Edward Bawden introduces this post with a characteristic drawing for Shell from a 1936 advertising campaign. Every day, roughly once an hour, there’s a bus from Penzance to Land’s End. Often a double-decker, it follows a meandering route that takes it through the narrow back streets of Newlyn and onward through the villages of Paul, St. Buryan, Crows-An-Wra and Sennen. It’s an exciting ride as the width of the bus is often just inches less than the width of the road leading to much negotiation and occasional conflict with oncoming vehicles. At our destination there’s a minor empire of mid-level attractions including a petting zoo, an audio-visual experience, traditional craft studios, a shopping centre, and a hotel and restaurant complex. All owned and operated by Heritage Great Britain Plc. in a development of unremarkable buildings, regarded by many as “a blot on the landscape” - I’ve seen much worse elsewhere. From the bus stop in the car park the coastal footpaths can be reached and it’s quite possible to wander freely around while resisting the lure of the leisure attractions.
The photos were taken on a sunny afternoon in early October - the coastal scenes look south across a boulder strewn landscape, reminiscent of Donegal, and north towards Sennen and Cape Cornwall. The First & Last House differs only slightly from postcard views of 120 years ago. Next is the “World Famous” signpost (follow this link to see more) followed by an observation post from which to gaze on the eternity of the Atlantic Ocean. A small selection of postcards identifiable from their captions includes the Penwith House Temperance Hotel (1880), now converted into Penwith Studios, offering a choice of four luxuriously appointed rooms.
Since 2014 Cornwall has held official recognition as a distinct national minority within the UK that provides protection for its unique culture and language. From January 2026 the Cornish language has been elevated to Part III Status under the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. When I last posted about Cornwall, the county was served by 6 Conservative MPs. That all changed with the 2024 election when 4 Labour and 2 Lib-Dems were elected to Westminster. The county has just landed a devotion deal with the present government without being compelled to elect a Regional Mayor. Any potential improvements in governance are unlikely to meet with the approval of Newlyn fishermen, currently agitating for financial support with the rising price of diesel, as if they were the only ones affected.
