HAVING seen that there was a danger of Morwellham Quay being closed, my wife and I made a visit there a day or so later.
Having only moved to Devon in April, although we had seen the directional signs, we had not seen any publicity for the quay other than that for the Antiques Roadshow visit earlier in the summer, so were not too sure what to expect when we arrived.
Our visit was a mixture of enjoyment and disappointment. The enjoyable part was the mine trip where we had an extremely knowledgeable and entertaining driver. Without his input, the day would have been most boring.
The remainder of the site resembled a museum rather than a centre to attract visitors. The cottages were empty of personnel and had 'do not touch' notices on items on display.
The Ship Inn, while providing palatable food, bore no resemblance whatever to how it would have looked when the village was occupied and in use. The school building offered no insight whatever to how lessons were given in the past.
I appreciate that there is a nature reserve and farm which can be visited, but not everyone is physically capable of enjoying those facilities.
Having moved to Devon from the West Midlands, I cannot help but draw comparisons between the Black Country Living Museum and Morwellham Quay. At the former, there are people in costumes of the Victorian period, showing how life was lived and, in some cases, endured, in those days.
The school has someone playing the role of a teacher and showing both children and adults how lessons were given.
There is also a coal mine which can be visited, and although the site is much larger than Morwellham so that more can be created and shown, I do feel that not enough effort has been made to fully exploit the potential which the area offers.
I sincerely hope that the area can be saved and re-opened next year. I also think that a lot more thought must be given to providing a more interesting and informative atmosphere to the area in order to attract larger numbers of visitors.
Alan Hemming
Baldwin Drive
Okehampton