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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 shops and businesses, not so many then, I remember well. I shall describe them as best I can as well as some of the characters who ran then. Starting on the Promenade. The Parade Stores, then a greengrocery, beach goods, ice creams and trays of tea for the beach. The proprietors were Mr and Mrs Joe Davey from Trevellas, I think. Also from Trevellas was Mr Fletcher who operated a "country round" towing a large trailer complete with scales etc., with his old car. He left it parked on the steep hill beside Droskyn Castle, the whole lot ran away and went over the cliff. I remember seeing rusty remains among the rocks on the beach in that area, not very long ago. I remember the floating fruit and veg being washed in by the tide. Next in this area, the Beach Tea Rooms, run by Mrs Betty Hicks, next to the Stork Club, facing the sea, a licensed club with with a large garden with a pond and tall, white flagstaff which the American forces used to errect when they flew a large stars and stripes from it.

At the roadside stood Horace Drew's Emporium, a green painted long low galvanised iron building, where Mr and Mrs Drew sold greengrocery and made ice-cream with a little cafe and amusement machines. Horace, a real character was I believe a Londoner, a dapper little man distinctive in flat cap and polished leather leggings. Mrs Drew, remembered for wearing the same fur coat summer and winter! Horace Drew also used to operate a "country round" but he had a horse and wagon: when parked outside his premises, we boys would hide behind the wall at the end of the pavement opposite and toss small pebbles at the poor old horse, causing it to jerk and shake the wagon, much to Horace's chagrin, as he used then to shout and swear at us and chase us off down the road.

The small shop on the corner was Mrs Sloman's china shop. Around the corner in the lane (where the launerette etc. are) stood the off-licence shop and MrWilliamson, closed throughout the war. On the opposite side of the road next to the Men's Institute was Mr Samuel Keast's Ice Cream Shop, dairy and cafe.

Next was Mr Raymond Hill's tailors and drapery store, the Worthington's Ladies Hairdressers and joy of joy, Mr and Mrs Letcher's Toy Shop! Not many toys during the war but neverthelessour young noseswere often pressed against the shop window. Barclays Bank of course completed Beach Road.

I must mention here the building that occupied such a large part of the new car park, parallel to the river and starting by the footbridge. The Western National Omnibus Company used the large flat roofed building as a bus garage. The area between the Men's Institute and the garage was used as the bus terminus. Two sets of very high doors formed the front to enable double decker buses to be garaged. At the rear of the premises (Beach End) was a large "lean to" factory workshop. This being the premises of the Perranporth Spring Company, formed at the outbrak of war by a Mr Ferguson and Mr P V Trewartha. The company employed quite a large staff.

I rememeber watching the springs being ground amid showers of sparks, through the large flap on the car park side. The car park in those days was not paved, but mostly gravel with a grassy area by the Riverside with bushes. The Green with it,s surrounding wall is relatively new, mostly sand and grass and with the Promenade edged with barbed wire in wartime.

Tywarnhayle Square- the heart of Perranporth! Just a rough surface then but host to many military band concerts with our home over the shop a great bandstand.

The Twarnhayle Hotel much the same now, run by Mr Soloman. Then Bert Gilbert's fish and chip shop in the corner. Bert was in the Royal Navy and used to "fire up" the chip range when he was home on leave, a real treat!

Then some wooden railings bordering Mrs Hooper's garden and Bathes "kodak" shop, closed during the war. Next Hooper's boots and shoes, the Mr. Jim Reeves Estate Agents office. Mrs Evans grocery shop was next, a lovely Welsh lady, aunty to John Flanagan, my old friend. She was helped in the shop by Mrs Walters, who had lost a son and her husband in the Royal Navy and whose names appear on the Roll of Honour outside the Memorial Hall. Mr Stanley Evans, a regular RN officer, serving on destroyers, until the latter part of the war, then served at RNAS St Merryn near Padstow until retirement. My dad's greengrocer shop was next door, always seeming busy to me. I recollect looking down upon the heads of the regular queue prior to opening, from the window of our sitting room above. We had an ancient Austin van for the shop and I well remember accompanying Dad to the Aerodrome Cookhouse at Trevellas, where the holiday complex now stands. Grinding slowly up over St George's Hill with a load of potatoes in the old van was a highlight for me, as I always had a custard tart or similar, waiting for me at the cookhouse!

Next door was Strand House newsagents, as it is today, owned by Mrs Winnie Ward. The "Strand" then was the only newsagents in the village and were also booksellers and operated a lending library (3d a book).
Around the corner to Mrs Harwood's wool and embroidery shop the little wooden shop on the corner was also owned by the Harwood family and sold jewellery and gifts and at the time of writing is still operated by Miss K Harwood. I must now mention "Pentrig", (now the Green Parrot). This was a lovely old house standing on its own wooded grounds and lawns, reached by its own private drive from the present car park entrance, with a small back gate and path where the present exit is. Owned by Mr Sollit, he would attempt to chase us boys out of the woods when he could see us, as we regularly used them as a playground.

Next was the very old property of Mr Oscar Browns grocery shop, he also sold some toys I recall. Next, the entrance to another old property, the Poplars Private Hotel, owned by Mr Parsons, demolished now to make way for the Poplars Flats. Next along the road the Palace cinema (more of which later), now recently demolished: behind the cinema was the sanctum of another character, Syd (Thump), Cowlings Cycle Shop. Syd lived in Redruth and drove an ancient Jowett car, which would only just make the steep slope up to his workshop every day. A very quiet man, Syd would work away repairing cycles in the little clearing among (to me) mountains of bits and pieces of old bikes etc.. His "till" was a large grimy cloth bag he kept in his pocket. I can't remember him charging me more than sixpence for anything and if you required change, that could take some time as the bag would be produced and Syd would delve among its contents until the coins were found. I think Syd Cowlings business closed and was subsequently demolished sometime during the late 1950's.

On the corner opposite, where now the Antique Shop is situated, was the grocers shop of Mr Ashard and next to that, a branch of Pearsons Jewellery Shop (Truro), closed during the war.

Now to the end of Perrancombe near St Michaels Church. Mr Ted Langdon had his barbers shop and gents hairdressers in the shop on the end of "La Deliverance" next to the church; this has now been incorporated into the house. Across the road and under the railway bridge, on the site now occupied by the "Bamboo Club" stood the "Rosemary Cafe", surrounded by Tamarisk trees. Doctor Fullers surgery formed part of Trelyn and further down the road was Mr Harold Jones dentist surgery. A very tall, stooped man in his white coat who struck terror into us children upon an impending visit.

Next was the little lock up shop, now Perran Carpets. The studio and gallery of Mr Bingley, a fine local artist whose studies of local seascapes are still prized possessions of old Perran families. Next door stood the double fronted shop (now converted to a house) of Cecil Grime, gentleman's outfitters and next Mr Polgreen (then P J Pearce) chemists shop. Then of course Lloyds Bank, much the same then as now.

Across the bottom of Liskey to a little row of cottages near the newly built air raid shelter, in the garden of which, nearest the road stood the little boot repair shop of Mr White. Next along (now the newsagents) was the dairy and ice cream parlour of Mr Tregilgas, who also had a milk round, with a milk churn mounted on the back of his Morris 8. Previous to this Mr Tregilgas used a pony and trap. Next door was the tobacconists and ladies and gents hairdressers of Mr Gerald Keen.

The building on the opposite corner (now Lower Deck) was I think the offices and stores for the "Munitions Factory", immediately behind. These workshops were quite extensive. The lane, then unpaved, followed the route of the pedestrian way up to Wheal Leisure, turning sharp left where Wheal leisure court stands; the lane then continued following the route of the present road. There was no turning to Liskey Hill; the factory buildings were a row of converted lock up garages with entrances on to the lane and behind at the rear of Cornis's garage. Many local people were employed there. With Mr. Reg Hore as manager, the work as I remember involved machining parts for light machine guns etc. Just at the rear of the factory and bordering the lane there was a stack of large steel girders; we boys would joke that they were left over from building the "Queen Mary"! I have subsequently traced them to being used in the building at the now John Collins Car Centre at Mount Ambrose, Redruth. There they are employed holding up the roof of a ground level workshop, built I understand in the early 50's.

Cornish's Garage next, with its high gabled frontage and petrol pumps facing the road. Another entrance gained from behind the corner block, quite a busy establishment was a second higher level, car storage and showroom with an entrance behind the Munitions Factory. The proprietor, Mr George Cornish, a well known local figure also ran taxis for tours etc..

The "Red House", the meeting point for most excursions from Perranporth with its large glass canopy supported by ornate iron pillars spanning the pavement, was a good shelter during inclement weather. The manager of this large grocery shop was Mr.Jack Reeves. One abiding memory is that of the delicious pervasive small of frsh coffee being roasted. At the rear of the shop was the Red House Bakery. The head baker was Mr Bice. I well remember him walking home to Virginia House, covered from head to toe in white flour. The first floor was occupied by the superbly appointed "Red House Restaurant" open at times during the war. Certainly in 1944, as my sisters wedding reception was held there.

The village post office was much smaller then, with Mr Westcott as postmaster. Mitchells butcher shop next with its sawdust covered floor and little pay kiosk in the centre of the shop.

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