MORWELLHAM – TAVISTOCK’S PORT
In spite of heavy rain outside, a large and enthusiastic audience gathered in the Parkhouse Centre for the November Open Meeting. The guest Speaker was Rick Stewart and his subject was the story of Morwellham, the River Tamar trading port four miles from Tavistock. Speaking fluently and without notes, Rick kept his audience enthralled as he took them from Roman times through the centuries to the present day, explaining how, over the years, changes in patronage as well as substantial fluctuations in demand for the minerals available in the Tamar Valley [tin, lead, copper and later, arsenic] led to the rises and falls of Morwellham’s fortunes.
Morwellham Quay is now a living museum where visitors can get a flavour of some aspects of Victorian life, but imagination has to fill in the details of the danger, dirt, dust and sheer hard physical labour that went in to making a living from extracting the mineral ores from underground and processing them for sale.
Next month, members will be getting together for a celebratory Christmas Lunch at The Falcon, and the regular monthly meetings at The Parkhouse Centre will resume in January. In between, Bude U3A members will continue to enjoy sharing and learning in 40 varied interest groups, all run by members for members. To find out more, drop in to a Coffee Morning (the next ones will be on 6th December at The Weir and 18th December at The Brendon Arms, both from 10.30 am), visit the website www.budeu3a.co.uk or telephone the Membership Secretary on 01409 253749.