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This story has been added by CSV Volunteer Linda Clark on behalf of the author Michael Edwards. It is from a book he wrote about Perranporth (Cornwall) and it was printed by Penwartha Press. They both understand the site's terms and conditions.

CHAPTER TEN. The Munitions' Factory. Where Wheal Leisure Court Now Stands.

The Summer Theatre was the centre for so many village activities, a spacious, all wooden building, Perran Discount (formerly a bank) now occupying the site. Host during the war years to all manner of entertainment for the servicemen and women and of course, for us children, our school. The main hall, with tables, chairs and blackboards and several classes at once! The other rooms were also being pressed into service of course and all the school shows were held in the hall. I well remember a scene during one such show, being perched up on the rafters above the stage pulling up a rope for an Indian Rope Trick item!

The Summer Theatre was also the home of the Womens Institute, under the leadership of Mrs E B (granny) Fuller. This old wooden building served Perranporth well, being replaced by the new Memorial Hall.

After the "Summer Theatre" comes the "Riverside Cafe" and grocery with a back room being used as a Red Cross first aid post. Mrs George Smith was one of the ladies who operated the post I think.

Next came the little wooden shop, closed during the war, which later housed my father's first enterprise! Now demolished and built over by the Conservative Club, formerly the Unionist Club; the building with its billiard table etc.. The two shops at the front, at that time closed,were formerly the premises of the Cornish Stone Company and more recently as the "Cornish Panorama" shop and art gallery, run by my late wife Stella.

The next building, now a fruit and veg shop etc. was formerly "Mays Butchers Shop", closed throughout the war. Next Tremawans Ironmongers, run by another old Perranporth character, Mr John Tremewan. As boys we would haunt this shop, always in need of nails, staples and other bits and pieces, for the manufacture of our "Dandies". Every boy in the village would own his own Dandy. Ex pram wheels were in great demand and we would scour the countryside for miles around to find them. Mr Tremewan would sell us just six nails and four staples as required and always, the most important bit, the bolt that made the steering work. All downhill sections of roadway were pressed into service as "tracks" along with sloping fields for those fortunate enough to have large diameter wheels able to cope with a bumpy surface. To Mr Tremewan, all boys had a common name "George"! "How many nails do ee' want, George?" It was a greeting to which we were all accustomed.

The next shop was that of "Webb's Drapery" and next door the boot and shoe shop of Mr Beard, with the ARP post behind with siren controls.

After Sully's Hotel the house on the corner (now Sandrino's) was Doctor Robbs Surgery. Then across the lane to "Lower Reen Stores", just a little field next, until "Riley's Garage", the petrol pumps then and the garage entrance, was opposite the chemists at the roadside, behind the garage and then separate, the coach garage housing "Mays" motor coaches, I think they were Red and Cream.

Around the corner now, towards Budnick; the last ‘Business’ on this side of the road was the caravan and camping site, owned by Miss Joseph, after which the present Joseph’s Court housing development is named. This is quite an extensive site with lots of chalets and static caravans, with tents in the centre during the summer. On the opposite side of the road is Penvenen Caravan and Camping Site, surrounding the old fish cellars and it was only used for storage etc. during the war. Subsequently, it housed the Fire Brigade. The static caravans on Penvenen were made mostly from a variety of converted ancient buses as I recall! The lovely old stone-built house was demolished to make way for the present flats. Mr. Will Tregonning lived in the end house of the little row before the garage. Mr. Tregonning was the custodian of the council sand pit, below the sand hills on the other side of the river, with its entrance by the bridge at the bottom of the hill. Lorries would be loading sand there every day, resulting in a deep bank of hard sand, which of course was a magnet for young boys, either sliding down it or making footholds and climbing up when the lorries were not there. Mr Tregonning would be able to see these ‘goings on’ from his house and would come out shouting and waving his large shovel! Looking back, it was a very dangerous place to play, as there were many ‘sand slips’. I remember one lorry being buried during loading at one time.

Reg. Menadue’s ‘Ponsmere Garage’ made use of another set of old fish cellars. The petrol storage tank covers used to bear the inscription R.O.P. which stood for Russian Oil Products but as boys we put an entirely different meaning to those initials, Russian Os’s Pee! Ponsmere Garage now, alas, has gone to make way for yet more flats. There is quite a gap now, until Mr George Smith’s Electrical Shop, at that time the only one in Perranporth. Around the corner was Libby’s Chemists Shop, then a small paddock before Mr. Tregonning’s Taxi Garage, which I have previously mentioned as being the village Fire Station and is now ‘Shell Shock’.

Next, until Ponsmere Road, there are private houses and gardens. On the corner was King’s Grocery Shop which was taken over in later years as the Electricity Board Shop and is now a café. There are no shops until Mrs Stone’s greengrocery Edwards and and Lyons Cake Shop where Edwards and Son is situated. This shop was then in two halves. The other half was occupied by the first jewellers shop of Mr Gudridge, next to the tobacconist and sweet shop of Mr. and Mrs. Trewartha, next door to the very old established Rippon’s Bakery Shop. The bakery itself of course was where it is now and along with Brewers Transport yard, (now demolished) were the only buildings along the now named ‘Gwithian Way’. Next to the bakery shop, there was Miss Hutchings' ladies clothing shop, then Miss Sampson’s ‘Corner Shop’, with a petrol pump each side of the front door. Harvey Mitchell also sold all manner of motor accessories, oils etc., also for motor cycles. He was also the proprietor of the large complex of lock up garages at Nampara.

That concludes my memories of the shops and businesses that served our village, just before, during and just after the war. Some of course are still trading.

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