Moving to Cornwall...will everyone hate me??!

[KateD83]

Hi everyone, I'm thinking of buying a home in Cornwall and wondered if there are any Cornwellians (or anyone at all actually) who can ease my fears (or give me a reality check) about being an 'outsider'. I have found the house of my dreams, I've been looking for a long time and will live there all year round and contribute as much as I can to the community. But I am not a local, I'm a single female moving on my own and I won't know anyone. I hope my fears of being treated like an outsider and 'shunned' are unfounded, but if anyone has any views, I'd love to hear them! The location is in South East Cornwall. Thanks so much

I think all forms of overt nationalism/local identity are a byproduct of not being an individual success - clinging on to something which makes you ‘special’ by default because you don’t have other achievements. I’m not a fan of nationalism in any form at all - there are literally no good sides to it. Just divides people.

But that’s another debate I guess isn’t it!

Don’t bother. We’re all pricks.

I am reading this thread with interest as a Londoner. A bit irrelevant but DH is a 4th generation Londoner and the only one amongst his siblings who can afford to buy a flat in London. He doesn't resent the non Londoners who move to London for jobs and hence increase the property prices. Why are the Cornish so different?

London property prices are way out of sync with salaries even if salaries are higher.

I think some people are scared by how much Cornwall has changed in their lifetime - and I think that’s ok. Change that’s out of your control and effects your life can be scary.

It’s easy to write people off as bigots without delving into why they might feel that way.

It’s easy to think that every individual in an entire county has the same opinions when you’re being hyperbolic on the internet.

IME and circle of acquaintances (mid 30s, fairly educated) no one thinks the housing crisis is exclusive to Cornwall.

I feel like I’ve spent the last 18months defending Cornwall on a thread on MN at least weekly.

This thread is specifically about Cornwall. That’s why the responses relate to Cornwall.

And I don’t think having an identity that relates to the geography where you grew up is a crime either.

No ones slags off people from Yorkshire for it, or the Bretons, or the Catalans.

I do hope this backlash against Cornwall and the Cornish is the beginning of the end of the fetishisation.

For those saying Cornwall's just part of England - well yes, technically, but it might be of interest to watch Alice Roberts' recent series - they looked at the DNA of people who grew up in the same village as their grandparents (I think) across Britain, and the difference in origin was remarkable - Cornwall had Celtic heritage like Wales and Scotland, whereas England pretty much up to the Tamar was all Anglo-Saxon etc. I'll see if I can find a picture, it was fascinating. The Cornish language is similar to Welsh and Breton, completely different to English. Nobody queries the Welsh or Scots saying they're different to the English, why should Cornwall be any different other than it doesn't have a national border?

Ancestors, that's what it was. Really interesting.

Dubyalass I thought that the English were thought to have around 1/3 Anglo Saxon DNA with less found in Wales and Scotland. I would have thought surnames would be a good indicator of ancestry.

@dubyalass

For those saying Cornwall's just part of England - well yes, technically, but it might be of interest to watch Alice Roberts' recent series - they looked at the DNA of people who grew up in the same village as their grandparents (I think) across Britain, and the difference in origin was remarkable - Cornwall had Celtic heritage like Wales and Scotland, whereas England pretty much up to the Tamar was all Anglo-Saxon etc. I'll see if I can find a picture, it was fascinating. The Cornish language is similar to Welsh and Breton, completely different to English. Nobody queries the Welsh or Scots saying they're different to the English, why should Cornwall be any different other than it doesn't have a national border?

So? People in Norfolk have higher rates of Scandinavian DNA. People in Liverpool have higher rates of Irish DNA. Variation is natural. It doesn’t mean you need to be different country

I also take issue with your inference that if you have a different ethnic background you’re not really ‘from’ your home place. Because that’s what you’re saying in reverse.

yes @Glassofshloer i find that quite offensive tbh as someone who has a different ethnic background and different dna to Anglo-Saxon people and still identifies as English.

popped on to this thread to have a read as it was in active and Cornwall sounds interesting...

All those properties bought up by outsiders were sold by Cornish people, whose children now can’t afford to buy in the village

@dubyalass

For those saying Cornwall's just part of England - well yes, technically, but it might be of interest to watch Alice Roberts' recent series - they looked at the DNA of people who grew up in the same village as their grandparents (I think) across Britain, and the difference in origin was remarkable - Cornwall had Celtic heritage like Wales and Scotland, whereas England pretty much up to the Tamar was all Anglo-Saxon etc. I'll see if I can find a picture, it was fascinating. The Cornish language is similar to Welsh and Breton, completely different to English. Nobody queries the Welsh or Scots saying they're different to the English, why should Cornwall be any different other than it doesn't have a national border?

The Scots and Welsh can say they are different and so can anyone else. But I do query why national identity gets lumped together with politics.

@FoxgloveSummers
loobylou10
This really annoys me! Why shouldn't people from outside the area move in? People born there don't have a god given right to dictate who buys houses there - they're only there due to the Luck of being born there.

Let's not make this another tedious thread about why The Rural People Should be Grateful versus The City People Should Be Nicer

Eh? I wasn't!! Don't be so patronising.

I also take issue with your inference that if you have a different ethnic background you’re not really ‘from’ your home place. Because that’s what you’re saying in reverse.

You appear to be enjoying taking offence. I wasn't inferring anything of the sort and I'm kind of amused at how you've behaved on this thread, it says a lot about you. But carry on misinterpreting what was intended as a simple pointer to some research on genomes in Britain (and perhaps watch the programme? You might just learn something).

Or I might just end up very bored and switch over to something that actually matters.

Dubyalass working out the genomes of ancient people and how they relate to modern day Brits has not been easy. I think the current and most accurate description is that we are a mixture to varying degrees of many different ancient people. Anglo Saxon description is controversial as it wasn’t actually used by the people of that time and has been used by white supremacists.

Apologies for the Anglo-Saxon term - honestly had no idea that could be construed as offensive but I've just done a bit of googling and see what you mean, although it sounds like more of a thing in the US. I remembered the programme using a term and it was the Angles, not the Anglo-Saxons.

Hello, I have lived in SE Cornwall since 1990, and I grew up in west Cornwall from 1962, so with the time I went to uni and then to work in London and overseas, I have lived here for more than half my life.

My 2p worth is bring your work with you. (I did.) Unless you actively seek a career at minimum wage, you need to have skills and knowledge to market yourself outside the local area.

Be friendly, get a dog, say hello and live in your local community. Do not erect the highest fence you can around your pretty cottage so walkers cannot enjoy the view.

Our beautiful village has suddenly been discovered this last year, and there is suddenly more resentment to incomers who can buy uninhabitable cottages for silly money at auction, to do up, redecorate and put on AirBNB. Because one of DH's team wanted to buy it, fix it and it sold for twice his budget.

But actually, if you come here to live, talk to us and muck in, and aren't a sanctimonious preacher telling us how politically etc misguided we are or how culturally deficient or racist, then we're quite inclusive. We are chilled with sexual politics, artists, athletes, scientists and expatriates. This isn't Falmouth, where DC is at university, which is chic, scenic and hipster.

However, there is a lot of Cornwall where you will encounter resentment, and given that "down the spine" of the county, the villages aren't pretty coastal idylls, but closer to ex-mining cities with similar politics, you'd be well advised to use your ears and mouth in the ratio nature provides them.

Dubyalass I think you are getting a hard time when just expressing an interest in anthropology. I’ll be honest I’ve never been keen on the Anglo Saxon term having lived in France as it was away for them to lump all white English speakers together.

@Thighdentitycrisis, locally most of the houses for sale/being done up are probate sales for the childless who retired here 25 to 30 years ago, who have few local ties, or simply too big and expensive for a young couple to consider. The cottages/starter homes are snapped up for weekenders or AirBnB within hours of listing.

God Alive OP. Yes, do base your move on what you read on here. 😬🙄

If it's down to what you read on here you're stuffed.

Overall you'll probably attract the haters anyway. Anyone sensible will say bugger off then.

"Cornwellians"🙄

Do you actually go there? Do you like rural life? Do you have a job? Do you know anyone? Do you interests that can be fulfilled there?

Hi. I moved to a rural, small ex mining village in South East Cornwall six years ago. My personal experience is that despite many properties here looking OK on the surface, they have had little money spent on them. The house of your dreams may not turn out that way.
Any repairs and maintenance are for the most part a bodge, a cheap and cheerful approach, so getting repairs done to an acceptable standard could be costly. Getting tradesmen in is a laborious process as people are so laid back here. Getting anyone out to give a quote is a lengthy process and could take weeks - don't expect people to be ripping your arms off for work as they are in the South East. Some people will quote more than usual if you are from the South East.

Beware of "friendly" villagers who, once they get your inside leg measurement and shoe size, spread the word up and down the village. Our village is ruled by old stalwarts who have lived here for many years - many of them in their late 80s or even 90s. They vote each other onto all the village committees to retain their stranglehold. These positions are then handed down by vote through the family. They make their own rules up as they go along and will illegally prevent certain facets of the community from using community facilities for example.

Any challenge to their authority will leave you even more of an outsider as the village will close ranks. Speaking to friends I have made outside of the village, it is village life I'm afraid and a common theme. If I have expressed an opinion on the village FB page that challenges the powers that be, I have received private messages telling me to " off back to where I came from" and "you will never be welcome here" etc. There are of course some very pleasant villagers whom I pass the time of day with but there is an inner core of vitriol here, villagers with self inflated egos and power, lots of power. I've had a note left on my car windscreen when I've walked up the road for 20 mins. I feel I am being watched constantly and that makes life very uncomfortable.

On the plus side I can walk out of my door and I'm in the most beautiful countryside, walks by the river, it is about a 40 minute drive to the beach. I haven't taken a holiday since I've been here because I really don't need to, there are such lovely places to visit within a day trip. I have made a couple of lovely friends outside of the village and travel out to see them. However, if my husband and I didn't have each other I don't think we would have lasted. I genuinely would think carefully about moving as a single person, you could end up very isolated. If you would like to message me I'm more than happy to tell you as it is!

I have received private messages telling me to " off back to where I came from" and "you will never be welcome here" etc.

That’s bloody awful. What sad little people.

My brother moved there 7 years ago and hates it. He said some of his neighbours are rude to him. He thinks its because he's come from outside the area (the midlands). He's thinking of moving out of there. He loves the scenery but did say how isolated he now feels.