FROM many vantage points in St Ann's Chapel there are wonderful views across the Tamar Valley.

In the mid-l9th Century the village formed part of an area which proved rich in mining, with the discovery of veins of copper, arsenic, tin and silver. Then came the building of Brunel's railway bridge across the Tamar and the coming of trains, which carried local cherries, strawberries, apples and fresh flowers to the London markets.

Pamela Holman, who moved to St Ann's Chapel with her parents in l964, remembers when the fields across from her home was used for strawberry growing.

Miss Holman, who regularly used to send copies of The Cornish Times to her brother in Wembley, London, to keep him up-dated on South East Cornwall news, also recalls when there were two village butcher's shops, and when the shop run by the Henwood family stocked a range of items, and could order anything customers wanted, from wallpaper to china, and special foods to clothes.

There are currently two garages in St Ann's Chapel - Central Motors, sited at Southover to the west of the village - and the other run by Bill Galbraith since l964.

Bill is the Henwoods' son-in-law. A Scot, he moved to Cornwall to take over running the business when his in-laws retired. Bill married Anne Henwood, and they now have three children - daughters Mary and and Avril and son John, a television sound technician - and five grandchildren.

Their children still live nearby, despite wandering far from home, such as New Zealand, at some stages in their lives.

Bill's UK garage also serves as a convenience store, and is a friendly, welcoming place for locals to shop in.

Betty Getson has enjoyed working there for nearly 23 years. She has lived in the village for over 35 years, moving from Devon after her marriage. She recalls when there was a Methodist chapel nearby (still standing, but not in use), and a 'tin church'.

The village pub, the Rifle Volunteer Inn, is run by Frank and Lynda Hilldrup.

Built as a mine captain's house around l800, it has been a traditional coaching inn since the mid-19th Century.

Attractive

Originally called the Rifle Corps Inn, its name was taken from the volunteer corps of soldiers formed between 1859-1881 to defend Great Britain from invasion by Napoleon's France.

Before l881 the volunteers became sub-units of the volunteer battalions of their respective counties - in Cornwall becoming the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry.

The inn includes a main lounge bar and a chapel bar (both furnished using the contents of a former Cornish Methodist chapel, including a decorative set of organ pipes), a conservatory restaurant with panoramic views and offering home cooked food, a function room which doubles as a skittle alley with pool table, and attractive accommodation.

Frank said a new extension is to be built, bringing the restaurant with its views of the Tamar out into the garden, and a full-time chef has been employed. A terrace is also to be created outside, halfway between the restaurant and garden level, which heaters provided to warm the area when needed.

From Easter the pub will be open every lunchtime - at the moment being open during the day on Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes.

Opposite the Rifle Volunteer is bustling newsagents and grocers, Hubbards, run for many years by Christine and Todd Hubbard.

It stocks an impressive variety of items, is also an off-licence, has a well-used cashpoint, and provides locals with the opportunity to do the Lottery.

Alison Chesworth, of St Ann's Chapel, has worked there for around l8 months, and described her home village as a 'lovely place'.

Local licensed restaurant, Annie's Place, is so called, not because it is situated at St Ann's Chapel, but because it has been in the capable hands of Annie and Del Loveday for almost six years.

They moved there from Weymouth, and since then have very much enjoyed life, establishing their loyal customers, plus a great deal of through trade.

Peaceful

The restaurant, which was once two miners' cottages, boasts a peaceful garden, complete with ponds stocked full of goldfish, which is used for cream teas in summer. Customers can tuck into all-day breakfasts, and mouth-watering main dishes such as homemade pot meals, and meals from the griddle, with steak and kidney pie, cauliflower cheese and rump steak on the menu.

In the winter they close at 7pm, but in the summer, when they are a draw for many visiting nearby Honicombe holiday park, they open longer hours. Local food is used wherever possible, such as from the Tamar Valley butchers, which has helped Annie and Del integrate further into St Ann's Chapel life. Among their many satisfied customers last week were Caroline Alexander and her husband, Michael, of Gunnislake with daughters Martha aged two-and-a-half and Poppy aged one. As Annie's Place makes families very welcome they eat there regularly.

Within the village can be found numerous other businesses, such as a forge, the barber's shop The Men's Room, the Rylands garage base of DAC coaches, and Sunnybanks nursery school and day nursery, owned by Hermine Timmis.

Nursery school sessions were initially held in a house, but now the youngsters have moved to a specially developed, spacious, school building complete with colourful play equipment, and room for them to express and enjoy themselves.

Sunnybanks, which can take up to 24 children, was given an especially favourable report by OFSTED inspectors who visited about two years ago.