Western Morning News (Saturday)
Unravelling stories behind scenic Cornish villages
TWO historic Cornish villages are to feature in a new TV series about how the past has shaped our landscape and communities.
The BBC show, Villages by the Sea, uncovers the tragic stories behind Botallack’s mining past and explores the myth and the legend of King Arthur at Tintagel.
The programme returns to the South West for a third series. Presented by archaeologist Ben Robinson, it’s not the first time the programme has put Cornwall’s coastline on display, with Ben looking deeper into the history of Charlestown in series two last year.
The Botallack episode will air on September 20 at 7pm and the Tintagel episode is planned for September 28.
In the 30 minute episodes, Ben tries to look past the obvious by using clues from buildings, street patterns, artefacts and the landscape to unravel why the village is there, and how its fortunes changed over time. He said: “Obviously Cornwall’s got beautiful landscapes, but when you go to these places, if you take a moment to appreciate the history, their long heritage, how they’ve got to be like they are today, then you’re going to appreciate that visit all the more,” he says.
Ben also says he hopes people become more respectful and more understanding of the places they visit, explaining Cornwall’s popular destinations of dramatic ruins weren’t built to be dramatic ruins. Referring to Botallack, a mining village in West Cornwall where his journey on the programme begins, the presenter explains: “This was a serious, hardworking, industrialised landscape. You didn’t go there for a holiday.”
Botallack was an important mine, suppling a huge percentage of the world’s tin and copper. In Tintagel, he discovers the location, which is thought to be the mythical birthplace of King Arthur, is “really the birthplace of our creation of romance and legend”.