Kernow Matters to Us's blog

Construction work is continuing to go well on the Kresen Kernow site. The historic Brewhouse and the new archive store and staff areas have now been linked internally and across the roof, so the huge temporary cover over the central section of the building has come down. Much of the external scaffolding has also been removed, finally revealing how the finished building will look. It’s a mix of repaired and repointed original granite and stonework, and modern concrete cladding (on the strongrooms), all under a roof that echoes that of the Brewery when it was last in use.

The British mainland was formed from the collision of not two, but three ancient continental land masses, according to new research.

Scientists have for centuries believed that England, Wales and Scotland were created by the merger of Avalonia and Laurentia more than 400 million years ago.

However, geologists based at the University of Plymouth now believe that a third land mass—Armorica—was also involved in the process.

Kernow

6 Mys Gwynngala 2018

With the news that another house developer in Cornwall has gone through (Nova Construction) and that a Parish Council at Crantock is now taking Cornwall Council to judicial review over the imposition of additional houses that they do not want, you have to feel sorry for the people at the bottom of this disastrous 'food chain', notably the house buyers. 

Many have come to Cornwall as part of their dream and that dream is fast becoming a nightmare for more and more. 

Kernow

31 Mys Est 2018

Albert Bock - cusk yn ta (RIP)

Linguist, academic, human rights campaigner, husband and father

Albert Bock (1974-2018) – passing of a key figure in the revitalisation of the Cornish language

The Cornish language community is deeply saddened at the news of the passing of Albert Bock, a brilliant linguist who helped standardise the Cornish language.

"It is not for local taxpayers to fund the police to cope with the influx of summer visitors" (Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer)

Massed and almost out of control tourism has brought parts of Cornwall to a standstill this year.

Following a campaign supported by many Cornish patriots, Waitrose have changed their policy and will be removing the Flag of St George of England from chesse they sell which has been made in Cornwall to be replaced by our much loved and unsullied flag of St Piran.

Waitrose initially said that “the use of national flags was introduced to help our customers to quickly identify UK produced cheese” and that the use of a national rather than a regional flag was more easily recognised by their customers.

The internet search engine 'DuckDuckGo' has now included Cornish (Kernewek) in its list of languages available to users.

Men Gurta - St Breock Downs Longstone
The heaviest standing stone in Cornwall

This menhir or prehistoric longstone, which was originally about 16 feet high known as Men Gurta - the waiting stone - and also called St Breock Longstone. Weighing about 16.5 tons it is still the heaviest standing stone in Cornwall.

The word menhir is a combination of two words found in the Cornish language; men (stone), and hir (long).

Men Gurta is 4.9m high and is of local shale with veins of feldspar

Among dozens of sites revealed in Cornwall were an unusual prehistoric settlement surrounded by concentric ditches at Lansallos, and an iron age settlement surrounded by a circular ditch with marks of other circular and rectangular structures within one field at St Ive – evidence of continuity of settlement over at least 4,000 years.

Its layout is unusual, with concentric ditches with entrances connected by two parallel ditches. The inner ditch may have surrounded a settlement from the bronze or iron age. 

A deep feeling of pride in being honoured with Cornish bardship will be plain to see this year as 16 proud initiates, 8 of whom are from outside Cornwall, wait to take their place among the 500 or so existing members of the College of Bards of Gorsedh Kernow.