker, exceptionally tidy, clean-shaven, sharp minded and a real credit to the company; he obviously demonstrated their 'Older Person Friendly' policies. One day the boss called Charlie into the office for a talk.

"Charlie, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a first class job. But, being late so often is quite bothersome."
"I know boss, and I am working on it." said Charlie.
''Well good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear. It's odd though, your coming in late. I know you're retired from the Armed Forces. So, what did they say if you came in late back then?"
Charlie shifted in his seat and replied ''Well they said, 'Good morning, Admiral, can I get you coffee, sir?''

We never forget that volunteers had lives before the Museum … but sometimes we need reminding!