Trewince Holiday Lodges, Portscatho, Truro, Cornwall TR2 5ET
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Spring is on its way

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…

“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

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

Cornwall Record Office

I had a tour of this archive recently and this is also where I did some of my research about Trewince history a few years ago. It is so special to actually handle some of these old documents, often written in Latin.

In this clip, David Thomas gives a brief ‘guided tour’ of the vaults at Cornwall Records Office. David knows every inch of this treasure trove of Cornish documents, letters, maps etc. and will track down archive material relevant to real-life characters and society portrayed in Edward Bosanketh’s 1888 novel ‘Tin’. Clip is courtesy of Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.

Henderson Calendars

Amazing historical facts!

In my research on Trewince I discovered that records go back to at least the early sixteenth century. The Henderson Calendars, dating from 1919-20, which can be examined at the Royal Institution of Cornwall, are Cornish manuscripts, handwritten, of transcripts or abstracts of a number of unpublished records of all periods regarding west Cornwall, collected by historian Ch…arles Henderson. Quoting from Book 3 page 165: “Star Chamber Edward VI (1537-53) Vol VI no. 24 Stephen Craier seized the manors of —– and —– and a tenement called Trewince in the parish of Gerrans.” Book 4 page 119 “1563 Alice Reskymer made wioll 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”.

Our own personal involvement with Trewince came much later – in October 1984, when we visited it after seeing it advertised in Dalton’s weekly. We ended up buying it, together with the Kendalls – it seems such a long time ago. By Jan 1985 we had sold our house in Hertfordshire and moved to Cornwall. What a time that was – ice, snow, frozen pipes and the worst winter Cornwall had seen for years. There was no heating in the place and we had to wrap up well, inside and out. We’d been told you could leave your geraniums out all winter in Cornwall. We were misinformed!

The local Heritage Centre

Gerrans Parish Heritage & Information Centre
The Old Forge, Tregassick Road, Gerrans, Cornwall.

The Heritage and Information Centre opened in 2004. In addition to the permanent exhibition, specific exhibits will be set-up on an annual basis. 

The history of the parish is illustrated with displays depicting Farming through the Ages, the Fishing Industry, Education, Domesday Book entries, the Manors, World Wars, Coastguards, Churches, Chapels and much more. There are photographs, tithe maps, documents, parish records and other artefacts (including the Trewince Bottle fragment).

For those with an interest in family history there is a database containing the baptisms/christenings, marriages and deaths/burials of more than 11,500 parishioners. Indexes are also available for St Gerrans and St Anthony parishes covering, marriages, burials and a churchyard plan. The 1841 – 1901 census has also been indexed.

We found a fragment of a bottle

This bottle was an exciting discovery made some years ago during work on the Cottage. The words say: “S Johns Trewince 1768”. Stephen Johns was in residence at Trewince at that time and this sturdy bottle would have been personalised for him.

Did a bit of research on old wine bottles and found the bottle blow was for sale on – the similarities are remarkable. Fancy starting a collection? I have a certain interest in such matters due to the fact that my mother’s family owned a Mineral Water and Beer bottling business. I remember her telling me that she knew where dozens (hundred’s?) of old bottles, including old ‘pop’ bottles with a marble in the neck, had been buried. No – I’m not telling where….

By the way: this “Rare English 18th century sealed onion / mallet bottle John & Mary Spurrel 1734 ” sold last week on Ebay for £420!!!

Cornish Mining World Heritage Site

In November Peter & Liz were invited by “Discover the Extraordinary” to visit many of the Cornish mining sites to see for themselves why these unspoilt mining landscapes throughout Cornwall have been given World Heritage status. In 2006 selected mining landscapes across Cornwall and west Devon were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, placing Cornish mining heritage on a par with international treasures like Machu Pichu, the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China.

The largest World Heritage Site in the UK, with over 20,000 hectares spread across Cornwall and west Devon, it offers myriad experiences to explore our world-changing mining culture. The Site contains over 200 iconic Cornish engine houses (the largest concentration of such monuments anywhere in the world). But Cornish mining is about far more than mine sites – the mining industry impacted on all aspects of life. Many of our towns and villages were either transformed by a growing industrial population or newly built to house them. They reveal their history in the rows of distinctive terraced cottages, shops, chapels and substantial public buildings. Today you’ll find plenty of great cafés, pubs, restaurants, art galleries and museums.

Begin your journey to the soul of Cornwall via the ten unique, diverse areas that form the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.

Welcome to Trewince Holiday Lodges!

We are situated in the centre of 26-acres in a prime position overlooking the English Channel at the southern tip of the Roseland Peninsula. Our estate is fully landscaped and almost surrounded by water. Gerrans Bay is to the front of the Georgian manor with the Percuil River to the west. Guests can walk through our woodland which leads to our own private quay on Froe Creek where boats have access down the Carrick Roads to the sea. Carrick Roads is an expansive waterway which forms a large natural harbour between Falmouth and the Roseland. The lower part of our estate looks across to St. Mawes. We welcome self-catering and timeshare guests.

Our 3 bedroomed luxury timber lodges are welcoming self-catering holiday homes which accommodate up to 6 people and have unique interior touches. All are fully furnished and generously equipped with bed linen, duvets, pillows, cooker, fridge, freezer, microwave, washer/drier, dishwasher, coffee maker, toaster and iron. They are also equipped with Freesat digital television or Sky.

Trewince has a 13m indoor pool with sauna and spa bath as well as children’s splash pool. We use the latest UV water treatment instead of the chemical approach.

All our staff live locally and we pride ourselves on local knowledge. Whether it be something you would like to see, taste or experience we will help you find it. You, the guest, are what we focus on. Low-occupancy discounts are available at certain times of the year and we advertise last minute discounts on our website. Please contact us for details.

The Roseland has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty andHeritageCoast. The area has great places to eat, together with several places to hire motor boats, sailing dinghies, kayaks and wind surfers. There are many spectacular walks to be experienced: just ask our staff and they will be pleased to make recommendations.

Trewince has lodges for sale and is also affiliated to RCI Timeshare for holiday exchanges or you can of course spend all your time here on the Roseland.

For old-world charm, relaxed lifestyle, quiet beaches, coastal walks, sailing from our own quay, Trewince is the place to stay.

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