150 years of Helston, documented through postcards

Postcards are a small window into what a place looked like at a certain time. They can show how much a location has changed over time, and what has stayed the same. Postcards became popular towards the end of the 19th century, usually being sent with a photograph and a space to write the message. They were an essential and easy form of communication. As postcards cost money to make and to send, they are a good insight into what people thought were important or interesting places and events to share with others.  There are many postcards in the museum collection of places around Helston. These postcards show just how much some parts of the town have changed, and how some parts have stayed similar to when the photograph was taken. Here are just a few examples of places and events around Helston that were chosen for a picture postcard during the late 19th century up until the 1990s. 

Helston Railway

These postcards show a thriving and by-gone era of railway transport for Helston. Opened in 1887, the railway branch transported goods and passengers across Helston. These postcards show the popularity of the railway, the jobs it provided and the change it had on Helston’s landscape. But the Helston railway did not last, with passenger services ending in 1962, and freight trains transporting goods stopping in 1964. There is still a Helston Railway, but it is no longer a part of the railway system, instead it takes passengers on a historic train ride along the once thriving Helston branch line. These postcards of the railway as it once was, serves as a reminder of just how much the railway changed Helston.  

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Coinagehall Street

Coinagehall street is named after Helston’s history as a stannery town during the reign of Elizabeth I, where tin was turned into coins and sold. In the first postcard, the Angel Hotel once a town house to Lord Sidney Godolphin, can be seen in the background. These postcards of Coinagehall Street show how the street has changed, from bikes to cars, hotels to recognisable shops such as Boots (now on Menage street).

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Coronation lake

The first postcard shows the land then called Lower Green before the lake was built in 1908. Coronation lake was built in 1912 in honour of the coronation of George V. The lake was re-opened in August 1913, with a bridge connecting to the island on the lake and as the postcards show, it was a well attended celebration. The landscape around the lake has changed, with coffee shops and a playground now in the background, but the lake itself still resembles the postcard views of over 100 years ago. What has changed is the activities, postcards show us that this lake was once a boating lake, and the island once easily accessible with benches to sit, is now home to bird habitats and taller trees.

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Humphrey Millet Grylls Monument  

The monument at the end of Coinagehall Street was built in 1834 as a memorial to Humphry Millet Grylls, who gave money to help keep Wheal Vor mine operating. These postcards show how the monument was meant to be seen, as a large structure standing out against the background of green. The railings that can be seen in the postcards were taken down during the Second World War for scrap metal. As time goes on the landscape around the monument has changed a little, with a bowling green, shelter and war memorial.

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Flora day

Every year, Flora Day is celebrated in Helston. There are different theories about how it began, from a dragon leaving a stone in Angel Yard, to a Celtic tradition carried through time. These postcards show different dances that are part of Flora Day tradition through time. They emphasise that the Flora Day celebrations are an unchanged part of Helston, as year after year, decade after decade, the celebrations take place in a similar way as before.

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Tiegan Lorrimer-Roberts

Placement Student, University of Plymouth.