St Breward History Group

LATEST NEWS…

Our exciting new project, EXPLORE ST BREWARD, was launched on Sunday 20 September 2026 as part of Heritage Open Days.

Discover the people, places and history that have shaped St Breward through a gateway to our extensive archive of photographs, maps, films, aerial views, old documents, audio recordings and much more.

Follow a series of walks linking points of interest around the parish, using our printed map and your smartphone as a guide – or explore from the comfort of your armchair on a tablet or computer. A few simple clicks will lead you from places on the map to their stories and deeper into our constantly growing archive.

Free printed maps are available from St Breward Community Shop at Row and St Breward Parish Church.

From yesterday to the Stone Age – discover the story of St Breward.

CLICK TO EXPLORE…

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.

COMING UP …

Our next meeting will be on

Wednesday 28th October 2026

FEATURING A SLIDESHOW

Photos From The Archives

A rare opportunity to view a presentation of photographs from our extensive collection

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

Refreshments & Raffle

Members £3 – Non-members £4

All 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.

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?...

Hubble Bubble…

Taking a rest from casting spells and riding broomsticks, the ladies of St Breward W I enjoy a ride on a carnival float in the summer of 1988. In the picture, (donated to the history group by Margaret Willetts), our motley crew from L-R are: Sue (surname unknown), Jackie...

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...

Where was that cottage?

St Breward History Group was approached via its website by the husband of a lady in poor health – they had been reminiscing about a holiday they had had in a cottage named Venn back in 1985. They thought it was in St Breward and sent a photo of the cottage taken at that time....

St Breward War Memorial

In 2009 St Breward was not short of War Memorials; in the Parish Church two granite wall plaques with the names of the fallen plus a smaller plaque for LT CDR P C HUTTON DSC. And The War Memorial Hall at Limehead which opened in 1925 was built as a Memorial to those men of the...

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...

Opening Meet 1923

One of a series of six, this photo was spotted on ebay and very kindly purchased for the archive by one of our eagle-eyed members. Dated 3rd November 1923, it shows villagers and members of the North Cornwall Hunt preparing for the day's events at Churchtown, St Breward. The...

St Breward School Staff, 1980s

Many of you will remember the smiling faces of the ladies of St Breward school, sadly, many of whom are no longer with us. L-R (Back) Nina Sleep, Rose Hoskin, Eileen Collings (Cook), Liz Hillson (Cleaner) and Pauline Nottle. L-R (Front) Jean Batten, Jean Rowlings (Headmistress)...

De Lank Bell

This photograph of an unidentified young lady was donated to for an exhibition held at St Breward in the year 2000. Unfortunately no details were recorded at the time. She appears to be unveiling a bell at (we believe) De Lank Farm. Was the bell destined for the adjacent De...

DJB Earthmovers at Stannon, 1978

The DJB Engineering Company was founded in 1973 by David John Brown, a British mechanical engineer. The company was renamed as Artix and the trucks as CAT in 1984 after Caterpillar bought the rights to the designs. After selling the design to Caterpillar, David Brown went on to...

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

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...

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...

The Wedding of Arthur Hunt to Joan Pearce

A lovely family photograph taken on Blisland Green, May 1955, at the Wedding of Arthur (Micky) Hunt to Joan Pearce. L-R: Maurice Cole, Peter Cole, William Winn, Harriet Cole, Mary Hunt (Mother), Roger Winn, Albert Winn (Best Man), Micky the Groom, Joan the Bride, Joy...

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...

Morley Tremaine

Born in 1916, Morley was a life-long resident of St Breward. He is pictured here, aged 12 years, outside the Bible Christian chapel at Row (now called Providence House). During WWII Morley was a member of the St Breward Auxiliary Unit, a (then) secret unit of well-armed...

Who are those clay workers?

A group of clay workers at Wenford - unless our readers know differently!' We have a couple of names, but we need a full set, the date and occasion. Please contact us: enquiries@stbrewardhistory.co.uk

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’...

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...

The St. Breward ‘Bheys’

Original History by Trevor Ternouth 1986 Ralph and Roy Kerslake with Trevor Ternouth, their second cousin, started meeting for lunchtime meals around 1986. Ralph, who lived in Torquay, had to come to Liskeard for his monthly Masonic Lodge meetings. Roy lived at Cardinham and...

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,...

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...

Ready For Mischief?

Sitting on a grassy bank outside De Lank Farm are Ron Allen, Fred Parr and Ivor May. Ivor was the son of Winnie and Frank May who owned Hantergantick Quarry. Local milkman Alec Masters managed to keep the boys still long enough to take this photograph in about 1928. Contact us...

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...

What a Luxury!

Filling up with a few gallons of 4-Star at Row shop rather than having to drive to Camelford or Bodmin. Courtesy of Alison Masters, this photo dates from the mid to late 1960s. In 1969 a gallon of fuel for the pictured Austin car was 35p (7p per litre), while a year’s road tax...

‘Tin-Tack’ – Leslie Williams

The unknown man in our December article has been identified as Leslie Williams. It appears that Leslie was known as 'Tin-Tack' and lived in a cottage near Chapel Terrace, in St. Breward. If anyone has any information on Leslie or other photographs, please do contact Brian Hill...

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...

Mrs & Miss Pengelly

This photograph recently came to light courtesy of Alison Masters, from her mother's estate. We know that the photograph was taken by Alison's father, Alec, in about 1927 but have no other information. If we can identify the house where the photo was taken, we might be able to...

Churchill Monument, circa 1972

Scan of an original photograph, courtesy of Brian (Barney) Nottle. L-R: Brian (Barney)Nottle, Ernie Hillson and Robert Armstrong loading a lorry at De Lank Quarry. The granite base, ( part 1 of 4), for the statue of Winston Churchill. The statue, which stands in Parliament...

What happened in St Breward 1983?

CLICK HERE to read the year’s Parish Magazines

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?

View photographs needing identification

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

LATEST NEWS…

Why not join us?

COMING UP …

Wednesday 28th October 2026

FEATURING A SLIDESHOW

Photos From The Archives

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

What happened in St Breward 1983?

Names to faces?