In 1980 Martin Matthews became Kerrier District Council’s first paid Museum Officer. Under his direction considerable redisplays and expansion of the museum took place with a new display space in the former Meat Market in 1983 and in 1999 the opening up of the Drill Hall. During this time the museums much loved set-piece displays were built including the Toyshop, the Victorian Classroom, the Serpentine Turner’s workshop, the 1950s corner shop and the Cornish kitchen.

As curator of the museum the collection expanded significantly including our important costume collection. In 2002 Martin Matthews retired and in recognition the Costume Gallery was named in his honour. At the end of 2023 we were delighted to receive a donation from the Dennis G C Myner Charitable trust to add a mezzanine area into this gallery to allow us to more safely store and display this important collection. We know Martin would have been thrilled this work is taking place.

Martin continued to support and advise us at the museum. In this short film you will hear him speak about one of his favourite items in the collection, an Elizabethan 17th Century Window. Aptly at the end of last year we started the process of developing fundraising bids to conserve this window. Our ambition over 2024 is to secure £8000 to carry out much needed conservation of the wood, glass and lead plus the installation of a Perspex covering to limit further deterioration.

All of us at the museum will miss Martins warmth, generosity and knowledge. He knew so much about the museum collection and the history of Helston. In ending we thought it would be nice to share one of Martins ‘Bygone Days’ articles that he wrote for the West Britain after retiring as Curator. It is a comfort to still be able to hear his voice.

“I have been asked (Martin Matthews) to write a weekly article of local interest …… each article will be accompanied by a photograph and I would like readers to provide further information and put names to faces in the photograph. I retired as curator of Helston Folk Museum in 2002, a post I was privileged to hold for 22 years. During that time it was a daily pleasure to gain local knowledge and share it with others. I hope that between us we can make the weekly article a success story…..

Last month, Audrey Rosewarne, a Porthlevener now living in Newton Abbot, sent me this photograph of a jersey car. It is stopping outside the entrance of Breage Vicarage when the vicarage was adjacent to the main road through Breage, close to Breage Shute. The vehicle is clearly marked Will Excursion Car. It was owned by Wills of Porthleven and was probably hired by members of Breage Church to go on an outing to the seaside town, as was the norm in those days”

“The Vicar of Breage, the Rev Jocelyn Barnes is seated front row nearest the camera. He was Vicar of St Breaca Church, Breage from 1889-1904 and was affectionately known as Parson Barnes. Breage Church was restored in 1891 and it has been recorded that Parson Barnes played a great part in the restoration and that it was he who discovered the frescoes, for which the church is well renowned. The frescoes had been lime washed over since 1549 ensuring that Edward V1’s religious changes during that time were enforced and thus hidden for 300 years.

Parson Barnes and his wife had a family of five daughters. One married Mr Ratcliffe, solicitor of Helston and their daughter, the late Monica Garland lived in Cross Street. Mrs Barnes wrote a novel which she dedicated to her husband. She wrote under the pseudonym of Mrs Berylcan Jones which can be transcribed as Mrs Jocelyn Barnes. The title of the novel is ‘The Painting of the Frescoes’. It is a story of two brothers, Pengersek. They were both in love with Joan de Rinsy. Michael the younger, in a fit of jealousy pushes John, his brother, over the cliff. Fearing John dead, Michael fled and was never seen since that fateful day. John survived and married Joan de Rinsy. The story continues with Michael becoming a monk and returned under that guise many years later to paint the frescoes in the church, eventually meeting the family – fascinating reading.

The photograph shows the Barnes family standing in the gateway of the vicarage. Between 20 and 30 passengers are waiting for the photographer to take the photograph. This would have been a lengthy process in the early days of photography.

I have often heard my grandmother tell that she and other riding on a Jersey car would have to alight and walk up the steep hills to rest the horses – how times have changed. My thanks to Miss Rosewarne for the photograph. Miss Rosewarne’s father Hubert along with his brother Paul were bus proprietors in Porthleven owning charabanes, early forms of motor transport”

By Martin Matthews 14.7.2003

If you would like to read a couple more in 2020 our apprentice Demi Bagnall re-shared some of Martins articles:

Midsummer Eve (Bygone Days: Midsummer Eve celebrations (museumofcornishlife.co.uk))

St Michael’s Church Bells (Bygone Days (museumofcornishlife.co.uk))

On 27 December 2023 Martin Matthews passed away peacefully at the age of 84. His legacy is everywhere to be seen in the museum and we cannot thank him enough.

Meur Ras Martin