The Cornish Riviera

Railways, harbour towns and local legends shape Sidney Heath's account of Cornwall. Published in 1915, the book follows a route from Plymouth towards Land's End, pausing over churches, ancient stones, holy wells and coastal settlements. Heath explains how Brunel's engineering and railway services improved access to a county he describes as long isolated. Stories attached to places, including the well of St. Keyne, sit alongside notes on buildings and routes.

Descriptions of the coast bring Penzance and Newlyn into view, with fishing cottages, artists' studios and painters who worked directly from nature. Heath mixes practical travel advice with history, folklore and opinions about the scenery. E. W. Haslehust's illustrations accompany the account. Readers interested in Cornwall's past can trace the relationship between transport, tourism and local traditions through Heath's descriptions, which move from railway connections to church carvings and the working surroundings of coastal artists.