The Cornwall Blog

Deep beneath St Austell Brewery, its historic cellars were transformed for the 18th annual Celtic Beer Festival on Saturday 26 November 2016. The festival brought together almost 200 ales, stouts and lagers, including St Austell favourites such as Tribute, Proper Job and korev. Live bands performed throughout the day and into the evening, while the brewery said that all profits would support its charitable work across the South West. Beer and live music in the brewery cellars The Celtic Beer Festival offered the chance to try familiar favourites alongside guest beers, limited editions and rather more adventurous brews, all within the atmospheric surroundings of the brewery’s Victorian cellars. A long tradition of Cornish brewing St Austell Brewery traces its story back to 1851, when Walter Hicks began working as a wine merchant and maltster. He later started brewing at the Seven Stars Inn in St Austell, before the business moved to i...

The kids may well have gone back to school but Cornwall is still buzzing with plenty to do. This month we have a food festival in Truro, a fish festival in Newquay, and a design festival at Trereife House - and Looe hosts its music festival! Looe is a vibrant harbour town and once a year down on the beach crowds flock to hear a real variety of bands in this much loved festival. This year the Fun Lovin’ Criminals are taking to the stage where previous acts have included The Darkness, Reef, The Stranglers, Levellers and Seth Wakeman to name a few. Its an eclectic line up of national and international bands with music workshops and live music on every corner of this seaside town. And in some what of a change of direction, Laurence Fox, Detective Sergeant James Hathaway in ITV drama Lewis will be seen heading out on his first tour at the Looe Music Festival. Bringing indie sounds from his debut album Holding Patterns . As the festival grows year on year so does the fringe...

There is so much to do in Cornwall in August! When the weather is like today (a scorcher) then the coast will always be a pull but there is always so much to do inland too. Take the Cornish Steam and Country Fair, previously known as the West of England Steam Rally. Located at the Sithians show ground outside Truro, the fair first took place back in 1955 with just six steam engines. Today over three days you can see almost 100! So what can you expect? Plenty of shiny brass, vintage cars, tractors, motor cycles, heavy horses - the list goes on. You can also see how things worked on a farm in way back when. There are dog agility shows, brass bands and a traditional fun fair! Something for everyone. Running from the 19th to the 21st of August 2016. You can find out more at their website.

Not long now to the first North Cornwall Gin Festival ! Hosted by Wadebridge Wines , in the heart of the North Cornish town, on the 23rd of July. The festival charges a small entrance fee and provides 50 different gins to try! This promises to be a truly grown up affair with interesting and unique stalls, fresh lemon and limes and herbs, exclusive chocolates, live music and lawn games. You can find out more at the Wadebridge Wines Facebook page, or check their website .

Each June, the Royal Cornwall Show draws huge crowds to the showground near Wadebridge. The event began more than 200 years ago as a ploughing competition and has grown into one of Cornwall’s best-known annual gatherings. Alongside the livestock and animals, you will find Cornish wrestling, flower displays, local food, show jumping, a steam fair, dog shows, crafts, live music and a huge range of Cornish businesses. It is the sort of day where there always seems to be something happening. The Royal Cornwall Showground is just outside Wadebridge, and the event brings together farming, food, crafts, entertainment and much of what makes Cornwall distinctive. It is a brilliant place to enjoy the buzz of a crowd and see an enormous variety of Cornish life in one place. Find current dates, tickets and visitor information on the Royal Cornwall Show website .

It seems you can't move for festivals these days - and Cornwall is no different! Having said that they are loads of family friendly fun. This month, Sunday 15th May, we have Lostfest , in my neck of the woods, Lostwithiel. The event raises money for FLEET, a charity who provide equipment for emergency services in Cornwall. For those who don't know, Lostwithiel is a charming ancient stannary town which is nestled quietly a little in land in a wooded valley. Well, normally quiet, but come Lostfest the streets are buzzing with life. Expect delicious food lining the streets, traditional crafts, handmade gifts, medieval re-enactments, a vintage fair and a couple of local bands. From by the river, to under the trees, the church yard, museum, the shops and cafes - all over this little town fun is unleashed. Lostwithiel is such a pretty place to visit, just up the hill you will find the Restormel Castle. There are two parks that follow the Fowey river and the Tudor bridge is a...

Guillaume Rivaud as Arthur Announcing crowdfunding campaign for Devon & Cornwall indiefilm “Mordred”, showcasing local actors and local history /Arthurian legend “I am what you made me become!” is the tagline of the film, spoken by Mordred. How relevant that seems! This production aims to not only showcase very heavily researched Dark Ages (6th century) history of Devon and Cornwall, linked to some of the very earliest and less known Arthurian legends, but also equally to showcase the amazing skills by local actors, filmmakers, and other production creatives - a lot of film work happens in the southwest but very often local people are passed over completely for roles, in favour of imported talent due to stereotypes of "local people being no-good". Since there are very few opportunities, we decided to make our own and claw our own way up. There is a national campaign at the moment for the recognition of working-class actors, who on a national scale, not just loc...

Things to Do in Padstow: A Local Guide If you mention places to visit in Cornwall, Padstow is never far from the conversation. This little harbour town attracts plenty of visitors, particularly in summer, but there is a good reason for that. With the Camel Estuary on one side and the north Cornish coast on the other, you have food, beaches, walking, cycling and boat trips all within easy reach. Of course, Padstow has become famous for its food too. Rick Stein helped put the town firmly on the foodie map, but these days there is a whole collection of places to eat and drink, from fish and chips by the harbour to rather special dinners. So, if you are planning a day or a few days in Padstow, here are some of our favourite things to do. Explore Padstow Harbour The harbour is really the heart of Padstow and probably the best place to start. Fishing boats still work from here alongside yachts, pleasure boats and the little ferry crossing the estuary to Rock. Grab a coffee, wande...

With ceramics by Adam Buick and Rowena Brown 25 March to 6 May 2016 Porthminster Autumn by  Emma Jeffryes New Craftsman St Ives open their 2016 season with an exhibition of work by St Ives artist Emma Jeffryes, Jerwood Makers prize winner Adam Buick and ceramic artist Rowena Brown. In recent years Emma Jeffryes has established herself as one of St Ives’ most distinctive and well-loved painters. Her naive paintings of the town’s unique landmarks and vistas draw on a palette of vivid ocean colours and her lively brushwork conveys the vibrant energy of this busy coastal community. Ceramicist Adam Buick, who has shown at New Craftsman since 2010, was one of only five artists selected for the prestigious Jerwood Makers prize in 2013. His beautifully understated, Korean inspired Moon Jars are created from clays, grit and metal ores sourced directly from the land around him and focus on the individual’s subjective experience of landscape. Ceramics by Rowena Brown...

Join us for this FREE Community Event on Saturday 12 March 2016 Come along to the Leach Pottery on Saturday 12 March and help us decorate tiles for a new mural we are creating for Smeatons Pier. The mural will decorate the pier’s newly refurbished sheltered seating area as part of the St Ives regeneration project, and you can be a permanent part of it by creating your own unique design. During the session you will be asked to create a design on paper, before transferring it to your tile and painting it. Finished tiles will be fired at a later date and successful designs will be included as part of the mural project. We are running four one-hour sessions throughout the day. All ages and abilities welcome. Sessions will run from 10-11am, 11.30am – 12.30pm, 1.30 to 2.30pm and 3-4pm. This event is FREE but booking is essential. Maximum two tickets per booking. See our Eventbrite page via www.leachpottery.com or direct at www.eventbrite.co.uk to book your place now. Leach Pot...

Barry Krzywicki | Group of porcelain sake cups on a tray The Leach Pottery begin their 2016 schedule with a varied exhibition of contemporary pots selected by John Bedding, a one time student of Bernard Leach, ex Leach potter and current Joint Acting Director of the Pottery. The works of individual studio potters are highly unique. Each have different strengths to their work: some makers adhere strongly to tradition; some, through the repetition of familiar shapes and glazes, make pieces which evidence their expert craftsmanship; others have an inquiring mind and are strong on innovation and experimentation; still others have a strong sense of design, creating works that are clean, sharp and precise. As a well-known collector and authority on contemporary ceramics, John has chosen works which define these varied qualities and demonstrate the breadth of skill and creativity to be found in pottery today. The exhibition includes traditional stoneware by Phil Rogers and John Jelf...