CHAPTER 7: MEMORIES

Memories of Mrs. Edith Keen of Camborne as related in 1993. Mrs. Keen lived at No. 2 Post Box Row as a child and young person. She left the village about forty years ago to live in Camborne.
Mrs. Keen's mother's name was Keen (no relation to her husband) and her dad's name was R.H. Thomas. There was also an R.H. Thomas living at Brea Croft and they very often received each other's post. Mrs. Keen's father was a miner at Tolvaddon and died at Tehidy hospital at the age of forty seven years, the day before Mrs Keen's 17th birthday. At the same time, her sister was in Redruth hospital with a burst appendix ; her brother was waiting to go into Truro hospital with a mastoid. Her mother used to walk to and fro to Tehidy from Brea to visit her father.
Mrs. Keen remembered before her father's death, to make some extra money, he used to collect chucks from the mines and walk up the hill to Carn Entral Farm with a barrow-load, for one shilling. Her grandfather Keen and his second wife, Mrs. Keen's step-granny lived at Rose Haven cottage, Chapel Hill. Mr. Keen was the village lamplighter. The lamps were oil lamps and when the weather was bad, he would send his wife out to see if the lamps had gone out. Two of these lamps being the other side of the arch, going up the hill towards Dolcoath Road. If they went out several times, then he would give up.
Mrs. Keen's grandmother was a balmaiden at Tolvaddon . Mrs. Keen said that forty years ago the residents of Post Box row had their toilets in the back yard which 'was a bucket under a wooden seat and a person came along with a horse and cart to empty their buckets. An agricultural show was held every year in the top field at Tincroft Road, aid her grandfather about sixty years ago, had an urn and made the teas. A Mr. & Mrs. Lear lived at No. 3 and a Mr. Trethowan, at No. 4. Mr. Lear was said to own the whole row of houses and offered the double-fronted house No. 7 to the village for a Village hall. This offer was declined. Mr. Trethowan had a replica of a tin mine engine house and during the summer travelled all around the country, particularly to Blackpool showing it.