 John Cecil (Chirgwin) Jenkin was born in May 1928 in the house opposite St. Peter’s Church. Born into a family with well-established roots in Newlyn extending back over several centuries, educated at Tolcarne School and Penzance Grammar School, he followed a career as a Radio Officer before training as a teacher in 1957. Initially teaching in Dorset and Devon he came to Bodmin in 1975 as Head Teacher of St. Petroc’s C. of E. Junior School, retiring in 1990. Exiled from his native village he researched and gathered information from many sources about Newlyn past and present.
At some stage in his post retirement years he must have decided to
gather all of this information together into a book. This he duly did,
producing, in 2002, a printing of just ten copies. Happily for local
historians, myself included, he donated one of these to the Morrab
Library where we had to go if we wanted to consult the book. This is
not the same as having your very own copy and, under pressure, the
book, enlarged and copiously illustrated with colour and black/white
photographs, has been reprinted. I may well have headed the rush to
get a copy. This is a fascinating book, with well over 200 A4 size
pages (appendices and pages of photographs are not numbered) it can be
approached from any angle. If you want to read about shops, schools,
the social scene in Newlyn in the early and mid 20th century you can
easily find the chapters you need, as you can on any other aspect of
village life. If you want to know more about the past history of the
village you will find it chronologically arranged in the early pages of
the book. At a rough calculation I would estimate that there are
approaching 150 photographs. There are hand drawn maps and much else.
This is a book written by an insider, whether writing of school days,
housing, or any other subject, as a reader you feel that you are seeing
life as it really was, at least for a Street-an- Nowan resident.
If you have recently moved to Newlyn and want to learn all you can
about the village this book must be seen as essential reading. It has
equal appeal for long term residents and exiled Cornishmen.
Available directly from the
author at Avalon, 6 Gilbert Road, Bodmin, Cornwall PL31 2BY (Tel: 01208
79115), price £26.50 +UK P&P £4.50.
Margaret Perry
 |
