Domesday Book entry relating to Alverton
Last updated 12th March 2010
This is an 'in progress' historical project on the Alverton area, west of Penzance, Cornwall.
It is my intention to expand this webpage to include more illustrations and to provide more historical detail.
Has anyone got any information and/or images of Alverton to share?
- Paul Mason can be contacted at buryanpaul@yahoo.com
Alverton: West of Penzance,
(along the Alverton Road)
by Paul Mason
Ancient History
"At Tredarvah (Alverton) a Bronze Age (c.3500-1200 BC) settlement of unknown form was discovered under salvage conditions in 1963. There were no structures found, only pottery, bronzes and domestic debris including a large saddle quern. Both pottery and bronze are Middle Bronze Age (MBA c.2000-1600 BC), but as they cannot be shown to belong to the same stratigraphic layer they cannot be said to be associated together. Tredarvah appears to be a domestic site which was occupied with no observable break from the later part of the Early Bronze Age (EBA c.3500-2000 BC) through to at least the Middle Bronze Age. Bronzes and slag suggest that the metal working was carried out at the site." (ref: Cornwall Archaeology 16 - SW 464 303)
'The material from Tredarvah (published in Cornish Archaeology Vol. 16) was excavated in 1963. It consists of a metalwork hoard (palstave, spearhead, knife blades, whetstone, decorative pins, two bronze balls and a lump of goethite) and two boxes of other finds (consisting of a large quantity of pottery and a saddle quern). If you want a detailed description of the excavation and the above finds then the best report to read is in Cornish Archaeology Vol. 16 (pp. 25-41), but the site has also been published in Cornish Archaeology Vol. 3 (p. 85) and the metalwork in Pearce, S. 1983. The Bronze Age Metalwork of South Western Britain . British Archaeological Report (BAR) British Series Vol. 120 (ii), Ref. 120b. The metalwork and the saddle quern are on display in the [Truro] museum and the remaining finds can be viewed upon request.' - Laura Pooley, Curatorial Assistant (Archaeology), Royal Institution of Cornwall
"The only record we have for prehistory in the area (of Alverton) is an Iron Age (700 BC to 43 AD) round at Mount Misery." - John Smith, Senior Archaeologist of Cornwall Archaeology Unit
Alverton Manor
The origins of the name Alverton seem to date back before Domesday, to a Saxon lord called Alward who died at the Battle of Hastings. The word 'ton' is said to be Saxon for 'manor', thus 'Alwarton' was 'Alward's Ton' or 'Alward's Manor'.
In 1086 the following entry was included in the Domesday Book:-
Domesday Book entry relating to Alverton
"The Count has manor which is called Alwarton which Alward held T.R.E. (Tempora Regis Edwardi; in the time of King Edward the Confessor) Therein are 3 hides of land, and they rendered yeld for 2 hides. Sixty teams can plough these. Thereof the Count has in demesne half a hide and 3 ploughs and the villeins have 2½ hides and 12 ploughs. There the Count has 35 villeins and 2 bordars and 11 serfs and 1 rouncey and 17 unbroken mares and 9 beasts and 4 swine and 100 sheep and 3 acres of meadow and of pasture 2 leagues in length and in breadth. And it renders £20 yearly and when the Count received it, it was worth £8."
Apparently "The Count" was Robert, Count of Mortain, (William the Conqueror's half-brother) who was given the land taken from Alward. Additionally, Count Robert owned a great deal more land in Cornwall and appears to have been a very powerful Norman Lord.
Lords of Alverton Manor
From 1095 to 1230 Alverton was owned by the Earl of Cornwall, after which Henry Le Tyes became Lord Alverton. Alverton stayed in the Le Tyes family until 1322 when the then Lord of the manor took part in a revolt against the king, Edward II, and was executed. In 1327 Alverton passed to Le Tyes' sister Alice Lisle. By 1466 Alverton had fallen into the hands of King Henry VIII. In 1611 George Whitmore bought the title and sold it to his father-in-law Richard Daniell in 1614. In 1635 Alexander Daniell became Lord Alverton after which the title then passed to Richard Daniell (1649) but by 1663 ownership of Alverton had changed hands again and was in the hands of William Keigwin whose family held Alverton until 1716 when Uriah Tonkin took up the title. In fact the Tonkin family then held on to the title of Alverton for a very long time, for almost two and a half centuries.
When Robert Edmund Tonkin died in October 1935, John Franklin Tonkin his sole heir acquired the Lord of the Manors of St. Buryan and Alverton, until in 1960 he died in New Zealand and left the Lords of the Manors of St. Buryan and Alverton to Gillian Green, his Daughter. Gillian Green held these to her Death in 2004 when the title of The Lord of the Manor of Alverton was passed onto Sue Bedford (Gillian's Daughter) and Tom Bedford (Sue Bedford's son). In 2005 Sue Bedford passed away and passed the title onto Fleur Carpenter (her daughter).
Location of Alverton
It is difficult to say with certainty the precise boundaries of Alverton, but it not unlikely that all properties in Alverton Road have at one time or another been considered to be a part of Alverton.
Alverne House in town was built by the Pascoe family in 1754
Alphington House and The Weeths in Alverton Place both built about 1830
Horse-drawn charabanc parked in Alverton Road outside Alphington House, adjacent to Weeth Cottages.
In top left corner of photograph is sign advertising Riviera Palace Hotel
Alverton School For Girls (now Alphington House Register Office)
Cornishman and Cornish Telegraph 15th May 1918
.........
The first buildings to be seen on the road outside of Penzance are, on the left are:-
Alverne Hill
Henry Boase b 3 Jun 1763. d 8 Apr 1827 retired from banking in London 1809. Came to Penzance and built Alverne Hill c1810. Very quickly joined in local banking. Alverne Hill passed to the Jago family. Alverne Hill, once a residence of a William Bolitho the banker.
Courtney in 'Half a Century of Penzance (1825-1875)' from notes by J. S. Courtney; Beare & Son, Penzance: 1878 suggested that ... "Herbier House, Bellair House, Alverne Hill, and Alverton Vean. were all built from 1812-1823 mostly before 1820."
"The cottage, now West Lodge, has been built long since 1825, likewise
Trevear and some other houses on the north side. Alverton Vean was
built by Mr. T. F. Barham, whose father for many years resided at
Leskinnick."
West Lodge
Alverton Manor - formerly Alverton Vean built about 1840 (later renamed Alverton Manor sometime after 1893, that is to say that this is Alverton Manor in name only). Until recently the building was occupied by Walker Moyle solicitors. However, there has recently been redevelopment, with the main house now being turned over to residential units and an additional building being erected in the garden space for use by the solicitors, with access from Trewithen Road.
The back garden of Alverton Manor
Nearby is an old well that evidently used to serve the area, that still survives to this day..
The Old Well
On the right of Alverton Road, behind the grand ornate balustrade stands Polwithen Lodge, built to serve nearby Polwithen House.
A photograph of Polwithen Lodge on Alverton Road
Photo taken 1897 by Gibson & Sons of Market Jew Street, Penzance.
Published in 'Views and Reviews - Special Edition - Penzance' 1897, p15
Polwithen Lodge after the sale of Polwithen House, before the construction of houses in Kings Road
Image copied from Polwithen Estate sales material which contains various views of and from Polwithen
The Bolithos had long been in the tin mining business, and as money was advanced to miners to be repaid in tin it was natural they should also become commercial bankers. Back in 1807 Thomas and William Bolitho started The Mounts Bay Commercial Bank from their count-house at the Chyandour Smelting House.
William Bolitho, seated in carriage outside his home, Polwithen House, Alverton, Penzance. Cornwall
[Courtesy Ken Jaggard, Bolitho School]
NB This might well be the only photograph of banker William Bolitho on the internet?
Polwithen House - built in 1870 for the well-known banker William Bolitho, but it seems that he is not able to enjoy the appearance of the grand wooded estate, which stretches for some distance along the Alverton Road, for according to the census of 1891 William Bolitho is blind. The census describes him as a retired Bauxite & Tin Smelter living with his wife Mary, several of his children and a large compliment of staff. Interestingly, an underground tunnel has been discovered leading off the cellar under Polwithen Lodge that appears to head straight for Polwithen House! One wonders what role it once played in the commercial and domestic life of the Bolitho family?
Reproduced from 1875-6 OS (1890 revision published 1895) Ordnance Survey Map - for information only
Alverton Weeth Fields
Prior to the 19th Century the land to the West of Penzance was mainly open countryside with just a few cottages and farms to be seen along the lane out of Penzance and Alverton. The land on the North side of Alverton Road was referred to as Alvern-weith. These 'Weith' or 'Weeth' fields changed hands from time to time, and in a record of 1839 it states that; 'Another part of Lariggan, consisting of fields called the Weeths, measuring nearly 5 statute acres, was sold in 1781 for £483., and was again sold in 1824' - 'A Statistical Account of the Parish of Madron, Containing the Borough of Penzance, in Cornwall', Richard Edmonds - Journal of the Statistical Society of London, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Jul., 1839), pp. 198-233 doi:10.2307/2337707 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0959-5341(183907)2%3A4%3C198%3AASAOTP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q
.In 1842 the Weeth fields are elsewhere recorded as being called the Alverton Weeths (on Tithe Map apportionment?). It has been suggested that 'Weeth' might well mean willow, and willows were used in the local production of basketwork. Both Polwithen and Trewithen contain the word 'withe'.
Hawke's Farm
Along from Polwithen Lodge, on the South side of the road is the old thatched cottage, known at Hawke's Farm, opposite which is the ramped roadway access to the Weeth fields.
Hawkes Farm, Alverton Road c1902
opposite the farm can be seen the ramp to the gated entrance of the
access road providing vehicular access to the back of Greenbank
& to several Edwardian houses,
[from collection of Colin Ward]
Hawkes Farm, Alverton Road c1902
[photo included in Mate's Illustrated Penzance c1902]
In 1878 some notes made by J S Courtney were published in which he mentions the thatched cottage alternately known as Hawke's Cottage and Hawke's Farm:-
' Hawke's cottage, tradition says, was once the home of Admiral Pellew (Lord Exmouth).
'When Samuel Pellew died in 1765, Constance Pellew moved back to Penzance, with her children. They lived at Hawkes Farm, Alverton; one of two thatched cottages that remain in Penzance to this day. The house was owned by her mother.'
In 'Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall - Ist Series' by William Bottrell, 1870, on pages 159-161, he tells:-
'We have a view of an old cottage which ought to be regarded with much interest, as it was the home of Pellew (Admiral Lord Exmouth) during his boyish days. Here he lived with his aged grandmother, Madam Woodhouse, until he left to commence his career of usefulness and glory that added much to the renown of the British nation. I have heard many anecdotes of the hero's boyish days from an old lady in the west country (the daughter of a gentleman farmer of Sennen), who when a girl in her teens, was sent to Penzance to reside with her uncle and aunt, that she might a attend a better school than was to be found in the country. At this time boys and girls often went to the same school until they were much older than it would be considered decorous for them to remain together in these thin-skinned, fastidious times.
Young Pellew went to the same school as the girl from the Land's-end, who, being two or three years older than the boy, called for him at his grandmother's house (the old thatched cottage near the Alverton entrance to Fox's gardens); but the country girl always had a hard task to get him to school, and often, in spite of all she could do, and the threats of the old lady's cane, young Pellew would take off to the Quay, whither the girl had to follow, as, if she was known to have let him escape, she would get a sound thrashing from her own aunt, who was a great friend of the boy's grandmother and paid the same attention to Edward Pellew as to her own children. As soon as they reached the pier he would spring into the first boat he found afloat, cast off the painter, and away to sea, without staying to notice if there were oars in the boat or not. His companion and guardian in petticoats would remain on the battery rocks, or pier, with her knitting or needlework, that she might signal to Pellew when it was time for him to come in, to return home to dinner. Often the fishermen and sailors at the quay, who all loved the daring boy and kept a watch over him, would go out in another boat and help him to come ashore in time to save his bacon; sometimes one or other, or both, of the old ladies would find out the truants, come down to the quay after them, and beat them both home to Alverton-lane, where Pellew would take refuge with old Mr. Boase, who always took the boy's part, as well as that of his niece (the west country girl) in spite of all the old ladies and the schoolmaster might say. To make amends for the beatings the Sennen girl got for letting Edward Pellew escape from school (which she liked to do very well herself now and then), and for doing his sums for him (whilst he occupied himself in making boats and ship's gearing under the desk), he would often drive her uncles's cows from the Weeths (the ground that is now Mr. Bolitho's lawn) down to Alverton to water, or bring them home to their yard in Alverton-lane to be milked of an evening. As he was soon taught to be a famous boxer by his friends the sailors of the quay, who would always have him with them if they could, he wanted to put his science in practice by thrashing any boy double his size, if they happened to offend his protectress, who, when fourscore years of age, has often shown me a lot of trifles Pellew sent home to his grandmother for his old schoolmate; among other things a variety of perforated foreign coins, such as sailors like to suspend from their watch chains, a pair of lady's silver shoe-buckles, &c.
When Pellew went to sea the old lady his grandmother used often to say, "If I could live to see my Teddy made a captain I would die contented." The old lady lived long enough to see him knighted, and I think made an admiral, before she died.
It is said that Pellew only once ran from the foe, and that was a woman. The story goes that when home on a furlough, one day he and his comrade "did a shooting go." They passed up Pulgoon lane, and when they came in the rear of the cottge in Castle Horneck avenue, which was then inhabited by two elderly spinsters, Pellew or his mate, for a bit of fun, fired a few shots through the latticed window of the spence, and made the old maidens' pewter platters ring. Away the lads scampered, as fast as they could run. They had scarcely passed the stile in Polgoon lane, when they heard and saw a long-legged raw-boned dame coming after them full chase, with the fire-hook in one hand and her hat in the other. Then it was a race for dear life. Away they went at a slapping pace, as fast as they could fly. Up in Lesingey the old dame dropped her hat and stopped a moment to tuck her skirts under her apron-strings. Leaving hat and hook on the road, away she flew for a new chase, and gained so much on the sailor that he had to drop his heavy musket in Polteggan lane, and just turned the corner in Madron churchtown to take the other road back to Penzance, when the old maid was nearly up with him; but when he turned the hill, and the dame saw him going down the lane like a hare, she turned tail and gave up the chase. On her way back she gathered up the spoil abandoned by the retreating foe, as well as her own arms and clothing, dropped in the heat of the chase.
How Sir Edward Pellew would have none, or few, but Cornishmen for his crew; how the Mount's-bay and St. Just men would volunteer for him, when the press-gang (who wanted men, and the devil a man could they get for other ships but his) were beaten out of Mousehole by the women, led on by Ann St. Doyd (Ann's right name was Pentreath), armed with the red-hot poker, is well known.
As every incident of his life, after he went to sea, became matter of history, we cannot claim any more of his life as belonging exclusively to Penzance.
The Western Approach to Penzance (Alverton Lane)
From the house in which Admiral Lord Exmouth passed his boyish days, there was a pleasant footpath, long after that time, through the fields to Alverton, seperated from the lane by a high hedge and shady trees; and the lane itself, from the Ellis's mansion (or the site of the "Western" Hotel) to the seat of the Daniels in Alverton (or probably the Jenkins at this time), was like a bower all the way, with the overhanging trees, except a good strip of green extending from Buriton House down almost to the pathway leading to Alverton well. On this green the fair was formerly held; - it has but recently been removed to a field. All the highroads at this time were pleasant green lanes. There was no such thing as a cart west of Penzance."
In all probability Edward Pellew lived at Hawke's Farm from 1765 when he was eight until the age of thirteen, when he is said to have run away from grammar school in Truro in order to go to sea. It is said that not long after he deserted, due to unfair treatment meted out to another midshipman. Notwithstanding this shakey start, Edward Pellew went on to become a lieutenant and then a captain before distinguishing himself sufficiently to be knighted by King George III at St. James' in 1793.
http://www.gracegalleries.com/Shipwrecks.htm
Sir Pellew is said to have saved the crew of the Dutton East Indiaman at Plymouth on 26th January 1796. In 1815 Pellew is awarded the G.C.B., the Knight's Grand Cross.
Viscount Exmouth, Admiral Edward Pellew 1757- 1833
According to Raymond Forward of Alverton:-
'One of the great sons of Penzance was Lord Exmouth - Edward Pellew.'
Further information:- http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~treevecwll/exmouth.htm
Another seafarer lived at the house next door to Hawke's Farm Cottage, as J S Courtney mentions:-
'Captain Coffin built Alverton Cottage, and on this account it was called by the Rev. C. V. Le Grice "Sepulchre Hall." In it have lived a Mr. Collins, an artist, and for many years Mrs. William Peel, who took great pleasure in her garden, and introduced into it many foreign shrubs not usually grown in England in the open air.' In 1864 a Mrs Clutterbuck lives at Alverton Cottage.
Susannah Allen (sister of John Allen, Military Knight of Windsor) lived for many years in Penzance, she died in The Cottage, Alverton. 22 Jan 1858 Age 80. Her husband was William Peel, 4th son of William Peel of Peel Fold, Lancaster.
The Orchard (currently the YMCA) 'The Orchard was erected by Mr. Sam John, solicitor.' Samuel JOHN born 2 Sep 1773, son of William John of Penzance. Became solicitor with his brother George, 1812. Samuel John built The Orchard 1815-1820; Samuel John left Penzance 29 Aug 1829 to Paris where he died. George John was Town Clerk, Mayor 1812 and 1818, Lived at Rosemorran (Gulval).
John Richards resident 1837
John Trevelyan was resident at The Orchard 1843.
Samuel Higgs, Mayor of Penzance, resident 1853
Thomas Dark resident 1856
The 1864 Coulson's Directory of Penzance records the occupant of The Orchard as being a Thomas H B Fellowes esquire, RN Inspecting Commander, Coast Guard.
According to Kelly's of 1893 The Orchard had a Mrs White living there.
In the 1950's The Orchard was an upmarket Bed & Breakfast establishment run by Mrs D S Pott..
Since 1961 The Orchard has been owned by the YMCA.
'Alverton House, built about two hundred years ago, has undergone many alterations and enlargements.' (There is a stone embedded in the front of Alverton House displaying a date of 1674. Coulson's has a Mr Charles Edmondes, lodging-house keeper here in 1864.)
William Peel of Peel Fold, b 1745; eldest son Thomas Peel lived in Penzance and Trenant Park (Cornwall). William Peel lived at Alverton House, Penzance. died 1843.
'These three last houses are on the of the Hawkin's family. Between the gardens of the Orchard and Alverton House was for many years a woollen cloth manufactory. but this gradually died away, and finally came to an end in 1830.'
'Alverton on the right, after passing the houses, has been much changed; there was a field, not separated from the road by any hedge, commencing where Polwithen Lodge now stands, and then came a narrow pathway with trees on both sides, ending near Alverton House, at the town boundary, in a picturesque stile. This pathway was much higher than the present terrace.'
'Luke Rowes Cottage'
[from collection of Patricia Hutchins]
'After some time it was cut down and the road widened, but this did not happen until I had been in Penzance many years; in fact the road was not much wanted, as the carriage traffic was very little, and the copper ores, etc., from St. Just, were brought to town for shipment on mules' backs. Hichens, of Lanyon, kept a large number of mules for that purpose.'
Luke Rowe's cottage, with newly-built boundary wall. c1902
Tinted picture postcard of 'Old Cottage, Alverton, Penzance', 1908 Frith's No.59460
[from collection of Colin Ward]
Tredarvah Farm Cottage, thought to have once been a tollhouse, is believed to date back at least to the late 18th Century, and even in those days the building had running water, ducted to the kitchen from a nearby spring. To the rear of the property is St Nicholas's field, which is said to have been the site of a holy well. Until the latter part of the 19th Century the cottage appears to have abutted onto a substantial amount of cultivated land which was eventually sold off to form the Tredarvah Estate, upon which Tredarvah House now stands. A thatched cottage immediately across the road from Alverton House became a casualty of this redevelopment.
View towards Penzance from where auction rooms are now sited
Note long since demolished cottages on the left along Alverton Lane
Photograph appears to be by Gibson.
There is a beautiful and very colourful painting by a teenage J T Blight (1835-1911) in storage at Penlee House, Penzance, depicting the curious custom of 'beating the bounds' of Penzance. A collection of people are seen congregated about the boundary stone just opposite to Alverton Lodge. Incidentally, this appears to be the same J T Blight FSA (FSA=Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries) who later wrote 'A Week at Land's End', published 1861, who also made his mark as both archaeologist and as an artist.
"Beating the Borough Bounds" at Alverton - oil painting by J T Blight, 1853
'This depicts Mayor Samuel Higgs 'Renewing the Borough Bounds' at Alverton Bound-Stone, Penzance in 1853.'
(Artist is facing towards Penzance, boundary stone is to the left, and
to the right, The Orchard, residence of Mayor Samuel Higgs, & now
the YMCA.)
The pathway near the thatched cottage, on the North side of Alverton Road used to lead off towards Madron, to the farms of Rosehill and Roscadgill.
According back at the 1906 OS map the land over the road from Tredarvah Farm, on the East side of the river Lariggan, is designated as "Fellmonger & Yard" (a fellmonger is one who deals in 'fells' or pelts - who separates the wool from sheepskins). Local lore has it that beyond the Lariggan lay a tanning works in what is now the car park of The Pirate Inn. 'The Pirate' itself dates back to the 17th century when it was built as a farmhouse. There is a stone on the front wall yielding a date of 1674 and some initials, there is also another stone dated 1701 with different initials. In those days there were other farm buildings here too, all belonging to Alverton Farm and clustered around the East side of the top of Love Lane. An entry in Coulson's Directory of Penzance of 1864 records that Richard Hawke, a miller, lived here. The farmhouse was turned into a public house in 1955, apparently in order to serve the local residents.
A short walk down Love Lane and another old cottage can be found to East side of the lane, with a date stone of 1675.
1844 Promenade constructed.
1865 Alexandra Road constructed
1879 Morrab Road, Hawkins Road & Trewithen Road constructed
Greenbank
In the late 19th Century, Bolitho Bank and Penzance Bank (formerly known as Messrs. Batten, Carne and Carne) are two of the largest British banking concerns. On 30th November 1895, at the age of 80 years old, William Bolitho the well-known banker dies. The tin industry has fallen into decline. The Penzance Bank ceases trading and is wound up in 1897.
In December 1898, the new owner of "Weeth" field, Thomas Rodda (pork butcher) and a local speculative builder, Edward Pidwell, together make leasehold agreements for the sale of the plots of land and the erection of a terrace of houses to be known as Greenbank.
The row of terraced houses known as Greenbank, on Alverton Road, West of Penzance, was being erected at the end of the 19th Century on an area of land previously known at the Weeth field (opposite to Alverton Cottage and Orchard). The 1875-6 edition of the Ordnance Survey (OS) shows the "Weeth" fields as being numbered No.1698 & 1694.
Polwithen House for sale
William Bolitho's widow Mary Hitchins Bolitho (née Yonge) outlives her husband by 6 or 7 years, and dies in 1902. Polwithen House, Polwithen Lodge and all the surrounding land are put up for sale.
In 1905 Messrs. Bolitho & Co Ltd, Consolidated Bank of Cornwall is taken over by Barclays Bank (it has been suggested that the Bolithos were actually the founders of the world famous Barclays Bank). Bolitho Estate is aquired by Clements Inn Safe Deposit and Contract Company who proceed to sell off about eighty plots of land on the Eastern Weeth field. Polwithen Lodge is sold off too and gradually the area is developed. New roadways are built - Kings Road, Polwithen Road and Clements Road.
Polwithen House re-opens as the Riviera Palace Hotel and is first licensed in February 1906. Two years later, in 1908, architect Henry Maddern builds an extension onto the property.
Polwithen House as the Riviera Palace Hotel c1910
Tinted picture postcard of Riviera Palace Hotel c1910
Reproduced from 1906 Ordnance Survey Map - for information only
View up Alexandra Road towards Alverton Road
[photo included in Mate's Illustrated Penzance c1902]
View up Alexandra Road towards Alverton Road, 1908
[Frith's, No.61230A]
According to the OS map there is a drinking fountain at the top of Alexandra Road situated just a few yards east of Greenbank, (where now is the wooden bench across the road from Alverne Hay. Some may remember Alverne Hay as a hotel, where it is rumoured The Beatles once stayed.
Alverne Hay
Illustration from advertisement in 'Penzance on the Cornish Riviera' booklet, 1968, p41
Westcliffe, Foys, Mont Alverne and Sycamores are built circa 1908 and sold as Freehold properties. Both Westcliffe and Foys (c1907) deploy the architectural skills of Henry Maddern, whilst Sycamores is designed by Oliver Caldwell for Jabez Bunt.
In 1912 architect Henry Maddern builds The Telegraph Office (later to be known as Alverton Court) on the plot of land between Polwithen Lodge and the Sycamores.
1940 revised OS Map showing undeveloped area of Clements Road, see pathway from school to Alverton Road
1946 ariel photograph showing Clements Road area, with Greenbank and Weeth Field to left
1967 OS map of Greenbank and surrounding area after redevelopent of Weeth Field
- for information only
To the West of Greenbank lie the remains of a narrow lane that used to lead through to back (tradesmen's entrance) of Polwithen House and to York House. York House was known as the 'the Vatican' since it was built for a Mr. Pope. York House is now part of Penwith District Council's administrative headquarters. From here one could also walk to Roscadgill and Nancalverne.
Girls Boarding School
Towards the end of World War I, in 1917, the Riviera Palace Hotel closed.
The Bolitho School
Riviera Palace Hotel becomes a Church of England High School for Girls. Later, in 1928, on joining the Woodward Corporation, it becomes the School of St Clare. In 1924 Rosamunde Pilcher was born in Lelant, a former pupil she used her recollections of life at the boarding school in her televised novel 'Coming Home', starring Peter O'Toole and Joanna Lumley. More recently the school has become co-educational, so in 1997 it changed its name to The Bolitho School.
Back in Rosamunde Pilcher's childhood in the 1930's redevelopment had already occurred in the area we now know as Kings Road and Clements Road but the area of Tredarvah Road was still open country. Rosamunde would probably have sometimes trodden the back path from the main house between the fields, down to the Alverton Road just beyond Greenbank. A former occupant of Greenbank Mrs Amber Cannon vividly remembers the field to the back of her house then, when anemones grew here and chrysanthemums too.
Taking the lane North of Tredarvah Farm, alongside the babbling Lariggan River one passes to Alverton Lodge before arriving at Polgoon Farm. The road then climbs steeply up to the early Georgian manor house of Castle Horneck. Built in the late 18th century it was home to the Levelis and to the Borlase families.
'The Descent. Name and Arms of Borlase of Borlase in the County of Cornwall', Borlase. W.C., 1888, might be of interest to anyone investigating the Borlase connection.
By the mid 20th century the once grand house was being used by a local farmer to store potatoes and was purchased by the YHA, the Youth Hostel Association in order to provide temporary accommodation for visitors from all over the world.
Nearby to Castle Horneck, a little farther over to the North-west is Rosehill, once the home of 'merchant and former High Sheriff of Cornwall, Richard Oxnam. He got into great financial troubles and at the suit of George John, solicitor, Oxnan was sent to prison for many years. He died in Penzance in 1844.'
Above Castle Horneck lies Lesingey Round, an ancient lookout post with fantastic views of the surrounding countryside and Mount's Bay.
Modern housing west of Lariggan Bridge was started 1949 & completed 1953, whereas Penalverne Estate, in town, had been built back in 1931.
Additional information:-
Coulson's Directory of Penzance - 1864
http://west-penwith.org.uk/coulson1.htm
Half a Century of Penzance (1825-1875)
http://west-penwith.org.uk/pz1.htm
http://west-penwith.org.uk/pz2.htm
http://west-penwith.org.uk/pz3.htm
http://west-penwith.org.uk/pz4.htm
http://west-penwith.org.uk/pz5.htm
'The History of the Town and Borough of Penzance' by P. A. S. Pool, The Corporation of Penzance,
Cornwall Guide: A History of Penzance
http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/Penzance/history.htm
Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Vol. 1 by William Bottrell
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/swc1/index.htm