It seems impossible to imagine now, but back in the early 1960s Falmouth's High Street was still two-way traffic. That's right - complete with buses passing each other in that oh-so-narrow thoroughfare, writes Mike Truscott.
A Falmouth Packet of October, 1962, reported that Cornwall County Council was to make it one-way - along with Market Street, Church Street and Arwenack Street becoming one-way from 9 am to 7 pm on weekdays only!
There had been no objections to the latter proposal, but a notable effect of the High Street change was the re-routing of the Falmouth to Penryn bus service.
Local bus operators objected to this re-routing up Berkeley Vale and through Trevethan Road, Jubilee Road, Beacon Road and Old Hill to link up with North Parade.
The protest was supported by residents of the Greenbank/Stratton Terrace area who, the Packet pointed out, were to be “deprived of a public transport service which has existed since the days of the old horse-drawn buses.”
The same issue of the Packet also headlined another “growing problem” - namely, the price of a haircut in Falmouth.
“It is on the cards that the hairdressers of the town must put up their prices before long or go out of business; it's as simple as that,” warned the then Pendennis column.
“A fortnight from now they are due to pay their assistants more money and, frankly, I don't see how they can avoid passing on some of the burden to the customer.
“The average price of a short back and sides throughout the country is 3s (15p). Most large towns are charging 4s (20p), yet it is still possible in Falmouth to get a half-a-crown (12½ p) haircut.”
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