Past Present

In case you missed it on the Home Page, there is a new feature on the site. It's an item about the new affordable housing for locals project .....

OK, just kidding. It's actually about the Ancient Village of Chysauster which lurks between Penzance and St. Ives. Special thanks to English Heritage who actually let me use some of their material to try to explain things better.

This may not seem a lot but as everyone else seems to want to charge us an arm and several legs for the privilege of using/recording stuff it was very refreshing to find someone who actually wanted to help us do the feature rather than put every conceivable obstacle in the way. Nice to come across an outfit that actually wanted to share information about what its got rather than hoard it to themselves.

Lest We Forget.....

Those of you who know the St. Ives ceramic community will be aware of John Bedding's place (St. Ives Ceramics) on Fish Street.

Well, he is now putting on an expedition of work by Japanese potter, Shigeyoshi Ichino. The expedition also includes work by the legendary Shoji Hamada (see the Leach Pottery section), and his son and grandson.

It is good to see traditions being carried on. John Bedding was an apprentice and then assistant of Bernard Leach and continued the Leach-Hamada tradition by both studying and experiencing the work of the two cultures.

Lest We Forget.....

The Leach Pottery, wherein this tradition and excellence was born and nourished is still up for sale. Anybody who is assuming that its future is safe because 'someone will come in and save the place' is fooling themselves. There are absolutely no guarantees.

The Leach Pottery, its traditions and those who work there need to be supported to ensure that they are preserved for future generations. Right now, I can see an unbroken line of generations of potters passing on the Leach tradition, skills and knowledge from Bernard Leach through to the present Leach Potter, Trevor Corser, and Amanda Grier, who could be the next to take up the torch.

The Leach Pottery is unique, you know.

They won't be making any more of them.

Conan The Librarian

Hurrah! The County Council is finally putting its hand in its pocket and stumping up some dosh for a redevelopment of St. Ives Library. We are being promised 21st Century facilities (hopefully rocket-powered backpacks and lasers!). Hell, they might even throw some books in!

Which will be good news for all of us who've been wondering why nobody has published a book since 1957!

Been There, Done That, Got The T-Shirt!

Irony of ironies. St. Just artist, Kurt Jackson, has chosen St. Michael's Way from Lelant to St. Michael's Mount as the subject for his next bunch of piccies.

Ha, the fool!

Right, let's see if we can type faster than he can paint because we've already done it. (That's why there was a photo in last week's news bulletin of a certain blue spikey person supping ale out the back of the Godolphin Arms in Marazion).

Watch this space.

Well, not this one obviously because it is already being filled up with the weekly news bulletin but you know what we mean.

Intriguing Promotion Of The Week

Local artist, Angela Diggle, will be holding special 'Watercolours for the terrified' courses from June 3.

Presumably, this involves locking the subject in some sort of Room 101 and forcing them to paint while subjecting them to their worst nightmares come true.

We look forward with keen interest to the first showing of the artwork that emerges from this novel approach!

Rugger Off!

More good gnus. Penwith Council's planning committee have finally come down off the fence and nixed an application to install a 15 meter high Tetra communications mast at the Rugby Club.

It's A Lurve Thang!

Feeling down? Need a little lift? Need a little love and affection?

Then, mount your donkey and get your ass down to St. Ives on Monday (19 May). For, yea verily, at 11 a.m. the 'Ancient Ceremony of Mayor Choosing' shall take palace at The Hall of the Guilds.

Admittedly, we know (or, at least, strongly suspect) that he-who-shall-be-chosen will be none other than 'Arry Hisaacs', the man with the electrical van.

So far, so predictable. It's all just the usual village politics going on, isn't it?

WRONG!

Many far more important issues have yet to be determined:-

There's only one way to find out.

I'll probably be stuck in the Slave Pits so I'll be relying on you to report back to me.

Next    Back    Home    Site Map