Rabbits, daffodils and broccoli: Helston Railway and Cornish farming

31st May 202431st May 2024
by Museum of Cornish Life

Sue Roberts, collections and research volunteer, shares history and memories of the Helston Railway and its role in Cornish farming.

Helston was the centre of a large farming district, which covered everything from rabbits, flowers and broccoli (cauliflower) farming as well as transporting agricultural machinery, cattle, coal, serpentine and stone. Passenger travel was always more of an extra on the Helston Railway and its role in carrying freight was always more significant to the Cornish economy.

The railway opened on 9 May 1887 and operated until 4 October 1964, however passenger services ended in 1962. The Railway was a branch line from Gwinear Road to Helston, stopping at Praze, Nancegollan and Truthall Halt.

A typescript invoice of the Great Western Railway Helston Branch showing rabbits conveyed between Helston and Brighton and Hove. — Helston Railway invoice (copy) showing rabbits (dead) being transported to Brighton and Hove in 1951 (Museum of Cornish Life Green Box 22).

In the early part of the 20^th century the Royal Cornwall Show was held in Helston as its district was a significant agricultural area, as it is today. Still held in the district are numerous fairs such as the Flora Day Horse Show, the Fatstock Show, Harvest Fair and Horticultural Show, Stithians Show, Rambuck Fair and the Heavy Horse Show. All involved transporting goods and machinery via the Railway, as well as passengers.

One and all prepared for market

Both small and large farming businesses shipped vegetables and flowers in for Market Day (and also out in the early days). They still do today, though on a much smaller scale – on a Friday now at the Central Methodist Church, and no longer on Mondays at the Cattle Market. The tradition of not holding Flora Day on a Monday still stands because of the tradition of the Monday market. Market gardeners still exist around the local area, and there were saddlers and seed stores in town such as H.A.L. Rowe and Ward Cornwall, who were still around in the 1970s.

The Country Lorry Service was introduced in 1925 by the Great Western Railway (GWR), being established at Helston by G. H. Anthony, Chief Goods Clerk. He worked at Helston from 1920 to 1933. It was set up to collect milk from local farms, and was soon in demand for this and much more, and so expanded into other goods as demand grew. Farming was a communal affair, machinery was shared with other farmers and the croust (lunch) was prepared for all. As new machinery made many jobs quicker and easier, fewer people were needed which changed how farm businesses operated, and affected those who relied on seasonal farm labour for their income.

Black and white photograph — ‘Croust’ time at Higher Mellangoose Farm, Sithney, on Threshing day, about 1917. A group of 25 men, women and children are all facing the camera. Some are holding mugs and there are food baskets in the foreground. In the background part of a steam driven threshing machine is visible (HESFM:1977.1436).

Picking flowers and potatoes

Market gardens were run by families who had small plots of land. They grew flowers such as daffodils, anemones and violets which were picked and bunched by hand often before or after school by the children, and sold at the country market, very much as some still do today. Back in the 1970s and early 1980s local ‘mums’ worked for flower farmers on the Lizard Peninsula, as well as potato picking, though these were shipped by road rather than rail by this time.

Nowadays skilled workers, mainly from abroad, do the picking on the farms seasonally alongside specialised machinery and adapted tractors, especially for flowers, potatoes and broccoli.

The Railway closed in 1962 for passengers, and 4 October 1964 was the last day for freight, a sad day for all concerned. Most freight now travels by road, as huge lorries have overtaken the Country Lorry service and the horse and cart. The spring flowers from the Isles of Scilly travel by boat or air to the mainland.

In a West Briton article by Greg Nicholas ‘The Age of Steam Remembered’ on the centenary of the railway coming into existence, he spoke about the 1950s when the goods in and out were numerous and the staff were kept busy. Billy Pethick––best known for being the Bass drum player with the Helston Town Band on Flora Day––was a goods wagon shunter with the yard foreman Charlie Carnell. Lorry drivers included Gerald Williams, Dick Angove and Derek Weston. Coal and cattle feed in with farm produce out.

Sepia photograph — Four men enjoying ‘croust’ whilst harvesting, thought to be in the 1920s. In the background can be seen what appears to be the ‘mowhay’ with several mows of hay already harvested. A dog is standing by the men and there is a horse team in the background (HESFM:2016.13294).

Sunday lunch for station staff

The slaughterhouse, built between the wars, for cattle, sheep and pigs, was busy transporting out of Helston. Carcasses were put onto wagons with louvered sides and sent off to the Midlands, London. Hides went to Grampound Road for curing. Every Friday, station staff bought their Sunday joint at cost and farmers provided potatoes and greens to go with the beef.

Behind the Goods Shed was a garage, a store and a coal shed, the latter two owned by Gweek & Co Ltd, Coal Merchants. There were also cattle pens, and a stone shoot (mostly for moving Serpentine). Meat traffic was conveyed in ‘Mica’ vans while general merchandise traffic was typically carried in ordinary GWR ‘Mink’, covered, vans.

Passengers were also conveyed along the branch line and there were periods of great activity on and prior to Flora Day on 8 May, and the Horse Show, which also included related goods and other farming equipment, especially in the 1930s.

However, goods traffic was especially important to the viability of the line. As well as coal in and agricultural produce out, the Branch carried large amounts of perishables such as the flowers and broccoli mentioned earlier. Broccoli was in fact an important source of freight traffic, and in 1936 no less than 30,000 tons were sent from Helston and other stations in West Cornwall. They were usually despatched in standard GWR ‘Mex’ cattle wagons, and if there were large amounts then open wagons too. Quarry and Helston Gas Company freight was important too.

Goods vans arrived from Manchester, Liverpool, Paddington and Bristol with tar for Cornwall County Council, telegraph poles for the GPO (Post Office), and coal/coke for fuel. Outgoing goods included meat from Ward Cornwall and live pigs from W. E. Bailey.

County Lorry Service

Lorries from Sturgess, Hosking, Dick Lory and Sid Knowles kept produce coming. T H Collins & Son handled crates of broccoli, sacks of potatoes and pittosporum shrubs from local growers. The goods shed handles incoming machinery for the St Keverne Stone Company, beer for hotels, provisions for grocers and ironmongery, all delivered by the County Lorry Service for the Lizard and surrounding areas. Sturgess & Co were livestock dealers and Slaughterers. The Western National buses often brought in the boxes of flowers from outlying growers and took deliveries of Lyons cakes to the shops. Cream went out from the Trenear and Treloquithick Dairies. The Country Lorry Service delivered all the incoming goods and freight throughout the Lizard area and was kept busy every day but Sunday.