Redruth, my birth place

I have always been proud to be Cornish by birth, even though my allegiance these days belongs much more to Scotland. Today was a special day with the opportunity to visit my place of birth and the house we lived in for the first few months of my life. Of course I remember very little of this since we left just short of six months after my birth. The residual memory that I have relates to the dog that joined us in Redruth – Friday – but more of him in a later post.

Redruth hospital when derelict. It had various names over the years, being the Miners Hospital for many, before Women were added and eventually becoming the General Hospital.

The hospital as it is today – a mixture of offices and flats I think

Some detail, I guess I came out of this doorway once.

I also got a chance to visit Carn View, the house that we lived in while in Cornwall. It is now lived in by Helen and Alan, who have been there for 16 years. The earliest pictures of me are less than a month after I was born and were taken in the back garden of Carn View. The garden (and hedges) have now gone to be replaced by some aviaries and concrete. Helen and Alan were kind enough to host me for an hour or so and provide Sweaty) me with a cup of tea and a water refill. Some details of the house have not changed.

Mum and myself at Christmas 1955 in the garden at Carn View. I am not sure that Dad had got the hang of the focus!

Carn View then… note the field at the end of the road

Carn View now – the bungalow next door has had its roof removed and there is planning permission being sought for two large blocks with multiple flats. A new house is visible in the fields, just the tip of a large development iceberg on the south of Redruth

View at the back of Carn View – the hedge and chimneys have all gone

The entrance hall tiling in Carn View has not changed

Helen and Alan, proud owners of Carn View and my kind hosts. Alan worked in many jobs, including Wheal Jane mine before being pensioned off with a hand disorder caused by over exposure to cement dust. Helen was a supervisor in a food company.

After these visits, I went “backwards” to Camborne to get an annoying clicking noise on my bike looked at. I thoroughly recommend Aldridge Cycles who looked at, tightened a couple of bolts, but considered it likely that the bottom bracket was giving way. This apparently is not catastrophic, but I might work on getting the bike booked in for a replacement later in the trip. This service was free.

Then it was onwards. I had missed lunch, but decided to stop off for an early Cornish Cream Tea – a must when in the county. Todays total 60.1 km, running total: 181 km. 21 bathtubs in fields – running total: 23.