5.1  Religious meeting places, churches, chapels, etc.
5.2  Pubs and inns in the Feock area
5.3  Other amenities in the area
5.4  The ports of Truro and Penryn

 

5. Former and Present Facilities in the Area

 

5.1 Religious meeting places, churches, chapels, etc.

The area is well‑served by the Quaker Meeting House at Come-to-Good, previously at Penelewy Barton (BF); the Methodist chapels at Goonpiper and Penpol; and St Feock Parish Church and church hall. Unusually, the church’s thirteenth-century tower is separate from its main body.

(Refer to appendix 11 for further details)

5.2 Pubs and inns in the Feock area

At different times during the nineteenth century there were two beer houses and two inns in the Feock village area. One beer house was opposite the old post office at La Feock (the upper area of Feock village) and the other was in the thatched cottage attached to the former general stores in Feock Churchtown.

As their name suggests, beer houses served mainly beer but not spirits, whereas inns were licensed for a wider range of alcoholic drinks and also provided accommodation. Of the two inns in the Feock area, one was situated at the landward end of the mineral quay at Pill Creek beside the innkeeper's cottage. In 1812 this inn was advertised for sale in the Royal Cornwall Gazette as “established more than fifty years, landlady Mrs Philippa Jacks”, so the property dates back at least to the 1760s.

The mineral quay at Pill Creek was built in 1765 for the shipment of copper ore to South Wales and for the import of coal for the mines at Gwennap. The inn was well‑placed to quench the thirst of the workers loading and unloading hundreds of pannier mules arriving at the quay. However, in 1826 the new and more efficient railway from the mines to Devoran on Restronguet Creek was completed, taking the ore trade away from Pill Creek and much of the custom from the inn. Today the inn and the innkeeper’s cottage survive as private houses.

The other inn, now a private dwelling known as Greenbank, was located in the upper part of the village at Lane End, La Feock. Its name was The Red, White and Blue and was known locally as “The RWB”. Later it was renamed The New Inn. The railway men from Devoran used to come by boat to Yard Beach between Penpol and Harcourt and then walk across the fields to reach it.

In the 1871 census the innkeeper is given as John Green, aged forty‑one, with wife Mary and five children, including a five year old son, Edward. According to the local Kelly’s Directory, by 1910 Edward had become the innkeeper and by 1919 he was the owner of both The Punchbowl and Ladle in Penelewey and The New Inn, both on part‑time licenses. He proposed to the authorities that he relinquish the license for The New Inn in return for a full-time license for The Punchbowl and Ladle. On the 5th March 1919 the Royal Cornwall Gazette announced the granting of a full‑time licence to The Punchbowl and Ladle and The New Inn then closed.

There was a small shop there after this time but the premises never again became an inn. The great grandson of John Green, Mr Jim Green, lives locally at Porth Kea.(TR, using Feock Local History Group, Feock: Some Aspects of Local History, Part 1, 1973; and The Fal Local History Group, History Around the Fal.)

(Refer to appendix 11 for further details).

5.3 Other amenities in the area

In 1983 Feock village school closed and more recently the village shop, garden society and post office have also closed. More recently the shop at Four Turnings has closed, leaving the area without a retail food facility. The social life of the village has suffered to some extent but the formation of the weekly coffee morning in the Church Hall is considered to be a community success.
The St Feock Reading Room owned by the Parish Council is leased to the club members for residents of all ages. It provides facilities for the playing of billiards, snooker and table tennis. The CCC mobile library provides an excellent and regular service.

(Refer to Appendix 11 for further deatails).

A co-ordinated security service works well, combining the existing Neighbourhood Watch service and a community policeman. In addition to GPS, a house‑numbering system would enable the medical and emergency services to locate a property quickly. Although numbering may well prove unpopular, house names would be retained.

Approximately 7000 residents are required to support a pub and post office.
(Richard Simmons, CABE Chief Executive, July 2005)

 

5.4 The ports of Truro and Penryn

The Port of Truro is a statutory Harbour Authority with control of approximately 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares) contained with in the northern part of the Fal Estuary. The estuary is nine miles from its head at Truro to the mouth at Falmouth, and Truro Harbour Authority is responsible for the top six miles. The Maritime Section of Carrick District Council manages the two Ports of Truro and Penryn. It is also responsible for public rescue equipment within the District, administration of the oyster fishery, together with other marine related functions, including licensing of boats and boatmen. Beach safety within the district is provided in partnership with the RNLI.

The Ports of Truro and Penryn host many diverse activities including:

• Moorings for approximately 1,800 leisure craft.
• Moorings and alongside-berths for fishing vessels and other commercial craft.
• Small passenger-carrying craft and ferries.
• Other leisure-based activities including water-skiing, diving, jet-skiing, angling, windsurfing, gig racing, regattas, etc.
• Marinas, boatyards and other maritime-related businesses.

The Harbour Authority has some moorings equipped and maintained by the Authority. This is reflected in the tariff. The advantage is that the owner is relieved of maintenance responsibilities.

River patrols are undertaken in the summer months to ensure byelaws are adhered to and that mooring fees and all other fees are collected whilst also offering information and assistance to customers.

The policies adopted by the Harbour Authority ensure that there is no vast overcrowding in the area and that mooring holders and visitors have the chance to sail in open waters of very high environmental value. The Fal area is recognized as both a Special Area of Conservation and as being a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

There are a number of moorings allocated to the operators of bona fide fishing vessels in order for them to undertake their work. In addition, all forms of leisure activities are encouraged provided they do not pose a threat or danger to other users. A water-skiing and jet-skiing area has been identified and regular contact with sailing clubs and certain sailing schools is maintained.

(Extract from CDC Harbourmaster Andy Brigden’s annual report, 2005)