St Agnes - A Photographic History, by Clive Benney, subtitled 'Volume Three, Down to Dirty Pool'

From the rear side cover: In Down to Dirty Pool, Clive Benney has put together another history of St Agnes combining a vast number of previously unpublished photographs with detailed text. This fascinating collection of images takes the reader on a journey around the area ofPeterville (once called Dirty Pool) and will appeal to residents and visitors alike. To older residents, photographs, contemporary newspaper accounts and people's reminiscences cannot fail to bring back memories of almost forgotten times and will provide a remarkable insight into the past of this area.

From the foreword: This book, the third in a series about St Agnes, starts at Town Hill (where the previous volume ended) and will take you on a journey around Peterville, or Dirty Pool as it was once called. This area grew steadily during me 18th and 19th centuries, with the streams running from Water Lane and Rosemundy providing the power to drive the many water wheels used in the industries of the area.

With the growth of this community it became necessary for other occupations in the area - blacksmiths, carpenters, shoemakers, grocers, drapers ere. - to meet the needs of the inhabitants, and you will see in this book how many of these trades thrived but have long since disappeared. I have continued to extract information from old newspapers, trade directories and other historical documents but have once again relied heavily on oral history from the numerous people I have visited. I would particularly like to mention the late Alf Bunt, born in 1904, who in 1983 was interviewed on tape by Frank Carpenter. Alf was brought up in Peterville and in the interview he describes all its shops and buildings, from his earliest childhood memories around a century ago through to his working days as a car mechanic and blacksmith. I do not apologise for the numerous references made to him in me book, as his memories and amusing anecdotes give a wonderful insight into the area a hundred years ago. Contents include:

Town Hill
The Growth ofPeterville
The Peterville Inn
The Blacksmith's Shop
The Old Chapel and Garage
The Wheelwright's and Carpenter's Shop
Peterville Stores and The Tap House
The Victoria Inn
Argall's and Lockett's Shops
Eight and Nine Peterville and The Dirtypool Forge
The Shop Water Lane
The Malt House and Garage
Peterville Through the Years
People and Events
British Road
The Old School
The Coastguard Station
Distant Views
Peterville to Rosemundy

The condition of the book is generally very good. The covers have one or two very minor scuffs but are clean and bright, the spine is intact and all pages are clean, intact, unblemished and tightly bound.