Well Read Wednesday : The Granite Kingdom by Tim Hannigan

At first glance I knew this book was for me. As a geologist whose undergraduate field studies were based in Cornwall I have something of a crush on granite. Those same studies left me with a lifelong love of the county so the chough (the bird), the waves and the tin mine ruins in Matt Johnson’s amazing cover art sold the book before I’d even opened it.

Tim Hannigan records his 300-mile, east-west travels from the wooded Tamar Valley along the border with Devon, to his childhood home of Penwith in the far west. The journey is filled with historical anecdotes, personal tales and cultural references along with all the myths and legends that the county is famous for.

If you are looking for a dreamy pastiche of pixies and pasties or tales of Arthur, Merlin or Poldark then look elsewhere because this is a remarkable guide from a true Cornishman who has thought long and hard about his homeland. I believe that too many dreamy romance novels and carefully shot TV shows have created a land of make-believe which is great for the tourist industry but maybe not so great for those who have to live there for the whole twelve months of the year. Tim Hannigan lifts the covers and lays bare the real Cornwall both physical and cultural and he clearly has a great affinity with the natural landscape of his homeland.

Cornwall sits solidly on it’s granite bedrock and it is a hard place to live and to make a living. Tim Hannigan shows us just exactly why true Cornishmen and women would still choose to live there over anywhere else on Earth. This has been a great read and I definitely recommend to all those who love Cornwall, travelogues, natural history, cultural history and yes, even those with even a slight crush on granite.