St Breward History Group

COMING UP …

Our next meeting will be on

Wednesday 30th September 2026
(No meeting in August)

FEATURING A TALK:

The Camera Never Lies (Part 2) – Argall Photographers by Frank Argall

6.30 for 7.00pm
St Breward Village Hall
(next to The Old Inn)

Refreshments & Raffle

Members £3.
Non-members £4 – All welcome

Why not join us?

We meet monthly in St Breward Village Hall for friendly, informal talks on a wide range of historical topics — with tea and cakes! Membership costs just £5 per year and gives you a £1 discount on entry to each meeting you attend. New members and visitors are always welcome.

Click for 2026 full programme

St Breward is a village and parish on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. It has a rich industrial history of mining, granite quarrying and china clay extraction, and a strong farming tradition. St Breward History Group was founded in 2010 to research, preserve and share the history of the parish and it’s families for current and future generations. Our members record stories of local life — people, places, work, and community. We’re building an archive of photos, documents, and recorded memories that reflect life in St Breward and beyond.

The Wenford Dries

Above: Drying tanks c1924. Photo: Trevor Ternouth Situated between Wenford Bridge and Poley’s Bridge, the dries were built around 1907 by the Stannon China Clay Company (SCCC). The choice of the site was heavily influenced by the presence of the railway line which was...

Extracts from Kelly’s Directories 1856 to 1935

(compiled by Jackie Lewis) 1856 - 1883 Ede Joseph, farmer and miller, Coombe 1856 - French Thomas, shopkeeper, Penquite 1856 - 1889 Pett Edward Joseph, carpenter, Keybridge 1856 - Great Onslow...

De Lank Masons, 1946

The history group recently came across a 1947 copy of the Cornish & Devon Granite Masters’ Association Handbook. An article on St Breward featured images of Fred Colman and Bert Newton taken by George Ellis on 2 October 1946. Bert is seen using a carborundum saw to cut...

The Pepsi Grizzly Bear

This famous sculpture by David Wynne OBE (1926 – 2014) was placed in the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens at the Pepsi Cola world HQ in Purchase, New York. Born in the New Forest village of Lyndhurst, Wynne (on the left) served in the Royal Navy during WWII before taking up...

The Statue of Baden-Powell

De Lank mason Hedley (Ted) Methven and sculptor Donald Potter working on the statue of Robert Baden-Powell in the late 1950s. Lieutenant General Robert Baden-Powell was a British Army officer, writer, and founder of the world-wide Boy Scout Movement. The statue was unveiled by...

Wenford Bridge Goods Depot, 1958

A very rare view of the now defunct goods depot at Wenford, dated Tuesday 9 September 1958. It’s obvious (from its badge) that the lorry in the foreground is a British Rail owned Scammell goods vehicle, but we have been unable to identify the car. A clue might be the ‘split’...

Roy Kerslake, 1952

Captain of St Breward AFC, Roy is pictured at Priory Park with the Runners-Up trophy of the Cornwall Junior Cup Roy lived at Homelands Cottage, Higher Lank, with his parents Wilfred and Lilly, brother Ralph and the family dog, Spot! The History Group would be grateful to know...

The Royal Oak & Churchtown Cottage, c1900

A view of Blisland around the turn of last century, when Churchtown cottage was also a village store. The grocer's wife stands in front of her home where the front room on the left is being used as a shop. The signs on the wall are advertising 'Home and Colonial Teas', 'The...

A Summer Outing, 1940s

Dora Pearce (nee Marshall) recently came across this photo of herself (centre) enjoying a day out by the sea with her friends Hazel and May. Dora recalls that they travelled there by bus, but can’t remember the location. A clue might be that in the background we can see a...

St Breward Boys Football Team, 1982

These smiling faces will be easily recognisable by many who live in the area - it just seems hard to believe that this picture from 1982 is now over 30 years old! The St Breward U-12s football team at Brake Parc Back: Martin Kay, Steven Kay, Graham Jory, Gary Baker, Shaun...

St. Breward School Team – 1987

For those of you who might know the young men that appear in this picture . . . a reminder that the photograph was taken 37 years ago! Back L-R: Michael Barnett, Kevin Cracknell, Philip Hoskin, Ian Turner and Jamie Cox. Front L-R: Neil Simpson, Dean Hill, Daniel Dunkin,...

Interview with Bill Hawken (of Hawkhill)

Recorded in 1985 by Frank Henshaw When I was a boy, as well as here at Rowe, we had a shop in Blisland. It's a building right on the edge of the Green, across from the pub; the only building really that's on the edge of the Green. We had it for a number of years and then we...

Wedding

This month we have a scan of an original photo, courtesy of the estate of Dennis Champion. A family wedding at St Breward parish church. Unfortunately the history group are unable to recognise the faces. Judging by the clothing, the date is probably mid 1950s. It will be most...

St. Breward Women’s Institute

1928 The first official meeting of the St. Breward WI was on 13 July 1928. An attempt had been made to start some months earlier, but owing to lack of support it was decided to postpone the opening. Mrs Dawe, the school master’s wife, had suggested this new branch and we...

St Breward Area Community Bus

One From The Archives - St. Breward Community Bus Following a recent ‘call to arms’ for help for our Community Bus, we feel that it is important to share its history. Did you know that St. Breward was the first village in the UK to own a community bus in 1983 due to the valiant...

A Boys’ Day Out

Pictured outside a pub or cafe, probably in the '40s or '50s, we know from the back of the photo that two of those pictured here are Harry May and R. May, but can anyone put names to faces for the rest of the gang? Contact us at enquires@stbrewardhistory.co.uk if you can add...

Retirement Presentation, 1973

Oswald Martin, headmaster of St Breward Primary School, and his wife Mary are presented with a retirement bouquet by the school staff and governors. L-R: Hilda Wills (canteen), Unknown, Joyce McNally (caretaker), Jean Batten (teacher), Peggy Crosley (teacher), Miss Dustow?...

Smith Group?

A photo from many years ago which was loaned and displayed at an exhibition to celebrate the Millennium in 2000 Retirement? - Work's Dinner? - Family Party? The only clue we have to the identity of any of the group is the word 'Smith' written on the back If you can help, please...

Trevor Ternouth’s School Days in St Breward

First published in the Community news February 2025 edition One From the Archives – My School Days (1946-1956) It must have been a daunting experience for this youngster aged four years 11 months to walk from 10 Penvorda Cottages to the village school at Hill, St. Breward. Of...

You Know Who You Are!

Three intrepid young men, sporting fearsome looking weapons, defending the honour of the parish about 15 years ago at Tor Down Quarry. Let us know if you recognise the faces, or will the subjects themselves own up? Please contact us: enquiries@stbrewardhistory.co.uk

Hantergantick Masons, 1936

Pictured, presumably, outside the quarry office are some of the Hantergantick Quarry workers. In the back row, set squares over shoulders, are Fred Winn, Harry Kendall, Bill Teague and Fernley Parsons. At the front, hammers in hand, are Cliff Piper, Robert (Bobby) Armstrong,...

Miss Ivy Nottle, 1927

Ivy was born to George and Mary in 1910 at Chapel Farm, St Breward. At the age of 26, she married Cyril J Rowe and in 1937 gave birth to a daughter, Eileen. Eileen, who was the St Breward school cook for many years, married John Collings in 1957 and they lived in the Old Smithy...

Row, St Breward, circa 1911

With all the interest that the new housing development at Row has created, we thought it would be interesting to look back a century to remind readers of how it used to be. From the left are Myrtle, Harley and Laburnum cottages with the Band Room and the houses known as The...

Beattie Well Tank at Helland Crossing

This 1950s photo from Robert Darlaston shows a Beattie Well Tank Locomotive, no 30587, at Helland crossing in the late 1950s. The Beattie Well Tank is a class of British steam locomotive built between 1863 and 1875 for use on passenger services in the suburbs of London, but...

Penpont

Above: Reading Room opening c1911, by Lady Onslow with a silver key, and St. Breward Silver Band St. Breward is often described as ‘Five hamlets in search of a village’. This month we are going to look at our furthermost hamlet to the south of the main village. The origin of...

Life from a Rectory on Bodmin Moor

by Revd Canon Sherry Bryan My family and I had always holidayed in Cornwall. By the late ‘70s my brother had lived in West Cornwall for many years, so we knew it in all seasons of the year. Usually we camped in the westernmost part at the same site every year and during our...

Beachy Head Lighthouse

A mystery gentleman poses in front of a section of Beachy Head Lighthouse. The stone was quarried and dressed at De Lank, so he may be one of the masons, or a quarry manager. This picture was kindly donated to the History Group by Sally Holden, curator of Camelford Museum

Helland Rectory, c1970

A rare aerial view of Helland Rectory and its outbuildings from around 1970. The outbuildings which were the stables and grain store have long since been converted into several separate dwellings, while modern houses now occupy what was the paddock. The Giffard family were, in...

Granny Finnemore

This month’s offering from the archives of the history group is a photo donated some time ago by Mavis Found (nee Reed). We think it may be a family group, but the only clue is the title ‘Granny Finnemore’ written in pencil on the reverse. Can you see a family resemblance or...

Joseph Hawken, c.1919

Carpenter Joe Hawken is pictured here repairing carts at his workshop at Limehead, St Breward, a building that still exists today. As the local undertaker , he would deliver coffins strapped to the crossbar of his bicycle rather than use a hand-cart as it made it easier to get...

Photos scanned

Years of parish magazines

Minutes of video

Average attendance at meetings

Minutes of Audio

Names to faces?

Can you help us name some of the people in the hundreds of photographs we hold? Click the button and scroll through the many blog entries where we ask for names and further information. Maybe your ancestors are there?

Click Here

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

What happened in St Breward 1983?

CLICK HERE to read the year’s Parish Magazines

AA sign displayed on the cottage opposite the church (named as ‘The Old Dairy’) Nearly 30,000 of these signs were erected between 1906 and approximately 1932. Only around 65 are left in situ today.

Exploring and preserving
the history of St Breward

St Breward History Group

St Breward History Group

St Breward History Group

St Breward History Group

St Breward History Group

St Breward History Group

St Breward History Group

COMING UP …

Wednesday 30th September 2026(No meeting in August)

The Camera Never Lies (Part 2) – Argall Photographers by Frank Argall

Why not join us?