Moving to Penzance

[confused232]

What is it like as a place to live? Is it full of holiday homes or is there an actual community?

Also (and very importantly) what are schools (both primary and secondary) like? We have a two year old DS so it’s a massive consideration for us.

We stayed in an AirBnb there last summer.
There was a fab restaurant called Mackerel Sky in Newlyn just next door, and St Michaels Mount is just round the corner too.
Aldi and Tesco/Sainsburys are there.
Poverty seemed to be a big issue though.

Jubilee baths were AMAZING!

Serious drug problem & can feel unsafe at night. One of my least favourite places in Cornwall.

Oh dear... is that because of the drugs issue?

@Dazedandconfused28 is right in saying in that it's rough around the edges

That suits some people but not others

I think you should take mn as a guide op and go down and check it out yourself

You have to go out of your way to become Cornish. The poster above had no Cornish friends. This isn’t unusual. You will be seen as a rich outsider. You only have to buy a modest house there and you are ensuring a Cornish person cannot buy it. It doesn’t take long for rich incomers to be the subject of conversation.

You are not working locally but want to do a bit of volunteering to help out. That’s a bit patronising isn’t it?

I’ve just watched Simon Reeve. He chose odd people to speak to. No one middle aged and with a normal job. Yes, they do exist! Professional people are all over Cornwall with good jobs. I would work locally to fit in. Our friends don’t work at all and retired at 50 due to large inheritances. Hundreds of people are like this in Cornwall. They buy Cornish produce and employ Cornish cleaners and live very nicely indeed in their bubble.

The Taco shack boys couldn’t find a base in Simon Reeves film. They didn’t know the right people. They are moving to Devon. Cornish people look after themselves. Half the people in the film were boho types and are not representative. Few appeared to have gone to university. Strange mix of people. It wouldn’t be where I would choose to live but for the well off it’s fine if you can go without certain things. One thing you don’t have to go without is decent restaurants but a lot else is missing.

@CountessFrog

I watched that, too. I also listened to a radio 4 programme made about Cornwall (The patch) which made me quite sad.

We are in the process of buying a holiday home in Cornwall, I lived there as a child and I’ve always been drawn back. We are considering retirement there. These two programmes really weigh heavily on me. I can’t stop thinking about what we could do to put something back into the community. I wondered about doing something regularly for the local primary school, either an annual donation, or annual use of my skills (I have skills that a school could use).

Buying a home in Cornwall is one thing, but buying a second home is an unnecessary indulgence when local young people cannot afford a first home. You could help the community by not buying a holiday home and therefore pushing up house prices and making it more difficult for young people to get on the property ladder. You are unbelievable patronising - expecting a primary school to be grateful for your time or money.

The Taco shack boys couldn’t find a base in Simon Reeves film. They didn’t know the right people. They are moving to Devon. Cornish people look after themselves.

Yes, I was surprised by that - I thought the taco boys were Cornish?

If I’m reading rightly you have not visited yourself yet. My advice is to go and stay in the winter. It’s one thing coming in the summer but you need to see what it’s like in the winter too.

@Debradoyourecall

If I’m reading rightly you have not visited yourself yet. My advice is to go and stay in the winter. It’s one thing coming in the summer but you need to see what it’s like in the winter too.

Yes, but also ideally go in high summer to see just how congested it gets.

I doubt you'll be treated as an 'outsider.' I know plenty of people that have moved down here and settled right in. Maybe in the past it was more of an issue but there's loads of people from different areas living here.

I don't live near Penzance, I've heard it's got quite a big drug problem but where I live does as well. I don't go into the actual town and live on a road out the way so I don't see any of it.

I don't believe poor workmanship and London prices is particularly accurate.

You need to go visit though at all times of the year.

Thanks everyone - yes we will be going to visit as soon as we can (I’m not sure it’s allowed at the moment with the coronavirus restrictions?)

Yes, but also ideally go in high summer to see just how congested it gets.

Yes, it’s actually more the summer months than the winter months that I’m worried about. Quiet, windswept and remote suits me down to the ground, but I think the summer congestion could drive me mad!

I don't think you'll have the outsider problem in a place like Penzance, it's got a big enough mix of people that it isn't as cliquey as that.
I come from a tiny village not too far away and they are very welcoming to people who come to the village and live there properly, ie attend local events, send kids to village school etc.
I don't think living in Penzance Will be that different to living in any town of that size apart from the tourists in summer.
I also think people find the crime rate high compared to living in Cornwall. If you're already living in a city or large town where you have some deprivation, it's not going to be anything shocking for you.

Work prices depend who you are. Our “Cornish” friends definitely get better prices than we do. But they’ve worked on becoming Cornish for 15 plus years and posting shit about non Cornish visitors on line.

However it’s telling that people say you fit in because there’s a mix of people. So the Cornish stick together and incomers are friends with everyone else? I think that is what happens. Being truly Cornish is always just under the surface. You will always know if people are Cornish because they will tell you, pretty quickly. It’s a very strong identity.

The second home argument is done to death. Anyone with a decent job and/or degree level work can afford housing there. Maybe not in St Mawes or Rock but there are 500,000 people in Cornwall and they are not all homeless. It’s certainly cheaper to live there than London! We certainly meet many people who have sold up in more expensive areas, bought in Cornwall, and pocketed the difference. Other people do leave Cornwall but clearly there is a lack of some well paid jobs because no one commutes, but looking at the Simon Reeve programme, how many of the boho types on there actually were gunning for well paid jobs? How many had actually gone to university or trained for anything? We felt they enjoyed their lifestyle and they didn’t really want to strive for anything. We also know Nathan Outlaw struggles to get trainee staff! That’s totally unbelievable. The lady didn’t need to live in a hut either. She liked it! Had she been a teacher or a nurse, she wouldn’t have needed to. Exactly the same situation happens in London and the surrounding counties. You get out what you put in. Sometimes you have to push yourself.

@confused232 it certainly will be windswept!

Perhaps look for a local Penzance Facebook group and ask for the advice of local parents on there. There is one for the part of Cornwall I’m in and people thinking about moving down often ask for schools advice.

The Cornish don't stick together and everyone else mixes, that's not what I meant. I'm Cornish and am friends with lots of people that move down and so are others.

I'm sorry but these tropes about us all being so out in the sticks and insular gets grating after a while. Just had a thread the other day that said in Cornwall it's a 90 minute trip to the supermarket and theres only 300 pupils in the big school. It's just so untrue.

Sure there's people that say 'theyre not local' but point me to somewhere that doesn't have a few people with that attitude.

Of course being Cornish is a strong identity, people seems to forget that we are an actual identified minority group. Why is that always seen as a bad thing

Sorry for my derailing rant

It’s certainly cheaper to live there than London!

Housing is cheaper on average in Cornwall than in London, but wages are obviously a lot, lot lower too - so property is probably just as unaffordable in that sense. I don’t have any stats to back that up, but that’s the impression I get.

Sure there's people that say 'theyre not local' but point me to somewhere that doesn't have a few people with that attitude.

That’s true!

There's definitely a lack of well paid jobs. Some people call it the Cornwall tax and it's well known. People working at the university are being paid less than in other universities. A £25k job is a decent one over here.

I was fairly senior in my previous career and the best I've ever been able to get is £21k (although it should improve soon). Everyone at works complains about this but just shrug it off and say "but we live on Cornwall!

I wouldn't live here if it was just my decision. BTW after six years here the "summer traffic" has never been that bad it's 100% bearable/doable.

BTW after six years here the "summer traffic" has never been that bad it's 100% bearable/doable.

@Fressia123 that’s good to know, thanks!

Why wouldn’t you live in Cornwall if it was up to you alone? Because of the jobs/wages issue?

Yes jobs/wages, it feels too isolated (getting anywhere it's almost 3 hour drive) , lack of museums, cultural activities (ballet, concerts..) and I don't like the beach (too cold for me).

I'm a city person quiet Cornish life is definitely not for me.

Yes , watch Simon Reeve's documentary on Cornwall and from that you'll see the what's happened to the Cornish Fishing industry so if you have strong views on staying in the EU then don't go to Penzance or Newlyn. You'll also see how second homes are affecting young people.

Yes , watch Simon Reeve's documentary on Cornwall

I’ve seen the first part but am still to watch the second.

I've been in the winter and summer and it has never really felt to me like a holiday destination type place not like some of the other places like Falmouth for example. It feels more like a typical English town that is a bit rough in parts but ok, not a place that I would want to live though. Quiet, windswept and remote is not really how I would describe it, it is, but not in that sort of romanticised description of it.

not a place that I would want to live though

Why wouldn’t you want to live there if you don’t mind me asking?

I’m certainly not romanticizing the place - I was just trying to say that I don’t mind remote places (or bad weather!)

I wouldn't want to live there because of the poor transport links and the difficulty in visiting different places. It's basically not much different to my typical slightly crap town but with the disadvantage that it difficult to get to anywhere else apart from Cornwall and maybe Devon. DF is retired and rents very cheaply and just goes out locally on the bus.

Are there any more Mumsnetters out there who are familiar with Penzance?