Cornish train station marks 100th birthday

A railway station in Cornwall which once had circus elephants walk down its path has celebrated its 100th birthday.

Residents of Falmouth attended a centenary plaque unveiling on Tuesday at Penmere Station, which is on the line between Truro and Falmouth docks.

The station was first opened in 1925 and became neglected during the 1970s and 1980s before it was rejuvenated.

Zara Radford's grandfather had worked in the ticket office in the 1960s, and said he would have been "very proud" to see it on its 100th birthday.

Julia Foyle, whose grandfather also worked at the station until 1968, said she remembered bringing him pasties for lunch there.

She said it was "nice to see how loved [the station] is now" and it had "gorgeous vintage signs".

A volunteer group, the Friends of Penmere Station, has been planting flower beds since the station fell into disrepair after it became unstaffed in the 1960s.

Since the flowers and greenery were planted, the garden has gone on to win a number of awards for its appearance.

Steve Lloyd, a founding member of the group, said the station would have originally served dockworkers who lived in the area.

He added: "During World War Two, there were oil trains that came down overnight and transferred [oil] into tanks next to the station, where it was piped down to fuel up the flying boats that operated from Falmouth harbour.

"We [also] found a photograph from the 1930s of Bertram Mills Circus.

"The train pulls into Penmere Station and the picture is of elephants plodding down the footpath from the station towards the circus tent in the centre of town."

Maureen Bramwell-Hewitt has lived across from the station since 1974 and said she remembered the area before its transformation.

She said: "It was abysmal, it was an overgrown death trap. People were struggling to get to the platform.

"Now it's beautiful. Everyone in community uses it now, students from the university use it and some elderly people come and sit in the gardens because they're so lovely."

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