“The community of my youth is long gone, along with several shops, garages, hotels, guest houses, chapels and the youth club. But times move on and I know people from all over the world who come here and call this Heaven. The first day that my wife, Mary, visited here she said “If God is hiding out anywhere then it’s here”.

So writes the author in compiling The Book of Gerrans and Portscatho, bringing home to the reader how such places leave an indezlible mark on those who grew up there, who now live there, or who may only be visiting. This book is written for all those people who have a connection to these two communties, or to the Roseland peninsula, and who hold dear the memories of the place as it once was, and as it is today. While only 5 minutes walk apart these two villages each possess a very individual charm and the character of each is evident from the photographs and stories told in this book. The changes that have taken place are revealed through the photographs, but these also reveal much of what has remained unchanged, and will help present generations to treasure the past and to preserve the best of these two quintessential Cornish villages.M

Chris Pollard is well known in the Roseland area for his books of local interest. He now turns his attention to his native villages of Gerrans and Portscatho covering their history through the centuries and up to the present day. For six generations his family have lived, worked and helped to populate the villages of Gerrans and Portscatho.

Imprint: Halsgrove. ISBN 978 1 84114 785 7, hardback, 297x210mm, 160 pages. Published October 2008.