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Q. How to people in Newlyn feel about Newlyn?
A.Readers of the parish magazine of St Peter's Parish Church were asked how they saw Newlyn. The following extracts are from replies received and printed in the July issue of the magazine.
It was the 31st December 1929 when my father first saw Newlyn. He was a seaman on a boat putting in to Newlyn for the New Year. As they waited out in the Bay for the pilot my father said that there was a sudden shaft of thin winter sunlight that caught St. Mary's Church and turned it to silver, but when the boat turned into Newlyn he was enchanted. The village nestling round the harbor looked so welcoming and comfortable . The smoke from the chimneys rose against the evening sky while lights were shining in the windows. He thought how lucky people were who lived there. That night. in time honored local fashion, he met my mother on the promenade and they obviously fell in love. The rest is history!
My husband first saw Newlyn in 1943 from the deck of an Air/Sea Rescue Launch when they came to the port to relieve the launch already based there. He thought 'This is a place I am going to come back to'. In 1947 he returned for a fortnight's holiday and has been here ever since. History does repeat itself!
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Newlyn is a great place for seeing friends and acquaintances, you cannot walk around Newlyn without meeting someone you know. Next, Newlyn is unique in its character and position and my opinion should not be sacrificed to the Cult of the Car, although this is probably inevitable and more convenient. Trawlers, cats, copper and artists, Newlyn is HOME. It does seem that however far you may travel, the mention of Newlyn could invite you to a party; when I admitted I came from Newlyn I was invited to join some trawler-men for an evening at their local, just like Newlyn except for the accents! Then the creative history of Newlyn made me welcome at an artist's studio and workshop. 'Well' you may ask 'what about it?' What about it indeed , it's Alaska I am talking about. Newlyn is HOME. -----------------------------------------------------------------
For me Newlyn is 'four-legged!'. I have met, and continue to meet, so many interesting, well groomed and well behaved dogs taking their two legged persons through hazards of skate-boards, cars, prams, bicycles and walking sticks. These canines are so 'up to date' with modern times and, for the most part are very tidy concerning natural functions. The Tolcarne pub thankfully is very dog receptive, so my border collie tells me. I am sorry but she also tells me that she is a lapsed Welsh Methodist and has no business being in a parish magazine, not to say being in a pub - a bit like me!
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So why do I love Newlyn? For all sorts of reasons. It has the reputation of being one of the friendliest villages in the area, and it never dies in winter. My husband used to say that when you collected the paper in the morning, you did not return home for twenty-seven minutes because you met so many people with whom to chat... One of the nicest sights is when I am driving towards Newlyn at night and see all the lights winking at me saying "Welcome home".
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