January 2012 - Trewince Holiday Lodges

Who did Trewince belong to?

trewince 30th January 2012 No comments

It is interesting to try and trace the ownership of Trewince from the earliest days.

According to the Rentals and Surveys of Manors from manuscripts in the custody of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, from the 1538 Survey the Manor of Tregear (which included St Mawes/ Portscatho/ Gerrans/ Lamoran/ Ruan/ Feock out to the Veryan boundary) had probably been church property for at least 1000 years. There was no specific mention of Trewince however. Tregear belonged to Bishop of Exeter at the time of Domesday 1085 but was probably administered by the ecclesiastical conmmissioners. It may have been held by religious bodies in Celtic times and gradually absorbed by the Diocesan Bishoprics of Bodmin and St Germans which were finally consolidated into one see with Devonshire c.1030.

1140: The parish of St Anthony was granted by the Bishop to the Priory of Plympton.

1538: A synopsis of the members of the Manor of Tregear from the rental of 1538 mentions Lands held by the Manor by Knights Service – including Trewyns.

In the times of the Star Chamber (Edward VI, 1537-53) we read that “Stephen Craier seized the manors of ….and a tenement called Trewince in Gerrans.

1563: Alice Reskymer made a will and left “to the heirs of her body …. a mes called Trewins in Cherens [Gerrans]. Alice R when she died she was seized of the manors of Trewins”. Peter Courtenay esq. is also mentioned.

1613: Edward Courtneye of Trewyne (Trewynce) leased his ‘mes. and rent’ to the Eland family.

1617 Edward Courtneye of Trethwiffe in Lazack Esq and Elizabeth his wife leases to Nicholas Hobbs of Gerrans all those lands called Trewynce on the w side and the highway leading to Gerrans church towne called the Downes (80 acres) Lives Thamseyn wife of Nicholas Hobbs, Ferdinando and Jane son & daughter of the said Nicholas ans Tam. A lease was granted to Nicholas Hobbs of Gerrans : all those lands called Trewynce and certain closes part of Trewynce on the west side and the highway leading to Gerrans church towne.

1641 The Protestant returns list Ferdinando Hobbs and Edw Hobbs. (Everyone in England had to sign the Protestation swearing allegiance to the true Reformed Protestant religion against all Popery. In Cornwall the returns comprised a list of all male parishioners 18 and over).

Up to 1675 we continue to find references to the Hobbs family in relation to Trewince., and there is a Hobbs monument in the church at Gerrans which displays the family arms, namely “Argent, 3 escutcheons sable, each charged with an eagle displayed” or, “impaling, Argent, 2 swords in saltire proper, hilts and pommels or, in chief, a bunch of grapes of the second, leaved and stalked as the sale; being the arms of the family of Thomas of Tregolls near Truro.”

Looking at the Archives

trewince 28th January 2012 No comments

Trewince was built in 1750 by a man called Stephen Johns, but according to the Henderson Calendars (1919 transcripts of unpublished Cornish manuscripts), records of lands at “Trewynsse or Trewense in the parish of St Gerrans” date back to 1571, and maps from an even earlier date show a dwelling at Trewince. Originally Trewince would have been part of the Tregear estate – written records are in the Domesday Book 1085. From the sixteenth century onwards, the Trewince mansion changed and developed; whilst little is known of an earlier building on the site, there was a coach house and cottage, and also gardens, orchards and plantations. The walled garden, still intact, was filled with flowers and fruit trees; there would have been game preserves and dove-cotes.

Hundreds of years later, the cob walls of the cottage are still intact, rammed into place with a mixture of clay, straw, dung and small stones, solid and rock hard.

There is a broad stairway in the house, “wide enough for two crinolines to pass”. The building has some fine architectural features, with examples of ‘chinoise’ open wooden panelling, beautifully ornate cornices and ceilings, and an intricately carved fireplace in the style of Grinling Gibbons.

The door of the room under the staircase shows the example of ‘chinoise’ wooden panelling. (The Chinese influence which was fashionable at the time). I think the panelling would originally have been open, without the backing board. Like the attic stairs, too.

Tin

trewince 27th January 2012 No comments

Ben Luxon talking about TIN and Cornish Mining
via Cornish Mining World Heritage Site

Cornwall’s Miracle Theatre Presents TIN Mar/Apr Tour | Cornwalls Coolest
www.cornwallscoolest.co.uk
This exciting collaboration between Cornwall’s Miracle Theatre and English Touring Opera featuring Ben Luxon and local community choirs is a heady mix of epic theatre, multimedia magic and top notch singing!

Miracle Theatre Company is one of the South West’s foremost touring theatre companies with a reputation for producing entertaining, intelligent and funny theatre. For 32 years, they have been touring to the far flung corners of Cornwall popping up and performing their shows, mainly for one night only, in unexpected places. This March and April Miracle is ringing the changes with ‘Tin’, a large scale collaboration with English Touring Opera (ETO), commissioned by the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.

Miracle Director Bill Scott says: “Tin is the most ambitious Miracle show to date and has had the longest gestation. It was 15 years ago that I saw a photo taken in 1911 of three actors posing outdoors, dressed for their parts in Beethoven’s opera, Fidelio. It could have been Miracle Theatre a hundred years ago! These characters invaded another story that I was writing, based on a Victorian novel, Tin, which was about a real-life share swindle at a Cornish tin mine.

In my story a travelling troupe of opera singers arrive in a town (St Just in Penwith in all but name) to give a performance of Fidelio and find themselves, embroiled in a local banking fraud. Although the story is partly about the collision between the two very different worlds of tin mining and travelling theatre, at its heart ‘Tin’ is a love story.”

Awfulness in the Undergrowth

trewince 27th January 2012 No comments

When we bought Trewince in 1985 there were 16 chalets on the site and our first job was to update them. No verandahs or balconies in those days – but sitting outside was still a pleasure on a sunny day.

I think the scene outside the chalet shows a painting class with Jim, our ‘artist in residence’. He painted the enormous pictures of galleons in the Fal which hung on the staircase in the manor house.

One visitor in 1990 left us some hand crafted wooden flowers and a poem ‘wot he wrote’. I think things are a bit better these days!

Awfulness in the undergrowth

I don’t get nettled very much
But here I often do
My doorstep’s stingers, weeds and such
Where is your gardening crew?

Oh yes, I know he’s cut the grass
But not taken it away,
Each time into my ‘hut’ I pass
I fill the place with hay.

Up market soon, log cabins eh!
They won’t cost half a crown,
For new splendour I’ve had to pay
While the old hut’s falling down.

Leave the cabin as you would wish to find
What can I do you fools
I don’t quite know what’s on your mind
I haven’t brought ‘me’ tools.

The floors aslant. The doors don’t fit
It is moving by the hour.
The toilet has no lid to it
You pull and get a shower.

Oh dash, I think I’ve said too much
For extras I must pay
A shower and orthopaedic bed
A health farm, you will say.

The doorstep moves, I think you’ll find
You’re trying to break my neck.
I came on holiday to unwind
And return a physical wreck.

Take all this all with a pinch of salt
I’m really having fun
To be too critical is a fault
Forget, scenery, walks and sun.

Both self and dog had a very good time
We lazed and walked for hours.
Really everything just suited us fine
And I’ve left a “vawse of flowers.

J. Notoften Back

Ice-skating at Eden

trewince 27th January 2012 No comments

Ice-skating at Eden until at least 26th February. Perfect for half-term holidays. Check it out!

“Our magical ice rink is back with a new stunning glacial theme. In addition to our general skating sessions, there are special sessions for all ages and abilities, so come on down and get your skates on!”

Ice skating on the ice rink at the Eden Project

Of course, there’s lots to see and do all the year round.

Top 10 things to do with kids:

Explore the largest indoor rainforest in the world.
Enjoy the imaginative children’s play areas.
Follow exciting trails around the site, with shortcuts, hideaways, stepping stones and sandpits.
Get involved in special events for kids, including den building in the summer, ice skating in the winter, and rock climbing at certain times during the year.
Marvel at the massive futuristic Biomes and sculptures.
Listen to fascinating stories about weird and wonderful plants
Interact with exhibits such as the Seed, Plant Engine & Nutcracker.
Learn about the amazing things plants do.
Feast on the delicious children’s food in the cafes.
Get some great toys, games, gadgets and books in the shop.

Trewince Avenue Elms

trewince 27th January 2012 No comments

Trewince Avenue before Dutch Elm disease destroyed the trees. This road is the one leading from the village up to our gates. The photo comes from Arthur Mee (Children’s Encyclopædia, I believe, but unable to verify). Date, anyone?

Below is another photo of Trewince Avenue. When we first arrived at Trewince in January 1985 one of the first things I experienced was skidding on the ice and crashing the car into one of the elm tree trunks buried in the hedgerow. It had been our son’s first day at the Roseland School and we had been misinformed about the time of the school bus, making it necessary to drive him to Tregony. At the time my husband was still working in London and was using our Morris Minor that week, so I had to explain to him that I had dented the company Volvo! In fact, I only just managed to drive it to my new home.

The Elm trees have been replaced by Sycamores planted at the sides of the road (actually on the edges of Trewince Farm fields.) Time will tell whether the appearance of the Avenue will be restored but it’s hard to imagine that it will ever look like this again.

Roseland-Online & the Roseland Magazine

trewince 27th January 2012 No comments

You can read all sorts of local news on Mark Hatwood’s amazing Roseland-Online website, which brings together all the local news from around the Roseland area. It’s updated very frequently (daily?) and is the place to look for all the latest gossip…..

www.roseland-online.co.uk
Roseland-Online – South Central Cornwall’s comprehensive online information resource for events, classified ads, sports, local businesses, photograph galleries and much more in and around the Roseland Peninsula and South Central Cornwall.

…… like the story of Caroline Quentin’s ITV series on Cornwall on Monday evenings. She centered her programme this week on the local Treloan Farm campsite with a very welcoming Debbie, and also visited the (local) Porthcurnick Beach cafe where a big pan of Paella was being prepared to feed the 5,000, judging by the size of it.

Roseland-Online:
Two Roseland businesses feature in a TV series which has already begun. The programme, entitled ‘Cornwall’, was filmed over the summer of 2011 at Treloan Holiday campsite, (‘Arthur’s Field’, in Gerrans) and at ‘The Hidden Hut’ on Porthcurnick beach. Monday nights on ITV or on the ITV Player.
More here:
http://roseland-online.co.uk/roseland-news/roseland-news.html

You can also read Portscatho & Roseland News, find out about what’s on and see local advertisers on this site:
Roseland Magazine – Cornwall – UK

The magazine is distributed every month in a print version by an army of volunteers, and for many years was the only source of all things Roseland. You can find Announcements, times of Church services, a Diary of What’s On and a scrolling bar with all the local businesses’ and shops’ adverts displayed. A mine of information, in fact.

Spring is on its way

trewince 27th January 2012 No comments

Spring Cleaning is underway and last week Ken came to fit new carpets & flooring in some of the Lodges.

But who wants to be working indoors on these balmy days when it should be winter but feels like Spring …. and when you have a view like this through the window of your Lodge.

Even in the depths of winter we have Timeshare visitors here at Trewince, sometimes travelling from abroad. Over a month ago a parcel arrived, all the way from Italy. It was large and heavy and we puzzled over its contents. We wanted to know what was inside but it was not addressed to us. So we sat on it. Not literally, but we found it a place in our stationery cupboard under the stairs and visited it from time to time. We weren’t sure quite why it had appeared – don’t you just love a mystery?

Well – last week it was collected by a grateful timeshare visitor who had sent it on ahead. And he’s not staying with us until later in the year but was on his way to another Cornish resort. That’s the joy of Timeshare – just when our thoughts are turning to Carribean beaches and romantic cruises, there are people from sunnier climes thinking only of Cornwall. It’s certainly worth it on days like this when it’s balmy and beautiful and the sea glistens temptingly on the horizon. And those chocolates from Italy sit snugly on the desk.

If you go down in the Woods today…

trewince 26th January 2012 No comments

“If you go down in the woods today you’re sure of a big surprise…” tra la

“If you go down in the woods today you’d better keep still and quiet…” tra la

As you can see from Steve Bradbury’s lovely illustration (used on our brochure some years ago), you can see badgers in the woods, hear buzzards mewing overhead, spot a heron nesting in high treetops beside the river and even spot a kingfisher if you are really lucky. I’ve never managed to see one of those.

Guests would enjoy seeing the badgers at dusk, and some people would leave bowls of bread and milk outside for them. One lady told me that she had been fortunate enough to snap a photo of the badger through her window (they would come by night, and sometimes invaded the bins!). Unfortunately, when the photo was developed it turned out to be our cat starring centre-stage. A lovely ginger one we used to have.

But – I have a new development to record. In March last year when I was walking down the track through the woods, to my great surprise I saw about three small, agile deer leaping across the path in the distance. I could hardly believe my eyes and later began to wonder whether I had imagined it….

My ambition now is to get a photograph. Apparently people have seen more than three but they are quite shy.

More World Heritage

trewince 23rd January 2012 No comments

It was good to welcome Sylvia from the Cornish Mining World Heritage project to Trewince. Until we met Sylvia and spent a few days with the “Discover the Extraordinary” familiarisation project we had no idea that tin mining in Cornwall is now a World Heritage Site (as is the Taj Mahal!). An enormous amount of money has been ploughed into restoration and development work and all this has resulted in some amazing tourist attractions, some of which have free entrance. A Mines Tour would be a good reason alone for a visit to Cornwall. Having seen what is there we are keen to ‘tell the world’. Have a look at their website – it’s a MINE of information 😉

The spread of Cornish mining around the globe: South Africa without rugby? Football without the famous Mexican wave? That’s how things would be if it wasn’t for Cornish mining.

Heartlands is a £35million project that will transform 19 acres of mine land in to a unique cultural space for the community and visitors alike to play, live, work and learn. It is due to open in March and we are hoping to be there. In Spring it will be one of five venues for a community performance of “Tin”, a production created in collaboration with English Touring Opera and commissioned by the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.

Digging Deeper: An Introduction to the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site

http://www.cornish-mining.org.uk/sites/default/files/MC08_sample_mag.pdf My Cornwall Magazine – The Cornish Mining Issue

Month: January 2012

Awfulness in the undergrowth