Exploring Traditional Cornwall at Mousehole

In 2010 I went to England to explore my family history in Cornwall and Devon. Some of my ancestors migrated to Australia from this area in the mid-19th century. Although it was only a few years ago, it seems like the dark ages now. For me personally, it was pre-iPod, pre-iPad and pre-WiFi. I had to go to local libraries during opening hours to do my travel research and contact the outside world. How things have changed!

Although my personal connection with Cornwall related to mining, I was also drawn to the beautiful coastal fishing villages. One place that captured my imagination was Mousehole. This is a village built for walking to work. Nestled on the side of a steep hill, you can imagine the fishermen tumbling out of bed and down the hill before sunrise, to go out in the boats. They probably still do.

I felt inspired to climb up the hill and get a view from above, which involved some steep climbing. However it was well worth the view. Seeing the small boats nestled in the Harbour on a still and overcast day I could only imagine what the sea must be like in bad weather to warrant such as sturdy harbour wall, with such a small opening. Not to mention the tonnes of protective rock piled outside the wall.

I have drawn on images taken down in this little harbour for my next range of greeting cards which I am calling Fishing Boats of Devon and Cornwall. For the purpose of card making I have chosen images that are up close and tell their own story.The picture below is a wider view of a scene that I cropped to produce Dinghys at Mousehole Harbour.

There were a lot of seagulls on the beach, and I was honoured to make the acquaintance of Captain Seagull, who is now immortalised on a greeting card.

A seagull also features in Sandpiper and Seagull which is a closer view of this image, also taken at Mousehole.

The images for Fishing Boats of Devon on Cornwall greeting cards were taken at a variety of locations in varying lighting conditions. To create sense of cohesion between the images I have cropped them to create focus and intimacy, and also given the colour a slightly faded treatment to produce a more consistent mood across the set. I hope you enjoy seeing a little of the story behind of where they came from.

PS. Now that I have let you say Mouse-hole (hole for mice) quietly in your head I will let you in on the correct pronunciation which I believe is Mau-zle (where Mau rhymes with cow as in Maui).