The Real Spoilers of Cornwall
_ (FROM A RECENT RESIDENT.)
TN all counties perhaps, but especially in Cornwall, "the foreigner" from, across the border is by common consent made the scapegoat for acts of vandal- ism. So one must not exhibit too much surpriseat what . . . have been described in the "Pi:es. as the "caustic refer- ences," made by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch at the dinner of the London Cornish Association, to "the small -profiteer who comes down and - desecrates our coast with pink_ bungalows, and. _ the speculative _man who takes a piece of Cornish coast and cuts off our cliff tracks and the ground upon which. our fishermen dry their nets."
During a couple of years recent residence in the county, accompanied by a great deal of travel hither and thither, I paid close attention to this subject and I have not the slightest hesitation in declaring that for one case of vandalism of any sort, on the part of a "foreigner," there are twenty committed by Cornish- men themselves and regarded by the populace with utter apathy. The term "small profiteers" presumably means prosperous little retired tradesmen, but very few indeed of such worthies emigrate to Cornwall. Without a single exception, the inhabitants of the thirty-five most hideous cliff bungalows on the black list I compiled during my walks along scores of leagues of coast were Cornishmen ; I made inquiries locally to ascertain just that very point. Nowhere in Britain are more horribly ugly bungalows being put up than those erected by the modem Cornish builders. Time and again I got into conversation with local folk con- cerning particularly dreadful dwellings which ought to be deposited in the basement of Mme. Tussaud's, and nobody—not a single person, male or female, anywhere, anywhen—had a word to say against them. In many cases they were positively admired. Sir Arthur has only ICI stop his car a hundred yards from any horrible pink-lidded box of concrete blocks in Cornwall, ask the time of the first half-dozen passers-by, and add : "What d'you think of the look of that place ? " to discover what the Cornish do think of 'em.
The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, however, is under no misapprehension as to where the spoilers of their'beautiful country, easily the loveliest and most interesting in all England, are to be found. It does not rail -at the "foreigner."
Cornwall has had the reputation of possessing the most accessible coastline of any county in England, but of late years such serious encroachments on the public's rights of way, have been -made that the Federation has become -alarmed at the apathy characteristic of the various local authorities, and has been .taking steps to form an organization strong and °energetic enough to put, a stop, to the spoiling of the county by vandalistic and selfish farmers who block access to the cliffs.
Hundreds. of ancient British • barrows, Druidic stone circles and cromlechs, Cornish crosses and suchlike remains of antiquarian interest hare been pulled down or ploughed up, because stones were wanted for building or mending moorland walls and cart tracks, or because. a farmer has been unwilling to swerve his plough a -few feet to left or right. .
Two or three decades ago, visitors and Cornish folk alike continually used the right of way coastguard path all along the top of the cliff from Falmouth to the Helford River.. Of late years, however, a farmer has blocked the path to the south of Maenporth Cove and two big houses have been built with grounds that fence clear down to the brink of the cliff, so that access to one of the most . beautiful stretches of coastline in Britain is denied to* the public, although, I have been informed, the police consider that nothing -has happened to invali- :late the right of way, which has existed 'Since the time of the Spanish Armada. . • - The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies sent a strong letter to the County Authority list year in which it . . declared that year after year Cornwall's treasures " are being lost for want of a watchful eye. Cliff roads are being closed and historic monuments being removed. There is no public body," they declared, "of sufficient strength which can be approached for the retention of things that make Cornwall 'attractive."
The only response was one single expression of sympathy and a general expression of disinclination to provide any public funds for such a purpose..
Mr. Chubb, Secretary of the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society, has declared that "what is needed in Cornwall is a powerful committee which would include the large landowners." Most of the large landowners, however, live in London or elsewhere, "in furren' parts" beyond the Tamar, and if half I have been told of the remainder be true, they would. sooner jump off . their own cliffs than do anything to encourage fieldpath rambling. They regard the plague of motor charabancs which has descended upon the country in the past few years as a blessing because it segregates the holidaymakers and leaves .them less time to go a-walking off the main roads and away from the vulgarized coves where the eager Cornishmen, now fall over . each .other peddling films and oranges, picture postcards and stale cakes, cigarettes, petrol, teas, " kewpie dolls," . and other -fun fair, rubbish that . a few years ago was the ..monopoly of Southend front.. . , Let me close on a note of constructive criticism. . The two most respected Cornishmen of our time are Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch and the Rev. Joseph Hocking, the authors. Sir Arthur is thought highly .of west of the Tamar because the highbrow " foreigners " east of the Tamar :think highly of him. The Cornish Press invariably abases itself . before his words and deeds, and burns sweet incense, but such Cornishmen who . have read the Troy. Town books resent having been made a monkey, of. Still Sir Arthur is accepted as A Mighty Man. The novels of_the Rev. Joseph Hocking, however, are read and thoroughly approved Of by every man, woman, and child. County pride in him is immense Wherever he preaches or makes a speech, crowds have to be turned away. .
I. do firmly believe that if those , two heroes took counsel with each other and led. the vanguard of. a ruth- less attack on the spoilers of Cornwall—and stuck to the fight, harping on the theme again and again whenever they spoke in public, they could create the powerful public opinion which alone can save the county's amenities.
It would be a noble fight to make.
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