Morwellham Quay, Devon.

One of us in the cottage has a birthday this week.
We normally spend the Soggibottom carpenter's special day on a day out. This year the weather forecast for the 20th of September gives rain. On a whim we decided if we were going out for the day, we may as well go when it was dry, even if the trip out was a few days early.
We didn't feel the need to drive far this year so decided on a trip to Morwellham Quay, Devon side of the river Tamar.

Morwellham Quay is a living history museum. A place we were going to take our grandson Jake on his visit to Soggibottom during the school holidays, as usual time ran away with us. A week isn't long enough to finish the "to do" list.

Morwellham lies in a secluded valley beside the river Tamar. To know more about the history I would have to spend more time and read more of the signs and displays on show. Read more books about the place. A few hours really isn't long enough to know the real history, so best I give you a link to MORWELLHAM QUAY. That way I won't get my facts wrong.

I can show you some of our own photo's.

There are mines all around Devon and Cornwall. Tin mines and copper mines. Morwellham is a copper mine. The miners at Morwellham even diversified at the end of the mines life and brought up Arseno pyrite.

After the pyrite had been through a few processes it was refined to what you and I would know as Arsenic.

The display of part of the chemistry lab.
We enjoyed poking around, okay I should have said meandering. Kids are back at school and it was a quiet day at Morwellham, we poked around, enjoyed getting into every nook and cranny.

Before you ask, no, Soggibottom does not have dust like this under the beds or a chamber pot.
I have to go back to mend the tear in that beautiful bedspread, also clean all the cottage windows, anyone want to give me a hand about the dust ?
I'm sure it's been a busy Summer this year. There have been other things to do apart from dust.
The people who lived here would have been hard at work most of the day, not worrying about dust. Everyone worked. Kids, women and never a great place to be working down a mine. The whole place was covered in dust from the work that went on here.

There are some really good displays around the museum.

In the village shop, maybe you should blow the dust off before you take a bite from the sugar mice.

Think twice about going to the bathroom.  Someone has a rat or mouse problem.

The Victorian Farm T.V programe was filmed at this very spot,  they then followed it up by an Edwardian Farm. I can't imagine what it must have been like to film and keep visitors through the doors here at the same time.

 

Morewellham also has lovely people who dress in costume and really know their history and enjoy passing on their knowledge.

Morwellham on a quiet day was perfect for us, and perfect for Freya as it gave her the chance to go places she should never have been.

Climbing on the displays is a no, no.
That's our beloved Cavalier, she is fearless, she even went down the copper mine and never batted an eye or in Freya's case an ear.
It has to be mentioned, she did take a great interest in the cake display at Ruth's cottage.

Fearless Freya can be found over at her blog Cat Flap Cavalier. 

She really didn't touch the display, after her five week diet from tubby dog to sleek noble lady, she probably would have gobbled up given half the chance. I can see her mouth watering.  

Freya, Norse for noble lady, or as she is sometimes known around Soggibottom cottage, Freya the red, Freya the greedy, Freya the brave, Freya the fearless. Freya the mutt, Freya our shadow, Freya our beloved dog.

We took far too many photo's for one post, so see you soon.
Unless you are already bored and have started to yawn. :-) x x x