MILLENDREATH lies in a welcoming valley, within sight of Looe Island and much of Looe itself, but nevertheless happily cut off from the bustle of town life and complete with its own cluster of houses, its beach, and its holiday complex.
Its most mature resident must be Alfred Crossberg, now 94, who moved to Millendreath in l965 with his wife Mary. At the same time Alfred also bought Lisandra, a photographic studio in Looe, which he ran until his retirement. During that period he was approached by the then proprietor of The Cornish Times, Eric Putnam, and was asked to produce photographs for the paper, his first assignment being a NFU ball at Looe.
Alfred began his career in Berlin, photographing stars of cabaret, but was forced to leave Germany in l937, due to Hitler's regime, and went to Johannesburg where he arrived with little money, but soon set up his own studio. There he started taking pictures of stars, among them Moira Lister, Diana Dors and the Queen's dresser, Norman Hartnell. He met Mary when she asked him to take pictures of her to send back home. He asked her for her address, and she joked that she never did have to pay for the photos. This year they will have been married for 47 years.
They later moved to Millendreath because Mary had a great uncle at St Cleer, and knew the area was beautiful and peaceful. She felt it fate that on the same day they found the photographic studio, they also discovered a bungalow with a plot of land for building at Millendreath. They had their own bungalow built, complete with studio and dark room, and Mary said at that time there was nothing on the other side of the valley bar horses and primroses. But she stressed the new owners of the holiday complex at Millendreath, the Walker family, are taking good care of the valley, and had 'lovely children'. Alfred, who started taking photographs aged ten, and said when he began professionally in the early twenties only glass plates, huge cameras, and magnesium powder (in the absence of flash) could be used.
Artist
Alfred became a familiar face in Looe, and is still recognised there by a host of people for whom he was their wedding photographer. Mary is an artist in her own right, an excellent painter of portraits of both people and animals, and a poet.
Among their neighbours are the Munt family, where artistic genes are also evident. Graham and his wife Linda moved to Millendreath about 13 years ago from Hertfordshire, with daughters Katie and Louise. Again it was the peace of the valley which attracted them - Graham, who is a professional painter, also being influenced by the clarity of light to be found there. Louise is already a local 'star' having caught the imagination with appearances with the Looe Youth Theatre group and Looe Players, and being chosen as the female lead in the musical Bugsy, performed at Plymouth's Drum Theatre. She is now at Rose Bruford University, South London and taking a BA in Acting. Her sister, Katie, a Looe school pupil, is also hoping to take a BTEC in performing arts.
Graham is a self-taught artist, who attended what is now the University of Middlesex as a mature student. He and Linda moved to Millendreath from Hertfordshire to ensure their daughters had a safe, happy upbringing by the sea, and with the intention of Graham turning professional as a painter. Since then his wonderful watercolours of Cornish scenes and harbours, and a host of other subjects, have won him much acclaim, and proved they made the right decision. He has exhibited at galleries, open exhibitions and through societies, and is a member of the Looe Arts and Crafts Society, the East Cornwall Society of Artists, and Artists in Cornwall who are to hold an exhibition in The Barn, Torquay in May.
Graham's work is not only to be found hanging in exhibitions, galleries, major institutions, private collections and homes (through purchase and commissions), but also on greetings cards, and brochures commissioned by private companies, such as holiday parks.
USA
His daughters often feature in his work, and can be spotted by the quayside on one of his watercolours of Looe waterfront. His work is on view throughout the world, one of his many successful exhibitions being one of his Cornish landscapes, mining heritage and coastal views in Seattle, USA.
Graham said he still finds living in Millendreath slightly unreal, as if on holiday rather than a resident there, and said it still pleases him to think that when he walks to the top of the garden he is on the clifftop, looking over the sea - and know that nearby runs a medieval lane.
Millendreath has changed, of course, over the years. Where there is now a car park in the centre of the valley, near the sea wall, there was once a 'swamp', while Second World War defences were built there when the threat of invasion was high. These can still be seen, because they have been made a feature of the wall. Such is the peace and the recuperative air offered by the valley that many of the cottages found there were built especially for the rehabilitation of Welsh miners suffering from lung disease.
The chance of recuperation is now offered to visitors, who wish to forget their stressful lives by enjoying themselves at Millendreath's holiday complex. The Waterfront incorporates a pub, a shop which is open throughout the year, a cafe, a heated swimming pool used by local schools and residents, and ideal facilities for civil weddings, functions, children's parties and visiting groups. A Madness band will be appearing there on March 16, and Chas and Dave are to pay a visit on May 12. The 'Blues Brothers' have played there, and one of the recent events was a well-received fashion show. The complex also has a County Auctions area, where a range of items are regularly auctioned, and of course the beach itself - a favourite place in the summer when the sun is out, and the sea is warm. Youngsters can play safely in a salt water filled 'paddling pool' built into the beach, and they can also visit the numerous animals which live happily at the complex, such as donkeys, llamas, pigs, goats, ducks, guinea fowl, horses and rabbits. These are all looked after by Michelle O'Brien whose job it is to groom them, feed them, ensure they are all in good health, and oversee the donkey rides etc.
Family
John and Sally Walker, and their family, took over the running of the complex on March 13 last year, and have created a friendly, welcoming family haven, which is also enjoyed by their own young family - Luke who is nearly 13, Amber aged 11, Saffron aged seven and 15-month-old Fleur.
When The Cornish Times visited on Monday a party of schoolchildren from Polruan were making the most of the opportunities provided by the heated swimming pool, which is open to the public throughout the week (apart from the schools' slots) and weekends with 'all swim', 'adult swim', 'aquarobics', and 'adult and children's swimming lessons' sessions, as well as 'lifesaving'. The opportunity is also provided to become club members.
Manager of the cafe and restaurant at the site - which is ideally placed right on beachside - is Janette Mansfield, who lives in Millendreath. She moved there around 17 years ago with her husband, Edward, a quality assurance inspector with St Merryn Meats, and her four children - Ruth, Richard, Christian and Jayne. Janette said they moved from Derbyshire, because they thought Millendreath was ideal for the children as they grew up - and so it proved. The four have not moved far from Millendreath, although all are now very much adults. The restaurant and cafe are open throughout the day, offering visitors the chance just to enjoy a reviving cup of tea or coffee, select a snack, or tuck into a mouth-watering meal. Delicious roasts are available on Sundays, and in the summer evening meals are also served up in style. When the weather is warmer, as well, tables and chairs are placed outside so that refreshments can be taken only metres away from the lapping waves.
Relaxing with one of Janette's cups of tea on Monday was Jason Hughes, who used to live in the area when young. He has now returned, after living in cities such as London and Birmingham, to make the most of the more restful life that Millendreath has to offer, and is working on the site as a DJ at a number of the events regularly staged there.