HELSTON

Helston is one of the ancient coinage towns (Stannage) of Cornwall where tin ingots were assayed and weighed to ascertain the tax duty payable to the Duke of Cornwall. Now HRH Prince Charles. Helston still has that feel of an Ancient Town. Harping back to the days of Victorian correctness with a country Market over feel. There is still an animal Market run at the bottom of the town.

The main street - Coinagehall Street is fairly steep as you would expect from a hill town - Either side of the street run leats that carry spring water from the top of the town. The leats also flush the street rainwater away.

Helston is one of the least changed of all Cornish towns but it still manages to have all the facilities of a modern town with shops, pubs, restaurants, a sports club, and boating lake. Helston was a port in the 12th & 13th century. It is even believed the Romans had a settlement here to ship the tin back to the empire. The river named the cober was open to the sea up and until the 13th century when it silted up and the beach known as loe bar formed across the entrance.

The bar now forms a pretty inland lake about 2 miles south-west of the town. It is part of the Penrose Estate and offers paths for lovely walks around the lake and loe bar shoreline. It is one of the largest natural freshwater lakes in Cornwall.

The Flora Dance/Flora Day 2005

Helston is the town where the famous 'Furry, or Flora, Dance' is performed on May 8th each year except when this date falls on a Monday or a Sunday as in 2005 then it is held on the preceding Saturday. The dance and festival has its history back in Pre-Christian times and is performed to welcome in a prosperous harvest for the season ahead. It was banned for a time in the Victorian era as it was deemed to be 'drunken revelry'. Dancers dress up in 'Top Hat and tails' & 'wedding dresses' A strange mix of PAGAN and Christian celebration that most of the town takes part in. Even the Children.

The whole town is decorated with local greenery & bluebells. Flora Day starts at 7AM with the servants dance (it was originally for the servant of the gentry) with the Gentlemen wearing shirt and tie and the ladies wearing summer dresses.

This is followed by a boisterous dance cum play called the Hal-an-Tow. Verses of this have reference to Robin Hood, the Spanish Armada and St George and the dragon.

"Dancing here, prancing there, jigging, jogging everywhere"

Next to follow about 10.30am is the Children's Dance. The boys and girls are all dressed smartly and are decorated with flowers and lily of the valley. Nobody minds if the children are slightly out of step as the procession is so long that many are out of earshot of the band.

At noon the main dance of the day is started. This is the formal dance with the men wearing morning dress and the ladies magnificent ball gowns and hats that could be the envy of "Ascot." This dance is always led by a couple born in Helston.

At the bottom of Coinagehall street are many stalls selling souvenirs, crafts and food, running all the way down to Coronation Park where a large fairground is set up. The celebrations last well into the evening with Helston's many public houses doing a roaring trade

The ever popular Flambards Village Theme Park is just on the outskirts of the town.

Royal Naval Air Station at Culdrose always has an AIR DAY in July.

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