SHEVIOCK is the smallest of the three villages within the parish of Sheviock, the others being Crafthole and Portwrinkle. It has the River Lynher to the north and the sea to the south.

Much of the land is owned by the Antony Estate and all the farms are farmed by Antony Estate.

David Lamden is a retired farm manager for Antony Estate and now lives at Haye Farm House on the outskirts of Sheviock with his wife Daphne. They have two children, Peter, a carpenter, and Carol, a teacher in Bristol.

Few developments have taken place over the years, just a small estate called Horsepool Road and a few houses, including several barn conversions.

Sprightly 80-year-old Gwyn Everitt lives on Horsepool Road. She has lived in the parish for 53 years and in Sheviock for 20. Gwyn is proud that she has always had an active role in the village. She was a member and secretary of Crafthole WI, which takes in members from the parish, she has been the secretary of Crafthole Methodists 'Bright Hour', and has been treasurer of the parish flower show.

Gwyn is adamant that she will not move from Sheviock. She said: 'This part of Cornwall is my home, I have a lot of friends down here. When my husband, Albert, died 18 years ago my family asked me to move back up with them but I refused, you can't tear your roots up just like that.'

Gwyn and Albert used to live in a cottage on a farm at Trethill, they grew flowers and helped on the farm.

Gwyn said: 'A lot has changed around the village, new people coming in and bringing new ideas.'

Gwyn is fond of the birds that she feeds in her garden and on her window sill. David Dunn from Crafthole, who helps her maintain her garden, jokingly calls her 'the bird lady of Sheviock'.

David and his wife Rosalie help Gwyn by providing transport to Crafthole when she needs it.

Mike Mount, chairman of the neighbourhood watch committee, has lived in Sheviock for 12 years after moving from Polperro where he, his wife Edda and his parents used to own Killigarth Manor holiday estate.

Edda works for the Citizens Advice Bureau in Saltash and they have one daughter, Toni, who works for a marketing agency in London.

The neighbourhood watch has one barbecue a year in June in the grounds of Peter and Christine England's house which is a popular social event. Peter and Henry Prynn are the current churchwardens.

There is a toll house in Sheviock but this was frequently bypassed by the local farmers when moving their cattle.

Fred Paul was born in one of the cottages along the main road in March 1934. Fred's mother's maiden name was May and the May family come from the area. The Paul family came from Penzance. Fred's father was in the Navy and died at sea during the war on HMS Dorchester.

Cider

Fred and his mother were living in Plymouth during the war and Fred explained they returned to his grandmother's house in Sheviock after a direct hit. At that time in Sheviock there was no running water, no electricity and no gas. When he was a boy living in the village they used to collect their milk from the Grills' farm and cider was the local tipple thanks to a multitude of apple trees growing in the area and the cider press at a farm in Tredrosle.

His grandmother, Mrs May, sold paraffin from a tank in her shed in the back garden. His great, great uncle started the business of carpenter, wheelwright and undertaker and would make it his business to visit the sick and dying of the parish on a Sunday afternoon between church services. When left alone with the patient he would discreetly run his famous 'black stick' over them which was notched with various marks for measurement details and by the end of the next day the coffin was half-built waiting for the day it would come into use. Fred's grandfather took over the business from then and was consequently taken over by Uncle Walter May in the early 30s.

There was a village shop run by Mrs Carpenter which was used as a tuck shop for the school. The village school is now a private home but started life as two cottages.

Fred jokes: 'This is the best village out of the three. We get everyone who lives in the parish eventually, because they all get buried at the church!'

Fred worked in Plymouth's dockyards as a joinery apprentice and completed National Service in the Air Force. He married Valerie, who died 20 years ago, and they lived at Trebrownbridge before returning to the village in 1969.

Fred and Valerie had one daughter, Andrea, who lives with her husband Mervyn Steerman in Torpoint with their children, Robert (18) and 14-year-old Valerie.

Fred had a motorbike accident in 1991 riding home from work which has left him disabled, he now helps sponsor the St Austell Speedway team.

There are no shops, which means any shopping has to be done at Crafthole Post Office and village stores.

Among the listed buildings in Sheviock is the 13th Century church, consecrated in 1259 by Bishop Walter Branscombe of Exeter, and dedicated to St Peter and St Paul - later changed to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of six churches in Cornwall to have a spire tower.

Water for baptisms was collected from a nearby well (Lady Well) until recently.

The Rev Kenneth Piper has been the parish vicar for six years and also covers St James Church at Antony. He is retiring in October and he and his wife Pamela will be moving away.

Mr Piper said: 'This area is a lovely part of Cornwall to live and work. It has been a privilege being the parish priest to parishioners who are such kindly people, enthusiastic, active and committed to caring for the church of St Mary's and those who live in the parish.

'We are very proud of the church and volunteers arrange flowers and keep the church and graveyards in excellent order. There is a Mother's Union and a holiday club for children.'

Grander

Mr Piper lives in the third rectory in the village. The first was built close to the church and is called The Glebe. The second, The Old Rectory, is larger and grander, overlooking much of the village.

The Old Rectory was sold in 1957 for £4,000 and at that time came out of Church hands. It was a sculpture park at one point and was owned by an artist. It passed through several hands and eventually developers bought it and converted it into five flats and two freehold cottages.

In one of these flats lives parish councillor Bob Leishman with his wife Jane. Bob has lived in Sheviock for eight years and used to farm at Quethiock.

Bob is an independent financial adviser and works part-time with the NHS as a lay member on the East Cornwall Primary Care Group. Jane is Director of Nursing at Derriford. Their daughter, Emma, was visiting from her home in Bristol after breaking her leg.

Bob said: 'There is a real mix of people here. The social life of the village centres around the church as it is the only communal place in the village.'

Many years ago there was a public house adjacent to the church where the Church Row cottages are now, and legend has it that people were visiting the pub instead of attending the church services, so the rector at the time decided to have it closed. He did this by somewhat devious methods of buying the hostelry and then closing it down.

Records show that a local landowner named Dawney undertook to build the church and his wife the tithe barn. On checking the cost afterwards, it was discovered the barn cost three halfpence more than the church.

The same Dawneys also built the Manor House in 1330 opposite the church which has now become Sheviock Barton Farm which was the main farm in the village for many years and a building on the same site was recorded in the Doomsday Book.

Tony and Carol Johnson lived at Haye Farm House for six years before moving to Sheviock Barton with their 14-year-old son, Sam, two-and-a-half years ago. They run bed and breakfast at the farm and cater mainly for foreign families.

They have a large holiday home in Antony which they rent out and Barn Cottage next door which is rented long-term to Kevin and Lizzy Brighton. Kevin is a cartoonist.

Secret

Tom Bersey farmed at Sheviock Barton for much of his life. His family farmed Sheviock Barton for over 100 years and Tom started farming 94 acres which then went up to 500 acres as smaller farms were taken over.

Tom and his wife Mary Joyce had one son, Geoff who was in partnership with Tom when he was 25. Geoff married Diana, a farmer's daughter from Exeter and they had four sons now working in the film industry, teaching English in Japan, teaching music and performing, and part owning a computer business. Tom and Mary have three great grandchildren, two boys and a girl named Imogen - the first girl to be born into the family since 1916.

Tom was appointed a magistrate on Battle of Britain Day 1940 when he still farmed and he retired in 1987. Tom and Mary have lived at Cote Cottage, a former gamekeeper's cottage, for eight years.

The history of the village is being collated by Neville Cosworth who is in the process of making it into a book.

In bygone days when smuggling was a major industry, imported spirits were said to have been hidden in Sheviock Wood, and, on occasions, in the church tower. Once there existed a secret passage leading from a well towards the sea.

Sheviock is a village which has a close community, everyone knows everyone else and it feels whole despite having the A374, the main road, dividing the village.

One comment that sums up Sheviock from Gwyn is: 'It's been a wonderful life here.'