What a wonderful time we had at Broomhill Manor. Here we are on our last moment before we leave.

The current owners Allan and Linda were interested in our story of why we had come to Boomhill and invited us for a drink of bubbly on our last evening. We discovered  their story of becoming the current owners and gathered some recent history of the area.

We checked out of Broomhill and headed to the Falcon Hotel and The Brendon Arms which also figure large in Mimi’s family history. We will stay in the Brendon Arms tonight.

Our most exciting and meaningful experience of the whole trip in relation to our history search culminated with our 11:00 meeting with Rupert Brendon, a third cousin of Cathy and her brothers. He was most generous with his time as he listened to the Mimi story and worked to figure out how everyone fit into the family tree. Cathy gave him a copy of the Prospector’s Wife that John has written about Mimi’s life. We have exchanged contacts and are looking forward to sharing pictures and family stories in the future.

He filled in a number of gaps Cathy had been working on and she was able to help him with the relationship of some common relatives. Rupert spent 50 years living in Toronto and has only recently become the major shareholder in the family business of the Falcon and Brendon Arms.  What a demanding retirement project. He has a real flare for the significance of family memorabilia and has peppered the Falcon Hotel with pictures and stories of the history of the Hotel and its’ famous visitors.

This picture was painted by Heywood Hardy and given to George Brendon II when he retired as Master of the Hounds. The story goes that his wife was upset when he purchased the hounds in Ireland, brought them home and announced that he was going to be Master of the Hounds.  She realized the financial implications which included paying for all the damages to farmer’s hedges during a hunt, hiring people to look after and feed the dogs and other costs associated with this endeavor.  Kind of today’s equivalent of purchasing an expensive red sports car upon retirement I suppose.

We also learned that Rupert’s brother Piers is a renowned Oxford academic with a specialty in British History. He has published many books as you can see in the display.

Rupert then showed us more paintings he had purchased from Cothele (a relative in Canada) when she ran into hard times and needed cash. He was delighted to receive these paintings as it filled in some family history and to understand the Canadian connection to this branch of the tree. A tour of the gardens included a buggy from the era that the family ran a stagecoach service up and down the Cornwall coast.

The garden space is meticulously kept and is exquisitely suited to hosting weddings and other gatherings.

No day is full without at least two major expeditions so we jump in our rented BMW and zoom off to see Boscastle a Cornish town 10 miles down the coast. What a gorgeous spot with breathtaking views of the surrounding cliffs and the sea beyond.

On our way to the Wellington Hotel for lunch I spot a sign that catches my attention and makes me smile.

Our exploration of the local cliffs includes a face in the cliff wall, fabulous wild flowers, quaint houses interesting vertical rock fences and gulls taking off into the wind.

As I look around the bay I wonder what this artist’s painting will be look like.