The Haven - Built 1906
The Haven was the first non-farming house to be constructed in Trebetherick.
1906
The Haven was the first house constructed in Trebetherick, which was not directly linked to or reliant on agriculture. It was thought that the St Enodoc Golf Club, which was founded in 1890, would bring people to the area who would need accommodation. It was rather atractively pebble-dashed with small stones and shells brought up from the beach. In the setting sun it glowed with a slightly pinkish tinge. Trebetherick was then primarily open farmland with in the 1901 census only 8 households of farmers, farm workers and labourers cottages, smallholdings and barns. Following The Haven construction, other houses, guest houses, and eventually hotels were built in the area. The entrance pillars to The Haven, which now appear to be at an odd angle to the road, were built in 1906 and were perfectly parallel to the old road. In the 1960s, the Daymer Bay Garage was demolished allowing the old road to be improved, moved westward and straightened, the old road being left as the current layby.
1920
1920
The Haven front lawn was laid out as a grass tennis court, chickens and a cow were kept also a vegetable garden was tended, all in the field on the southern side of the house. Water was drawn from a well in the garden, which still exists, though it is falling into disrepair at this time. A man was employed for two hours twice a day, pumping to fill the roof tank for WC flushing and washing water, a wonderful ‘modern’ luxury and convenience at that time. A secondary hand pump was located in the scullery for drinking/cooking water.
The Haven Poultry
The Haven Well and Hand Pump
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THE HAVEN IN THE 1920s
Ernest Betjeman, (Sir John Betjeman’s father), brought his family to holiday in Trebetherick and stayed at The Haven which was run as a guest house. Their pony and trap were kept in a stable at the rear and used to collect guests from Wadebridge train station or from Rock. As a boy, John Betjeman remembered being collected from the train station by The Haven owners in their pony and trap/cart. However, John recounted that sometimes if the weather was favourable they could stay on the train past Wadebridge and all the way to Padstow, crossing the estuary on the rowed/sailed ferry to Rock where they would be collected for the shorter journey to The Haven. A family and all their luggage would have been quite a load for the pony but I’m sure the children would have delighted in walking alongside to lighten the load on the hills. We wonder which route they took from Rock to Trebetherick? If the tide was right they may well have taken the shorter and flatter beach option along the firm sand of the high tide line and up only the one hill of Daymer Lane? We hardly notice it now in our cars but the journey from Rock to Trebetherick up Rock Road, TREWINT Lane, TREWINT Hill and WORTHY Hill consists of several steep hills. In 1928 Ernest Betjeman built his own house in Daymer Lane, Lower Trebetherick and called it Undertown.
1927 - Worthy House, Trebetherick Telephone Exchange starts in the Paper Shop and Post Office.
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The Postmaster was George Harris, who ran the shop, delivered the mail and papers and for thirty years connected the phone calls with the hand opperated exchange. As the numbers of holiday homes and summer visitors increased, George needed Summer time help. As a teenager, Brian took this summer holiday job of assistant postman at Trebetherick Post Office, Worthy House. Brian used George’s 1934 black Austen 7 van to deliver mail and papers. George was full of fun and when operating the phone lines he used to say to the callers “rubber knees” for ‘number please’ and “trying to forget you” for ‘trying to connect you’.
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In 1957 the new telephone exchange building was built next to Old Farm.
1938 Domestic Electricity Was Brought to all Trebetherick Properties.
1950
- This Painting 1960 shows four Rolls Royce CEO guests from Duffield, with their families and each driving a Rolls Royce.
- Mabyn Oaten on the balcony of The Haven before the bay windows were converted into a mahogany sunroom extension in the late 1950s
- Brian was born and grew up in Trebetherick, 1939 to today, for some of his memories please go to The Haven subheading…..