Falmouth Packet Archives 1688-1850 | home
Falmouth's Maritime Heritage - a new era!
Attracting new visitors to Cornwall ....the NMMC at Falmouth
"A national centre for maritime history & education"
Opening September 2002
For eventual user response reports.....watch this space!
The National Maritime Museum (NMM) are managing the complete building project which will go a long way towards putting Falmouth back on the visitors' map. It will certainly be a 'design experience' for visitors.
Let's hope it delivers a much-needed and visitor-retaining maritime reference resource for the county.
Cornwall Enterprise helped to secure £750,000 towards the Falmouth Marine Sector development. [Thank you!]
Oh but they would listen to user-need and push for Objective One funding to digitise the cultural heritage resources locked away in Cornish libraries and museums! If you agree please e-mail me!
The National Maritime Museum Small Boats Exhibition, is to an exciting modern design by Long & Kentish architects.
M. J. Long gave an excellent talk to a packed house at Falmouth Arts Centre (RCPS) and described her own eastern US seabord background and her sensitivity to the former Bar, and Grove Place area, which was the principal ship building area of the port. Hopefully we will soon be able to see more of the detail, elevations and models of the NMMC site on her web page (HINT!) ]
The old shipbuilding area (Bar) adjacent to Falmouth Docks. (Courtesy RCPS Local History Group)
An early view of the Grove Place site now occupied by Port Pendennis housing and the NMMC
Killigrew Monument, Grove Place
The obelisk remains, whilst Submarine Pier entrance was on the lower right (1904 postcard view above)
Submarine Pier, from Grove Place, beside Taylor's Garage (now Trago Mills/Dinghy Park) area
Stewart & Wolf poscard view (franked 1907) of shipbuilding at Bar [Scanned courtesy of C.L.S.L.]
Not as mad as the traffic "circus" in the Grove Place area nowadays! [Scanned courtesy of Falmouth Library, ref: D 94]
Grove Terrace
Note the sea wall, gas lamps and iron railings. [Courtesy of Falmouth Library (Ref: L19)]
Upon completion, the NMMC complex will unfortunately block the harbour view from what was once open water frontage
1-8 Grove Terrace, Arwenack Street
"Bank" Place
This view from Custom House Quay clearly shows the beach area given to "the people of Falmouth" by the Earl of Kimberley....
... now infilled, doubtless for (some of) the people of Falmouth... therein lies a tale (akin to that of Falmouth District Hospital?)
Sully's, opposite the front entrance to Trago Mills (ex Taylor's Garage), Arwenack Street.
======================== CORNWALL's digital future...........
5 October, 2001
"The main objective of the NMMC website is currently promotional to enable us to achieve the income we need to ensure the financial sustainability of the museum. As we reach 'maturity' it will develop into a site that offers additional content for researchers and other enthusiasts. When we reach this point, the concept of a sustainable business model which will help fund the additional digital material will be of growing appeal, but this is still some time off. It will also be important to ensure that the content reflects our local as well as international status, and includes the kinds of digital material currently found on quality sites such as www.looemaritimearchive.co.uk"
a) site design
b) site content
c) design v. content - compared with this site and suggestions for the NMMC's proposed website offerings.
Some good sites are already a guide to maximising Cornwall's potential on the Web.
I shall try to stick to the real potential for unlocking Heritage and Culture
"A continually updated source of information and services" Their portal includes Glasney College - Penryn by Dr. James Whetter
Founded in 1265, Glasney was one of the most important ecclesiastical Institutions in West Cornwall.
and:
Their Padstow shop's site includes fiction, biographical, and Cornish history titles. (Including Glasney College, above)
SquareSail offer traditional skills training on wooden ships, amongst their filming and other business activities.
Driving forces....
It identifies the benefits of delivering digital access to local archives and tourism benefits of marketing Cornwall's Culture & Heritage.
The report identifies the sectors which need direct assistance and Cornwall Enterprise has been established by Cornwall County Council to be a key delivery mechanism for Objective One funding to secure the "sustainable economic development of Cornwall through the creation of an advanced economy." They have been involved in finding funding for the expansion programme at "Newquay Cornwall" Airport and Tim Smit's landmark Eden Project near St. Austell. [Brilliant!]
Hopefully, Cornwall Enterprise, as part of their commitment to creating new jobs and improving our communications infrastructure will catalyse delivery of 24/7 digital access to the collections held in Cornwall's repositories. [CRO, RIC, CLSL, etc.].
A Telco billing mechanism which I suggest is technically feasible and could provide a long-term revenue stream for content providers, besides offering improved heritage and cultural links worldwide, from which the Cornish tourism sector can only benefit.
Whilst here, see how, in Rostock, Germany, local authorities have sponsored Volker Gries to produce an enterprising website and CD product on "Old Time Sailing Ships" - with a searchable database of 450 ships.....
Nostalga.......
Killigrew Monument, Grove Place
Arwenack Manor, Home of the Killigrews
Bar Road, opposite the Imperial Buildings
Quay Punt Eclipse - R.S. Burt's yard at Bar
Early days in Falmouth Docks - steam power, wooden ships
HMS Foudroyant & Cutty Sark - tourist attractions in 1926?
