10th December 2020
Mullion Hotels [1]
We will be running a series of posts on 'Mullion Hotels' over the coming weeks, this first post is on the Temperance Hotel.
The Temperance Hotel was in Mullion Square and operated throughout the latter part of the 1800's. The hotel was an important building in Mullion and was run by the Matthews family.
Included in this post are some extracts from the hotel guest book with some beautiful illustrations.
29th November 2020
Guglielmo Marconi in Mullion [6]
Continuing the series on Guglielmo Marconi in Mullion, we thought it could be of interest to add some photos and information regarding some Mullion folk living here at the time of Marconi's arrival. These photos were taken in 1900 .
22nd November 2020
Guglielmo Marconi in Mullion [5]
Continuing this month's series on Guglielmo Marconi in Mullion, a set of pictures showing the progression in aerial style at Poldhu from 1901 - 1902, also included in this set is a picture from the 1912 Radio Telegraphic International Conference held at Poldhu Hotel.
15th November 2020
Guglielmo Marconi in Mullion [4]
Continuing this month's series on Guglielmo Marconi in Mullion, these are some rarely seen pages from George Stephen Kemp's 1901 handwritten diaries.
Kemp was one of the first men to work alongside Marconi and worked as his first assistant for thirty-six years.
Kemp was at Marconi's side for his all of most memorable achievements, including the first ever wireless transmission from Poldhu across the Atlantic Ocean to St. John's, Newfoundland.
11th November 2020
Guglielmo Marconi in Mullion [3]
Continuing this month's series on Guglielmo Marconi in Mullion, here are some more photos as well a number of newspaper articles in relation to his time here.
[Image - ]The first Marconi Company antenna system at its transatlantic radiotelegraphy station at Poldhu, Cornwall, UK. Guglielmo Marconi built this antenna beginning April 1901 to transmit the first transatlantic radio message to Canada. It consisted of 20 thin wooden masts in a circle supporting 200 wires in an inverted cone shape attached to the transmitter building. However on September 17, 1901 the antenna collapsed in a storm. Marconi quickly built a replacement antenna consisting of 54 wires in an inverted pyramid shape supported by 4 sturdy wooden towers. On 12 December 1901 Marconi reported the first transatlantic radio transmission from Poldhu to St. John a distance of 2300 miles.
[Image - ]A view of the four wooden 200ft Marconi towers at Poldhu, built by early 1902, showing the guide wires and signal station buildings. View from across the beach at Poldhu. The earlier two-masted tower installation, which was used by Guglielmo Marconi to transmit the first transatlantic radio message on 12th December 1901, was damaged by storms.
6th November 2020
Guglielmo Marconi in Mullion [2]
Following on from the post earlier in the week on Guglielmo Marconi's time in Mullion, these are photos of the royal visit to Poldhu by the Prince and Princess of Wales on July 18th 1903. The royal visit provided significant publicity for the Marconi Company and highlighted the benefits of wireless to the wider public. It was reported that the Prince ascended to the top of one of the towers in a boson’s chair hauled up by ropes pulled by Marconi employees.
1st November 2020
Guglielmo Marconi in Mullion [1]
Marconi made Poldhu famous when he transmitted the first transatlantic radio message from here to Newfoundland on 12th December 1901, a distance of 2100 miles.
The photos attached are of Marconi with his faithful assistant George Kemp taken during their time at Poldhu and the Lizard, included are photos of his technical staff and engineers (including a number of Mullion residents) and newspaper articles from 1901.
Mullion resident Melita George (nee Matthews) born 1891 made the following notes about Marconi's visits to Mullion:
“There was a happening which really put Mullion on the World Map – it was Marconi coming to Poldhu. He had visited two places which he thought would be a likely site. One was the Needles, the other was The Lizard. However, it was the clarity of the atmosphere that made him decide on Poldhu, and from then on, Mullion was changed from a sleepy village to a hive of industry. The comings of men from all the villages around, and the horses and waggons with the tremendously long poles, all made a difference to the village life. They first built huts for experimental purposes, and when the engineers came, they were billeted in the village for some time. My parents had a good sized house, but no electricity or piped water, so it wasn’t funny having three young men planted on us, but it was nice seeing young men that were neither farmers or fishermen. We saw a lot of Mr Marconi and the engineers, until the five bungalows were built at Angrouse, and a long wooden building in the field. These gave all the engineers comfortable homes, and our lives went back to normal.” - From Mellita George's handwritten notes taken in 1972.
We will be adding further posts on Marconi's work at Poldhu on the Facebook page over the coming days, including George Kemp's handwritten diaries as well as photos and local handwritten accounts of the 1903 royal visit to Poldhu.
16th October 2020
Continuing our series for October of oral history recordings of Stanley Tonkin. In this recording Stanley speaks about the 'Mullion Song', reciting a number of verses and at one part in song. The photo is from the 1950's, taken in 'the square. There are likely to be some of the Mullion characters that he wrote and sung about in this picture.
This is one of a series of oral history recordings of the late Stanley Tonkin in which he shares his memories and knowledge of Mullion over the years, the recordings were taken in October 1996 when Stanley was 87 years old. The photo is from the 1950's taken in 'the square'.
7th October 2020
The image is a 1907 map of Mullion, illustrating the village that Stanley describes and the significant development that took place throughout his lifetime.
Mullion's Development over last 100 years - Stanley Tonkin - Mullion Old Cornwall Society
3rd October 2020
Continuing our series for October, in this recording Stanley Tonkin speaks about life at Mullion Cove over the last c.100 years.
Check out the YouTube vodcast
Memories of Mullion Cove - Stanley Tonkin - Mullion Old Cornwall Society
This is one of a series of oral history recordings of the late Stanley Tonkin in which he shares his memories and knowledge of Mullion over the years, the recordings were taken in October 1996 when Stanley was 87 years old.
1st October 2020
Throughout October we will be posting audio recordings of the late Stanley Tonkin in which he shares his memories and passed on knowledge of Mullion and its history, the recordings were taken in October 1996 when Stanley was 87 years old.
Over the month we will share clips of Stanley speaking about the cove, the mills, the pubs, shops, hotels, fishing, wells, transport, mining and a number of Stanley's verses from his 'Mullion song'.
Stanley Tonkin was respected and much loved by the people of Mullion. It is wonderful that we are now able to share Stanley's memories and knowledge of Mullion history with a new audience across the internet.
We begin our series on Stanley Tonkin with him speaking on smuggling and wrecks in Mullion.
Smuggling and Wrecks - Stanley Tonkin - Mullion Old Cornwall Society
This is one of a series of oral history recordings of the late Stanley Tonkin in which he shares his memories and knowledge of Mullion over the years, the recordings were taken in October 1996 when Stanley was 87 years old. The image is of Henry (Bobo) George, Stanley's grandfather - often described as the last smuggler in the West of Cornwall and as the 'king of smugglers'.
28th September 2020
Some more of Rev. Edmund George Harvey's sketches reflecting Mullion c150 years ago. Recognise any of the locations?
23rd September 2020
Continuing our series for September on Rev. Edmund George Harvey reflecting Mullion c150 years ago, this is the hand written diary account of the 'Fatal Accident to a Mullyon Fishing Boat', written for Number 43 of The Mullyon Gull, 1st May 1872 and also included within the 'Mullyon' book (below).
The two photos are of the 'Daniel Draper Lifeboat (Rev. Harvey is the man wearing big top hat on the far right), the other photo is of William Mundy, the 'brave and experienced ' coxwain of the lifeboat who drowned in the accident. Harvey records in his diary that William Mundy was 'respected by all with whom he came in contact with'.
19th September 2020
Following on with our September series on Edmund George Harvery reflecting Mullion c150 years, attached are a few more sketches taken from his monthly diary 'The Mullyon Gull' from 1874 -1875. Can you identify where they're of?
12th September 2020
Continuing our September series on Edmund George Harvey reflecting Mullion c.150 years ago, here are two of his sketch views of the commons area from 1874.
The photos are of the commons before the housing developments, which took place from 1960's onwards. The B&W photos have been colourised to give a better impression of the area.
8th September 2020
Continuing our series for September on Edmund George Harvey, reflecting Mullion c.150 years ago - here are his handwritten accounts of wrecks off the Mullion coast.
Harvey's 'Mullyon' book has five chapters giving detailed narratives of shipwrecks on the Mullion coast including the 'Jonkheer' (photo of painting of wreck by F.C. Jackson below), from which only one person was managed to be saved - 24 drowned and 15 buried in Mullion churchyard.
Included below also is the content from two important letters sent by Harvey to the Western Morning News and West Briton in regard to the shipwrecks in Mullion.
4th September 2020
Continuing our series on Rev. Edmund George Harvey reflecting Mullion 150 years ago is his sketch of Mullion Cove from 1874 with the mill on the left.
There is also a painting by Nicholas Matthew Condy (1816 – 1851). showing Mullion Cove with the third mill and sales notices for the mills in 1820 and 1846 when there were three grist mills at the cove.
1st September 2020
We are running a series throughout September on Rev. Edmund George Harvey, reflecting Mullion 150 years ago. This will include his pencil sketches of local scenes and extracts from his book and personal diaries including handwritten narratives of local shipwrecks.
Edmund George Harvey was born on 20th February 1828, in Penzance and was vicar of Mullyon from 1865 until his death in 1884. He served Mullion and Cornwall well by compiling his erudite survey of our parish entitled 'Mullyon' published in 1875. Much information contained in the 'Mullyon' book, and his diaries, would have been lost without his detailed endeavours. His survey also included the use of the Cornish language within and around the parish.
The first sketch in the series (below), is of Predannack/Pradnack cross. If you look closely you can see an engine house on the extreme left, just above the hedge. There were a number of abandoned mines in Mullion, many being amalgamated as part of the Wheal Unity Sett 1724 - 1860, they Mined for copper. Included are some historic press cuttings related to Pradnack.
5th June 2020
"A few in this neighbourhood (Mullion), it seems, having a little more light than others, scrupled to visit a wreck that came on shore last winter, on a Lord's day, lest it should be breaking the Sabbath; but they gathered all their implements into a public house, and waited until the clock struck twelve - at midnight, therefore they rushed forth, all checks of conscience being removed. Imagine to yourself, 500 little children in a parish, brought up every winter in this way, and encouraged, both by precept and example, to pursue this horrid system" - Quote from an 1817 published work of Rev G.C. Smith who lived in Penzance taken from 'The Gull Book' Mullyon and its History, Scenery and Antiquities by E.G. Harvey.
