Park Cottage

25/11/2023

Fascinating post here about hauntings at Kennall Vale. All to do with the Gunpowder Works there in bygone times.

By 1800 the mining industry in Cornwall was becoming increasingly hungry for gunpowder, some 4000 barrels a year were being brought in from up country at great expense. The first Cornish mill to manufacture the explosive was set up in Cosawes Woods near Ponsanooth in 1809 and another, roughly a mile...

24/01/2020

Most beach bans now July and August, and we're still free to walk early morning and evenings too :))

Amazing news Rob Nolan at Cornwall Council has decided most dog beach bans July and August only!!! https://dogfriendlycornwall.co.uk/dog-beach-bans/

08/01/2020

Three options are being considered for the new rules

05/12/2019

Who'd have thought kissing under the mistletoe originated from Cornwall?

Like many traditions, the Cornish Christmas tradition of the Cornish Bush has its roots in winter solstice Pagan celebrations.

Adapting the pagan meanings and symbolisms to fit Christian belief systems, the Cornish kissing bush represents new life. This three-dimensional wreath is made by weaving holly, mistletoe and ivy around a circle of willow – in the centre of which is hung a “crown” of rosy apples and a generous sprig of mistletoe.

The beautiful festive ringlet is then topped with a candle and hung indoors on December 20th. Cornish tradition states that dancing in rings underneath the Cornish Bush whilst the candle is lit welcomes in the God of Light.

The old “kissing bunch” (as it was sometimes known due to the dancing and merriment which took place underneath it) is still hung from the central beam of the living-room in cottages and homes across Cornwall.

With thanks to https://www.trevigue.com/cornish-christmas-traditions/ for this and other Cornish Christmas traditions.

https://images.app.goo.gl/YVAhuugCAvxFkuwu5

Found on Google from cornwalllive.com

02/12/2019

We love walking the coast around St Agnes and Chapel Porth.

St Agnes is said to have been named after a local character, Bolster. Bolster was an evil, fierce giant who terrified the village, but he fell in love with a beautiful young local woman called Agnes and wanted to marry her.

Seeing an opportunity to free the parish from his tyranny, Agnes asked Bolster to prove his love for her by filling a hole in the rocks by Chapel Porth with his blood. What he didn’t realise was that the hole ran underground and opened into the sea, and in that way Bolster was tricked, his blood drained into the sea until it turned it red and he died there as a consequence. St Agnes was hailed a heroine, and the village later took her name.

You can see a plaque to the legend by the old engine house in Chapel Porth Valley, close to a filled mine shaft which might very well be the hole in question!

In remembrance and celebration, every May the villagers of St Agnes re-enact the legend with a pageant over the clifftops above Chapel Porth. The next date is scheduled for Saturday 9th May 2020.

26/11/2019

Today we spotted the dainty leaves of the Pennywort succulent plant, most often found in damp stone hedges. Edible, it makes a pleasant addition to a salad or can be a refreshing foraged snack on your walk.

Cornish folklore refers to its medicinal purposes for curing warts, drawing out splinters, treating chilblains, easing nettle stings and more.

We also hear it's possible to pierce the stem and blow the leaf up like a mini balloon! 🎈🎈🎈