MERRYMEET is a quiet and pleasant village which although situated just off the A390 between Liskeard and St Ive, somehow finds itself in the large parish of Menheniot, as does neighbouring Pengover Green, about half a mile away on the opposite side of the road.

The name Merrymeet means precisely what it says - a happy meeting place. According to the Cornish Book of Place Names it is English, and was first recorded in 1699. The name is said to be fairly common and is thought to suggest places where there were former public houses, hence the 'merry' bit, or where several roads meet, but there are no records of the village ever having had a pub.

However, it is thought by some that Merrymeet could have derived from the fact that when the area was nothing but open fields it was a popular meeting place for horse races, attended by folk from far and wide. One assumes that these were very merry, social occasions!

Although the village could be described as a backwater, where nothing much happens , there is a change in the air, whereby the 'Merry' is slowly being put back into the 'Meet', a happy consequence of the millennium.

A small group of people got together last year and organised a village meeting to discuss how the millennium could be celebrated. From this the Merrymeet/Pengover Residents Association was born, and ever since the small group has been slowly reviving community spirit. After some fundraising events a village party was arranged in the Methodist chapel's schoolroom on New Year's Eve, there was a free millennium lunch for all residents, and the schoolchildren received commemorative mugs with the name of either Merrymeet or Pengover on them.

Since then the association has been undertaking other projects, one of which has been the remarkable face lift of the once delapidated bus shelter, which has improved the whole main road area of Merrymeet.

Residents Peter Radcliff, a domicilliary dentist, and his wife Jackie, who live in the former shop and post office premises, and their neighbours Peter and Lynette Luck, who face on to the shelter, decided they wanted to do something about their dismal outlook, and the association helped with the repairs. Mr Gwyn Hughes made a new seat with Brian Taylor installing it, and many other folk became involved.

Swallows nesting

The result is so transforming that the little white 'house' could be mistaken for a pixie cottage. Peter Luck, an association committee member, cuts the grass, down as far as the chapel, and Jackie helps to keep the flowers in trim. However, at the moment not many folk venture inside because swallows are nesting there - an annual event.

Association chairman is Cyril Symons, a parish councillor for 28 years, secretary is Rod Hutchings, treasurer is Hilary Geary, and the rest of the committee comprises Brian Taylor, Gwyn Hughs, Nola Venton, Lorna Philips and Bill Cox from Pengover.

The parish is presenting Merrymeet with a wooden seat as part of its millennium project, which will be maintained by Cornwall Council and sited in the village centre.

Since the loss of the shop about eight years ago, residents have had nowhere central to stop for a chat, so the seat is expected to become a popular meeting place.

However, largely thanks to the efforts of Cyril Smith, the village was fortunate in March 1999 to secure the services of the mobile post office van which visits every Monday. It is run by sub postmaster Peter Gray, based at Bere Alston, and is the only such vehicle in the entire country. Peter has become a friend to people in the 16 villages he visits in South East Cornwall, over two days each week.

Quiet lanes

Merrymeet, which has no more than 60 houses, does however burst into life every July, when the large and successful one day Liskeard Agricultural Show moves in. The quiet lanes suddenly become choc-a-bloc with every conceivable mode of transport from cattle trucks and horse boxes to the hundreds of visitors cars, but a slickly operated one way system keeps everything moving along like clockwork with as little disruption to the residents as possible.

The show first moved to Merrymeet in the 1980s when it expanded from its former home at Tregay in Liskeard, and is now held on fields at Trengrove Farm belonging to Brian Arthur, a show yard director, and Peter Sobey, who is also a parish councillor. This year's show, the 98th in its long history, takes place on Saturday, July 8. The second busiest time of the year was the August Bank Holiday weekend when the popular Merrymeet Steam and Traction Engine Rallywas held. Sadly, after about 30 years, the rally came to an end, the Cornish Times reporting it had 'run out of steam'. However, it was revived last year being held instead on the Boconnoc Estate.

Queen Mother

At Pengover, where residents like the 'Green' being added to the name, there is a much remembered date on its own calendar, for it was 41 years ago this June in 1959 that the Royal Cornwall Show was held there, attended by the Queen Mother.

In the centre of Merrymeet, surrounded by cottages, a few new properties, and the only estate, Kingswood, which was built in the 1970s, is the small Mission Church of St Mary The Virgin.

The priest in charge is Rev Philip Conway, vicar of Menheniot, who has been in the parish for about 16 months. Before his ordination he was a professional singer, mainly in cathedral choirs, and he is married to local girl Katie, whose family hail from St Dominic. The latest addition to the Conway family is eight week old Joshua, who is a little brother for Bethany, aged two.

The church interior is well cared for, and the colourful kneelers made in 1988, by both men and women of the congregation, gives it a cheerful air. One of the craftspeople was Brian Arthur, honorary churchwarden, who was shown how to do the stitching by his mother Loveday, who was churchwarden for many years before him. It was Loveday who made the church's beautiful vestments for the use of the incumbents, and also did some work on the altar cloths.

Representing the church on the parochial church council are Brian, along with the organist Ruth Sargent, and Pat Mahony from Pengover. Rev Conway, is full of praise for the small congregation. 'They are extremely faithful and committed' he said.

Merrymeet also has a thriving Methodist community, the present chapel being erected next to the main road in 1908, to replace the former building in the village which was known as Trengrove Chapel. Pengover also had a chapel of its own, but it was closed over 30 years ago. The minister in charge is Ann Curnow, based at Menheniot Chapel, and present steward is Mr Lloyd Beswetherick, who along with his wife Ruth has attended the chapel since about 1939. Their daughter Anne is the organist. The Beswethericks farmed at Lower Trengrove until their retirement 12 years ago when they moved into Liskeard. The chapel annually invites a choir to sing and this year on Sunday, July 2, a visit from Polperro Fishermen's Choir is much looked foward to by all. A monthly luncheon for all age groups is also held.

As well as the church 'flocks', Merrymeet has the real thing in the shape of Phil Whitehead's Jacob sheep. Well known as a former police sgt in Liskeard and Callington, Phil, who is now retired, and his wife Jessica, a retired deputy head of a Plymouth school, moved to Merrymeet in 1977. Phil began his sheep keeping hobby in 1990, when he bought his first three ewes, and his flock has now expanded to 36. His present ram is a pure bred named 'Blackadder', apparently because he is a bit of a character. A member of the Jacob Sheep Society, Phil says he will probably show a few of his sheep at the Liskeard Show, for which he has been selling membership for several years, and serves on the general committee.

Spinning

Jessica began spinning the Jacobs' wool about eight years ago, and although she doesn't sell the garments she knits, her family and friends all sport some lovely jumpers, shawls and scarves, thanks to her expertise.

Another lady who is clever with needles but in a different way is Lorraine White of Handmaid Designs, who in partnership with her mum Carol Lye of Princetown, runs her business from Pixie Holt, a pretty cottage in the village, which dates back to 1860.

Lorraine has been creating beautiful bridal gowns and bridesmaids dresses, as well as special occasion garments, for the last two years and is pleased at how well her venture has taken off. She works in a consultation studio which is attractively laid out and where her clients can relax and have fittings in privacy. She has a ready made model in her three and a half year old daughter Natalie, and pictures of her in bridesmaids' dresses adorn the walls, the work of her Royal Naval photographer daddy, Andy.

The Whites have lived in Merrymeet for four years, and are one of only a handful of young families, the residents being mainly retired, but they say it is a nice little community and they are happy there. The village school, now a large house, was closed in the 1960s, so the children now mainly attend Menheniot primary.

Pengover too, a settlement of only about 22 houses, is also short of children, there being only about half a dozen there, but it is still a happy little community. Most of the properties, including nearby Crift Cottages, and the houses in Merrymeet as well were former mining cottages, built around the time of the boom in the middle to late 1800s, when mines sprang up in the Menheniot parish. The nearest to Pengover/Merrymeet is Wheal Honey, and during the 2nd World War people were paid to gather certain types of minerals from the old spoil tips at Trehane, which were used in the making of ammunition.

It was during the War that the Pengover/Merrymeet WI was first formed, and a hall was put up in Pengover where the ladies could meet, by Mrs Roskilly of Tregartha Farm. However, the WI ceased to meet in the village about a year ago, and has now amalgamated with Menheniot, so the hall is to be converted into a dwelling. Farming Tregartha now are Mrs Roskilly's daughter Pauline Martin and husband George. Other farms surrounding the village include Trebartha, home of Trevor and Catherine Sobey, and at Trewolland are the Martin's daughter Alison Melhuish, who is also the hardworking secretary of the Liskeard Show. Pengover Farm itself has been mostly split up and is mainly farmed by members of the Sobey family.

Living at Pengover for most of his 72 years has been Bill Cox, who now resides with his daughter and son in law, Jennifer and Alan Mitchell. He says a lot of the cottages are rented out and there are only a few people remaining of the original families.

These include William and Dorothy Williams who have been there for 45 years, and Mrs Vera Baker. 'People come and go and most of them work so you don't get to know them very well' said Bill, 'but we like to have a yarn if we do see them'.

Whist

Bill has been involved on the committee of the Pengover/Merrymeet flower show since its inauguration in 1948, but it too has now moved to Menheniot, but has retained the name. For the last 20 years he has also been running the Pengover whist group which meets every fortnight, the Williams being avid players, but since the hall closure the small band has been meeting at Bill's home to keep it going. Any monies accumulated at the end of each year are donated to charity.

Small they may be, but Merrymeet and Pengover cannot be accused of being sleepy. As Cyril Smith said 'The villages went a bit dead after the shop closed, but with our little residents group, we are gradually all getting together again. Things are beginning to happen here'.