The PROBLEM with Cornwall’s Top Tourist attraction - The TRUTH revealed about The Minack Theatre

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

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[@nevillechant27]

It’s like spending time with the funniest history teachers from school, so enjoyable many thanks guys

[@margaretbond21]

Met Rowena Cade back in the 70s, my Uncle introduced us. What a beautiful setting, brilliant lifetime achievement. May she rest easy.🙏🏻

[@Cornishfoodie]

Me, too @margaretbond21! My grandparents knew her and used to take us as children frequently. I can clearly remember her climbing about on the hillside with a trowel in hand. Happy memories 😊

[@martinshipman3260]

Another lovely addition to your streams. You’re my current guilty pleasure, I’ve been binge watching since finding your channel a couple of weeks ago. Thank you so much.

[@chrish3472]

Really enjoyed this one, having been to the Minack to see a production in the evening it is a stunning location, so much atmosphere with the sea as the backdrop, this section of Coastline is one of my favourites , so much history with the telegraph museum just behind the beach, your videos are always up on another level when they include a costal ramble as part of the story, classic CWT.

[@sarahhopkins577]

everything in Cornwall is magic. love it

[@Neil-w1x]

Does that include the amount of heroin use they don't call Penzance brown town for nothing

[@robwallace7255]

Love watching your series about my favourite part of the country. I have been lucky enough to have performed at The Minack Theatre many times with our company - Hertfordshire Players, so was particularly interested in this episode. It truly is a magical space and there is no theatre in the world like it. The writer of the article you quote from, Frank Ruhrmund, was also a journalist for The Cornishman newspaper and reviewed all the Minack performances for many many years.

[@marcusgrose687]

Frank Ruhrmund was also a teacher,he was my English Literature teacher.Smashing bloke.

[@paulcooper9187]

Superb piece thank you. Rowena Cade is originally from the next village to us , in Derbyshire.

[@cynthiastogden7000]

Explains her dedication and hard work! Northern grit( I am from Yorkshire now in Cornwall).

[@Roy-gi5ul]

I bet she didn't greet everyone with a hearty "Ey up, mi duck!"

[@TravellingTorunn]

This was a very interesting video 😊 Thank you for digging for facts and stories in old magazines and doing field research 🥰 I think the theatre is looking great where it is and has wonderful views, but it is quite exposed to the weather. So it might have been a better idea to build it in a slope closer to the Logan Rock headland. The views would have been great there as well. But she would probably have had to buy that area too... I can hardly imagine all the hard work Rowena Cage has done on the theatre. And what made her do it? It has luckily become a success and she will always be remembered for it 😊 Thank you. Torunn 🥰

[@MarilynBlond1]

I'm from germany and vistit the Minack in 2023 for the first time. I love the place and the stunning view! Every time, i'm feeling bad, I start the Minack Webcam and dreaming away 😍 love to hear a little bit of the Minack history from you

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Couldn't agree more! Sarah :)

[@Renol70-N]

Fascinating place. I've been there a couple of times but never to see a production, It's on my bucket list. Great video, thank you.

[@almaknack9543]

And the sea is really that gob smacking azure blue. Mind blowing!

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

It is! Sarah :)

[@menkydoo]

Perhaps you should come and see my weekly performance at the Minack as Billy Rawlings. Rowena Cade looked at various sites for The Tempest, including the one you mention. But that one was too boggy to work, and also not accessible. Another choice was her own lawn. She and Billy worked together and he described her as quite fearless and tenacious, even wheeling a barrow of cement along a 6 inch plank over a chasm. 1966 is an interesting year. Only after that, in her 70s, did she start to build most of the seats (half the theatre). Billy had died and students from Cable and Wireless would often help when they could, but it was Miss Cade who always drove it and carried on with the physical work into her 80s.

[@arthuroldale-ki2ev]

Back in the 1960s I used to often stop of at the Minack Theatre and have a yarn with the old lady that built it, she would of been in her 80s / 90s then, wheelbarrow and trowel in hand . She had a very cultured accent and well educated , I believe she built it all on her own over many years, I don`t doubt she got herself some help when needed, but it was her baby. Cornwall was a magic place back then, but as the 1970s progressed it started to go down etc. been ruined for many years now.

[@muddeeewenched854]

I visited there in the mid 1980's. Stunning views

[@jameskrell4392]

Great stuff as usual. I used to camp at treen and in the evening you could see the lights and the music wafted its way across the waves as the night drew in, magical.

[@SaintIves-j7j]

We love your walks,we have been to the Minack and read all about it,then you both put an entirely new spin on the story, absolutely priceless. Please keep telling your truths 😊

[@taffythegreat1986]

It couldn’t have been built in the wrong place. If she was hands on. Cornwall is a beautiful place at the moment, let’s hope it stays that way. Love the vidro 👍👍👍👍

[@hysterialane24]

Fantastic film thank you - further enriching the known history of the Minack, you shared extra details on the origins and growth of the space with great respect for Rowena Cade - she was the visionary, with the dedicated assistance of a pair of working class Cornish gardeners. Marvellous. She couldn’t have done it without them - compelling stuff.

[@barikerns195]

Hi Andrew and Sarah, Just wanted to thank you for another great vid! So gorgeous at Minack. Stay safe during storm Darragh!

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Thank you! Sarah :)

[@catinkernow]

Very informative, I love the Minack and have performed there, it's magical.

[@gooner1ization]

I enjoyed this and love going to the Minack every time I visit Cornwall from my home City of Bath.

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Glad you enjoyed it! Sarah :)

[@victoriacarey8347]

Your show is utterly delightful. I grew up in New Zealand and landscape such as Cornwell is very NZ complete with gorse and bracken, and this show deeply satisfys a primal need to clamber over rocks and headlands, high above the pounding surf. We were sure we were the very first kids to have discovered hidden coves and caves. And oh to smell gorse in bloom.....

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Thank you! New Zealand sounds amazing! It is on our bucket list but we may need to win the lottery first!!! Would love to spend some time there though! Sarah :)

[@jennywolford4102]

Thank you for sharing your country with us. It allows me to see places never visited.

[@helenbosworth5950]

Enjoyed this video Sarah and Andrew love it thank you takecare xx

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Our pleasure! Sarah :)

[@kernow..exp.]

Hi folks we've been down around that area but not had a proper deep look yet we've been over to Logan Rock very magical place good video

[@keithreynolds279]

The Porthcurnow students who helped build it never get mentioned.

[@EllenPetersson-zs8wc]

Volonters they sad

[@steveday7470]

Brilliant as ever x

[@esthermorrissey1454]

We really. really enjoyed this video - the Minack Theatre is truly magical in every way. Rowena Cade was certainly a remarkable lady with such vision and what a legacy she has left us all. Your ‘history lesson, beautifully researched and told in an entertaining way.with a backdrop that is breathtaking - Thank you both for a great nights entertainment.

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Glad you enjoyed it! Sarah :)

[@ruthdavis9090]

When we were first married a friend asked us if we fancied going to Cornwall to assist the Cambridge University footlights in their Gilbert and Sullivan production, Hubby being a chap who had done lighting and sound for local amateur dramatics for a while. We did help out for a few years..what an experience! We often saw Rowena Cade adding cement to places that needed repair or inscribing recent productions onto seats. Also, she put fresh flowers daily into that little niche on the stairs by the lighting box that you show early on in your film. In the evening she was often found sitting in her wheelbarrow at the top, watching the productions of, for example, The Mikado or The Gondoliers. Griff Rhys Jones was the producer of one G&S while we were there. Working through the night until the dawn to rig the lights my husband would be climbing around the cliff, I was with my heart in my mouth even though he was an experienced climber! Don't think he'd climbed a lot in limited light like that. Minack gets in your heart and even now he puts the live webcam from the theatre on our computer daily. it was nearly 50 years ago we first were there with an amazing bunch of people. Long may Minack continue!

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

What a great story! Sarah :)

[@helenbosworth5950]

Thank you Sarah and Andrew another amazing video enjoyed as always 😊 canit wait for the ne t video take care both of you

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Our pleasure! Sarah :)

[@nickwebb9290]

Very well researched and as always really entertaining. BTW, I promise I won’t spill the beans on your 2025 April Fools prank 🤣

[@pilesofparagraphs]

Another very interesting story well told. I loved visiting the Minack, such a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing.

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Our pleasure! Sarah :)

[@patoflaherty1887]

Lovely....look forward to my visit next year❤

[@rebeccarendle3706]

Fun video. Love the Minack theatre.. no theatre has a better back drop!.

[@gordonsimpson3235]

That was fascinating. I had no idea that another site was considered. I have been to Minack/Porthcurno countless times....I also remember the 'Wendy house being open to all to explore! I think, on balance, it is in the 'right' place.

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

I agree! I doubt it would have lasted had it been anywhere else! Sarah :)

[@tractorgirl8124]

Wonderful video yet again 5*s

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Glad you enjoyed it Sarah :)

[@davefour-real1615]

Splendid tour. Thank you. Porthcurno was already "industrialised" from the 19th century with undersea cables, and the 1900's cable station buildings. So, Rowena would not be out of order in getting a foot-in-the-door with developing a virgin site with the Minack in the '30's. 😊

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Good point! Sarah :)

[@cornwallparanormalresearch2378]

Awesome fantastic location like and shared out in you tube community. ⌚

[@ncammann]

Love the views and the atmosphere of the Minak, Went to a Seth Lakeman concert there in September. brilliant. (And danced on the Logan Rock earlier in the day. Gotta make those rocks wobble)

[@juliedowning7782]

Thanks for this take on The Minack. Being a PZ lass, I have been to the Minack many, many times to see both performances and just to take many of my friends who have all wanted to visit. I love it. Didn’t get there this year so must try harder in 2025.

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

There are some places that are lovely to visit every year - this is one! Sarah :)

[@andrewarmstrong1017]

Always thought it incredible that She could have built it on her own...a little ole lady with a wheel barrow....fascinating vlog...visited with my Dad on our motorbikes...think we went more recently in the campervan....Absolutely stunning location

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

We agree! Sarah :)

[@PhilipInCoventry]

Lovely presentation. When the video is finished, discussion then occurs over biscuits & cheese. Pass the port, please. Keep safe

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Noted! 😀

[@Francis-xl2gu]

Looks Awesome !

[@cathrynbagley8005]

I remember that little house in the cliff from when I was a small child - it wasn't even boarded up then but had no windows or a door. I was too small to go exploring so never went in. I often wondered what it was like inside. As an adult I could remember the house but not where it was - it was lovely to find it again on a trip to Minack a few years ago.

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Glad you tied up the lose ends! Incomplete memories are great to solve! Sarah :)

[@EllenPetersson-zs8wc]

Tx for this ❤

[@YvetteWINSTONE-bl8jr]

Won her fascinating story thank you for sharing xxxx

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Glad you enjoyed it, Sarah :)

[@NorthernGrit]

She never claimed to have built on her own. Billy Rawlings, the Gardner, is as famous as his employer, for one.

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

I think she would disagree with the way it is portrayed today, of course she had help! Sarah :)

[@paulshilton5370]

Convincing detective work guys.

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Thank you! Sarah :)

[@WAYNEMODELBUILDER]

Great video but seriously? I am a builder and built many homes. So I can state I built my own home once, but that does not mean I'm claiming I did not have labourers or other bricklayers too to save time ? So because they say she built it does not mean there saying she built it all on her own ? Think your picking on words a bit here plus it was not built in the wrong place she just would had preferred it built elsewhere so again playing on words as you make it found like someone literally built it in the wrong place. But other than that enjoyed the video

[@colinbaker3415]

I'm no builder but I think it would have been a lot harder to build it 'over there' than on the firmer headland. As Kevin Costner said "If you build it, they will come" so the other site may have been viable. Treats to keep doggies in check, but what's in your bag to control Andrew? Saffron buns?😋

[@mikeoglen6848]

I am shocked by these Revelations about Rowena Cade. But, like Andrew, I can't imagine it being anywhere else. And, I don't think "The Bog Theatre" sounds quite so alluring...

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

😂

[@enahoward7702]

And a lift at Kynance Cove too!

[@stephnewman1357]

It does look a really stunning location. I guess if you build something like that in your garden then I guess you are responsible for it? A mad idea when your younger turned into a nightmare as she aged. She should have put it where she originally thought. The National Trust missed out there. I love that they had a wendy house built in the cliff on the beach. Fantastic! Sad its no longer used. A guy in Wales was building a castle for the public and the council wanted it removed so she definitely couldn't do it these days.

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

🥹Sarah :)

[@TheFowey]

A very eventful place Porthcurno they layed the first cable from the hut to Portugal around 1875 there's alot of cable under that beach for morse code I wonder if she witnessed that when she built her mound

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

The Telegraph museum is amazing! Sarah :)

[@georgechisholm329]

love your gray totebag can u say where you purchased cheers vanessa. great vids cornwall forever

[@John-s3t6q]

Well did see the Fisherman Friends , When they did sing there in their movie , That was good. Well i did think so.

[@bobspeller2225]

You've done it. Just propose to have the Minack should be moved!!!! OK. Cheers Bob

[@robertnightingale4101]

I have heard there was a ship wreck of timber at the cove and Miss Cade helped herself to some of the cargo. Police investigations dismissed her involvement as they didn't think she was cabale of carrying her haul up the cliffs.

[@robertnightingale4101]

*capable of

[@kiwi2000uk]

Hi, Have you read any of Denys Val Baker's books,they brilliant (if you can get hold of them these days) you get a real feel of what life was like in the 50/60's in Cornwall, amongst the writers & artist's of the time.well worth a read.

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

We found one today in a second hand book shop! Sarah :)

[@marcusrogers5860]

Andrew, if you are struggling for a name for the alternative Minack theatre on the boggy ground, you could call it 'The La-Treen Theatre' 😉

[@SyKerry]

Excellent video and story as always..... I have a curiosity question though Sarah. All my life in Cornwall it's been called Logan or Logans rock, pronounced Low gan. In your video from 8 years ago you pronounced it like this but in this video your pronouncing it Lug gan rock..... what's changed, have I missed some academic saying this is how it should be pronounced now?

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

Yes, we were corrected with the pronunciation all those years ago by a local Penwith archaeologist, Craig Weatherill. It was a written correction, so still not 100% sure we have it right. However we are following the form taken by the village of Illogan. Over the years we have been picked up and corrected many times and have learnt that local dialect can change within about 30 miles, and despite being born and bred Cornish we won’t know every pronunciation, but can have a good stab at it!. It’s also really hard, incredibly hard to find out - I’ve even rung businesses ahead of going but not found a definitive answer! A good example: Holywell. All our lives we have heard it said ‘Hollywell’ like the tree, despite their being only one ‘l’. In fact we don’t even oronounce the ‘h’. We were corrected and told it’s got a holy well so of course it’s ‘Holywell’! Silly us!! Sarah :)

[@SyKerry]

@CornishWalkingTrails I see, now that does make sense from a local archaeologist to know it's actual pronunciation. I thought maybe an academic had read a book and decided we are all saying it wrong. I'm still smarting from an academic telling me I've been saying Boadicea wrong all my life 😅..... yes I still pronounce it the old way 😀 I say Holly-Well too but again it makes sense that there was most likely a Holy-Well there in the mists of time. Just another lovely quirky thing about Cornwall, all the different names. When I first brought my wife down to Cornwall I had hours of laughing at her expense listening to her mispronounce Cornish place names 😅..... keep up the great work, very very entertaining 👏

[@DavidLee-yu7yz]

At timestamp 23:41 KZbin would not be happy if you filmed yourselves if you finally get there! 🤣

[@DavidLee-yu7yz]

Well, that two things I did not know, ie, the existence of the Minack and the truth you are going to tell us. LIke all written works, you need to check authenticity and provenance of the writer. Just for simple reason of lazy writing, lack of reasearch etc etc...

[@imagiconUK]

Both writers quoted were local and helped in the building and maintenance of the theatre. One of them was a local journalist for many years.

[@chrissslike-n1h]

Great video! But i just dont know how you Brits can walk so close to the edge of the trails!!!😮😮😊

[@xl51956]

Who are these people and what is their motivation as they do not sound Cornish!? 😮😮😮

[@arthurdanielles4784]

As aCornishman love your vids BUT!! I look at my partner there's always a BUT T 🤣 Viewers !!! The Minack is NOT where you see it today!! Coastal erosion and worse over centuries ..PLEAAAAAAAASE stop making judgements that are based on how things LOOK NOW!! Seasons greetings to you both.. There was probably a sea port there at one time..

[@mikeoglen6848]

What are you on about, arthur?

[@arthurdanielles4784]

@@mikeoglen6848 Try reading, my comment maybe you will then understand. Try looking up Cornwall and COASTAL erosion.

[@Neil-w1x]

Yes many parts of Cornwall are great but how about looking at the other part the not so nice bit .the massive drug problem homeless and poverty you wont have to look too hard

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

I think that is being excellently covered by Wendall, so we wouldn’t cross over content. Sarah :)

[@thedisassociatephilosophy]

Except if the location was different the audience would have been far more exposed to the elements. Fancy acting in pouring wind and rain? It’s not a nice experience.

[@bookprincess612]

You are amazing for digging out all these great informations and 'serving' this in your wonderful videos to us....🫂 THANK YOU ! I have donated a little amount (£10) for new 'old books', with love, Susanne and Wolfgang B. from Hanover, Germany

[@CornishWalkingTrails]

You are so welcome! Thank you so much! Sarah :)