PILLATON overlooks the Lynher valley on the South East border of Cornwall.

Mentioned in the Doomsday Book under the name of 'Piletona' or 'Pileton', the literal translation of the name in Old English means 'the farmstead of stakes'.

The name has been spelt in various ways over the years as 'Pillyton' and previous to the 19th Century as 'Pilaton'. From the first Ordnance Survey map in 1809 it has been spelled as it is today.

The Manor of Pillaton passed through the ownership of various families and between the mid 1800s and 1924 the greater part of the village and a large area of the parish was owned by the Collins family of Newton Ferrers, the mansion house of which is situated in St Mellion. The whole village was sold in 1924, with farms and cottages being mostly bought out by the sitting tenants.

Pillaton and St Mellion form one parish with, consequently, two medieval churches. Rev Philip Lamb explained: 'The parish finances have to maintain two medieval churches and it really is a tribute to the commitment of the ability of the local community by the way they have been maintained and looked after.' Alternate Sunday services are held at Pillaton Church and St Mellion Church. An annual event is the Cherry Feast which takes place at St Mellion Rectory in July to raise funds for the two churches.

The 13th Century Church of St Odulph in Pillaton, St Odulph being a monk and missionary from Belgium who died on June 12, 855, was consecrated by the Bishop of Exeter in 1259. Rev Lamb is rector and divides his time between Pillaton, St Mellion, Landulph, Cargreen and St Dominic. It has been over 30 years since Pillaton had a resident parish priest living in the old rectory opposite the Church.

The choir is trained by Doreen Kinbig and the organist is Mary Doige. The Church wardens are John Kinchin who was a former naval officer and John Tucker a former manager of the dockyards in Plymouth.

The handbell ringers are led by Sheila Bridle and are very successful and skilled. Tower Captain is Dr Richard Warrick, a doctor of Marine Biology and they meet at the church for a practice every Tuesday evening.

The Old Rectory was home to the last resident parish priest, Parson Hocking over 30 years ago, and is now home to Peter Skinnard a semi retired solicitor for Blight, Broad and Skinnard. His son Christopher now runs the firm at Callington. Peter said: 'My family have lived here for generations, it's almost a perfect village. There's a happy mix of old and new villagers and everyone mucks in together.'

Soprano

Peter's wife, Shelagh, is well known in the area for her soprano voice, which has taken her all over the South West and further afield singing solos for various choirs and she also takes part in various operatic productions. Shelagh ran in the London marathon in 1993 and trekked the foothills of Everest in 1998. She has also taken part in the Great North Run, a half marathon, with Paula Skinnard, her step daughter, who also lives in the village.

Peter and Shelagh have one daughter, 17-year-old Bethany. Shelagh and Peter agreed: 'It's a very vibrant village, everyone looks after everyone else, there is a real community spirit.'

The Weary Friar is situated in the heart of the village, it was originally called the Royal Oak and is believed to be a resting place for monks building the church, although before the inn was opened it is thought to have been three cottages.

The pub has been owned by Roger and Susan Sharman for over 11 years. When they first arrived they carried out a total refurbishment. The restaurant is situated at the back of the pub and can seat about 80 people, the main bar is very popular with the locals and the pub has 13 en-suite letting rooms which are usually fully booked during the summer months. There is also the Stable Bar which is opened occasionally for meetings and for people to play darts.

Roger and Susan employ three full time staff and part timers during the summer season.

The Weary Friar golf society meet at the pub every three weeks and play on the local courses, and there is also a club called 'The Fossils' which is a veteran golf club. The Weary Friar hosts the 'Pillaton Function' a Christmas Party solely for 'Pillatonians' on the Friday before Christmas which is always well attended.

There are tales of strange things happening at The Weary Friar such as the grey lady in the Stable Bar, the young couple staying at The Weary Friar who left the next morning complaining about the continuous striking of the Church clock - there is no church clock - and Rev Lamb thinks that it would be very unlikely to hear the clock all the way from St Mellion.

The East Cornwall Hunt still continues a time honoured tradition of meeting at The Weary Friar on Christmas Eve before going on the hunt. Roger was keen to add: 'They haven't caught a fox in 20 years.'

Other horsey activities take place around Pillaton, most well known being the annual gymkhana, a BHSA registered event, which was started in 1923 by Courtney Lucas. He was in the artillery in the First World War and worked with the horses. When he came out of the army he teamed up with Mr Balsdon and started the gymkhana in the fields close to the village. The gymkhana then came to Lee Farm with Courtney's son George. It was held there for about ten years. George is now retired and lives at Amy Tree with his wife Dorothy and still goes horse riding everyday. The gymkhana is now held at Keason Farm with the Jope family and has been since 1990.

Tony Jope moved to Keason Farm in 1948 from Hatt, he used to be the Church warden and a bell ringer at St Odulph's and still helps with the ringing occasionally. His wife Greta is a member of the Pillaton WI who meet in the village hall and whose current President is Mrs Bobbins.

Sporting activities include The Cricket Club and coarse fishing at Bush Farm, Pillaton.

Jim Renfree has lived at Bush Farm since he was three, he now lives there with his wife Irene, from Germany and they have two children.

The coarse fishing lakes started almost by accident. 'Irene wanted a small lake build on some boggy land,' Jim explained, 'Being a Cornish farmer I wanted something that would make a bit of money, so I dug the lake a bit bigger.'

Twenty five years on there are now four lakes with a selection of fish in them, the biggest weighing about 30 pounds.

The village hall was built as the school and plans are under way for an extension and modernisation of the building. When the children were sent to St Mellion school the property was bought by a group of villagers to be held by trustees on behalf of the community.

The Horticultural Society meets at the village hall and pub and the current chairman is Rose Peters.

The Pantomime Players also meet at the hall and put on a show every two years. Joe and Don King produce and direct the shows and they also produced and directed the Pillaton Pageant for the Millennium which was held in June

Other groups which meet at the hall are the parish council, the hall committee and it is a popular venue for private parties.

David Dolley, a local parish councillor and village hall chairman said: 'I can remember when the village was just 19 houses. As a parish councillor I wouldn't like to see the village grow anymore as it would destroy the character. The village atmosphere is pleasant and just about all the houses are filled and lived in.'

Delcia Miles, a retired head teacher edits the village magazine 'Pillaton Village News' which is run by the village hall committee. It is published every six weeks and contains various articles written by individuals who want to share their experiences and information.

Funds

David and Shirley Floyd of Rick Park Farm at Pillaton Mill host duck races and a Wassail Night to raise funds for the Air Ambulance and other various charities.

All of Rick Park Farm's land is rented out and the house has been passed down through the generations. Shirley's grandfather was a butcher who supplied meat to Saltash and the surrounding villages. Shirley was born in the farm house and has lived there all her life. Her husband David is a postman and they have a daughter, Michelle, 29, and a son, 22-year-old Mark. They keep hens, geese and ducks.

Kernock Park Plants situated just outside the village has been owned and run by Richard and Janet Harnett for 20 years. The nursery was opened in 1981 and Richard was working for the Ministry of Agriculture at the time. He started working full time at the nursery in 1988.

Chris and Bruce, their sons, also work at Kernock Park Plants. Chris has been there for three years and Bruce is employed at Plymouth University under a teaching company scheme, so effectively works there and will be joining properly soon.

Ann Kinchin who lives in Pillaton and is married to Church warden, John, has worked at Kernock Park plants since 1985. She has also been Brown Owl since 1986 for the First Pillaton Brownies, who meet at the village hall on Wednesdays, she has also taken over being guide leader for the guides as they are still looking for a new guide leader.

Local man, Chris Woods, has spent two years compiling a book about Pillaton for part of a Millennium project. The proceeds of the book, giving in depth knowledge about the village and the people who live there, will be divided equally between the village hall and the Church of St Odulph in Pillaton.

Pillaton may be a commuter village but its community spirit is strong and despite the Post Office and shop closing down about ten years ago the village is still thriving and busy.