CORNISH “SIBERIA”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22319, 2 May 1947, Page 2

CORNISH “SIBERIA”

WINTER’S RIGOUR GISBORNE TOURISTS PICTURESQUE OLD TOWNS "This part of the United Kingdom is known as the Cornish Riviera, but it has not lived up to its name since we have been here. The weather has been very cold and at the moment snow is lying deep on the ground. I overheard a remark by a woman in a tea-room to-day which hit off the feelings of many visitors: ‘Cornish Riviera, indeed!” she remarked. ‘Cornish Siberia would be nearer the truth!’ ” In a few words, the above represents the impression gained by Mr. James Innes, formerly of Gisborne, of the Cornish winter spent in Penzance. Mr. and Mrs, Innes, who left New Zealand late last year and have been some time in Britain, have been renewing acquaintance with parts of the country previously known to them on earlier visits there. ’ Freedom of movement has enabled them to seek the less bracing atmosphere of the south and south-west coasts during one of the severest winters the Old Country has known for at least 50 years, but they have not entirely escaped the rigours of a season which has added additional hardships to the lot of the British people generally. Small-Town Population Despite the cold weather, however, Mr. and Mrs. Innes have been able to get about the Cornish landscape, and have seen a good deal of the towns and villages in the vicinity of Penzance. Mr. Innes states that there are no large towns in the Duchy, but an extraordinary number of small towns and villages, at least a dozen within, say, 25 miles of Penzance. The ancient village of St. Ives impressed them as particularly beautiful, with a situation overlooking the sea and harbour from steep hills and an “old town” which retains features of architecture of great age. Its disposition is most picturesque, with ancient buildings of all shapes and sizes and streets of all widths except wide ones, in Mr. Innes’ words. Some of the streets are extraordinarily narrow, indeed, and along their margins houses and shops are packed together just as they' were built to meet the needs of people living a century or two ago. Somehow, the irregularity of shapes and sizes makes for beauty, and the town of St. Ives attracts numbers of artists as semi-permanent residents. House Dates Back to 1707 Penzance has its own beauty, and many features of interest, but it does not compare with St. Ives, for instance, in picturesque character. A gratifying feature of all the towns in the neighbourhood is that though many of the houses are small and cramped, they are beautifully clean, and the people are well-dressed and apparently prosperous, largely from the tourist trade income. “The house we have been living in is a rather small old dwelling which has been modernised to some extent,” states Mr. Innes. “The owner tells me .that it was known to be in existence in 1707, but how old it was then nobody knew. It is of two storeys and has low walls, for I can stand in the dining-room and touch the ceiling. The stairway is very narrow, and superstitious people would not need to worry about the consequences of passing people on the stairs. It just cannot be done. x Flowers From the Scilly Isles “The country round Penzance is very pretty and a great deal of it is well cultivated. Large quantities of vegetables are grown for the London market, and flowers are also grown. The countryside is well populated and a number of new bouses are going up, mainly on the outskirts of the old towns and villages. A good deal of fishing is done from Penzance and St. Ives, and there are numbers of boats in the harbours; but the industry is not highly organised as it is in the eastern Scottish ports in particular. ’The' Scilly Isles are only 28 miles from Penzance by sea, and a steamer makes fairly regular trips. We should have liked to visit the isles, but the time of year and climatic conditions are not favourable. Very large quantities of flowers are grown in the islands for the London market, and there seems to be a surprisingly large volume of sales throughout England, generally at very high prices.” Mr Innes stated that he and Mrs. Innes were returning to London late in March-