This photo from 1930 was taken in Polperro by John’s father, Victor Winchurch when he was about 16. John’s grandfather, Percy is sitting on stone in front of the house with his wife and mother in-law on either side of him and John’s aunt is the child off to the left. I probably should add that when this photograph was taken, Percy was not a grandfather yet and would not be until John was born twelve years later. (you can double-click for more detail in the image)
I didn’t get the angle quite right, but I took this yesterday of John sitting in the same spot as his grandfather eighty-two years earlier. It’s pretty amazing that the fence in front of house still looks the same.
This photograph was taken in 1932 and has John’s father in the image. You probably can’t pick him out since John looks more like his mother. Take a guess and I’ll tell you later in a comment on this post. One more thing, if you look up to the right you can see a white structure on the hillside and it’s in the photo below with John.
Here’s the same white building in the image with John’s dad and his friends taken eighty years later with John standing near it. The next time we go to Polperro, I’m going to get John to sit where his dad was sitting and shoot it from that angle. I like to do this when I can and have several posts where you can see a then and now shot.
If you click on this link from 2010, you can see a sweet one of John as a boy and some black and white images his father took before John was born alongside my photos of the same places eighty years later.
After seeing the photo on the rock, John and I had almost decided that there was a great deal less vegetation leading into Polperro eighty years ago until we had a look at this photo of his father’s group of friends cycling into Polperro taken on the day of the rock photograph. We walked up this road on the way back to Lansallos yesterday and it’s interesting to see that it’s actually changed very little.
Gifts Of The Journey 
Love the now and then photos, my Mum does this too. I have seen a project where you find an old photo of yourself, stand in the same spot holding the old photo, it was very effective.
Absolutely wonderful photos – then and now! Love how you do that 🙂 And makes me want to visit Polperro more than ever.
Cheers to both grandfathers.
Thanks for taking me back in time for a bit this morning. I will guess that John’s grandfather is the young man farthest left in the picture. And, is the white structure a grotto of some sort? It is strange at the bottom… I can’t figure out what is going on there!
Excellent!
Love the photos! How lucky John is to have such a rich history and creative wife!
My guess…John’s Dad is the one with the pipe. Well, I just enlarged the picture and I have changed my mind, his Dad is on the far left with the cigarette.
Thanks everyone for playing along and for your comments. John’s dad is the young man at the highest point on the rock. He’s the only one of the three men who’s not smoking.
Lauren ~ the white structure is just a shelter to sit and watch the sea.
E. Your photography is so amazing. Today I logged into your site first and so glad I did. It’s a great way to start my day, so I’m going to visit you every morning instead of the bank.
Great series of pictures. I enjoy then & now pictures and these are fun (and lovely).
Just happened upon the cycling picture after searching for photographs of historic Polperro and it is lovely. We have just purchased the cottage left of the photograph, not captured unfortunately, the person taking the photograph was probably standing right outside it. Would have loved to see it at that time.