Vicar's gift secures part of South West Coast Path

The National Trust has acquired a stretch of coastal land near Fowey, in Cornwall, thanks to a bequest by the late Reverend Anthony Mapplebeck.

The vicar, whose life was deeply rooted in the Cornish coast he loved to walk, retired from St Peter's Church in Mevagissey in 1981 and died in the village in 1994.

Known as Alldays Field the 13.66 hectares, equivalent to about 19 football pitches, has been bought from Cornwall Council.

The National Trust said: "The South West Coast Path runs along the southern edge of the field, with a connecting path linking Coombe Farm Coast Path to Love Lane, ensuring walkers can continue to enjoy uninterrupted access to this dramatic stretch of coast."

Andy Simmons, National Trust area ranger, said: "Alldays Field is surrounded on two sides by land owned by the National Trust which allows us to provide really lovely continuity of management over a bigger area for the benefit of nature and continued access for people.

"What we want to do over the years is really try and enhance the grasslands and better wildflower areas.

"Alldays has been enjoyed by all sorts of people for quite a while."

"In 1906 a golf course was created here and remained until the 1950s.

He said: "In 1951 Mr Alldays, an industrialist from the Midlands gave Alldays Field to the people of Fowey for their enjoyment and it's remained in local authority ownership until last year when it was passed to us.

"Our high priority is to provide continuity of ownership so that it's available here for people to enjoy, not least for the people of Fowey."

Mapplebeck's bequest was to the Neptune Coastline Campaign, which was launched in the 1960s to protect and care for coastline for the benefit of both people and nature.

Funds from the campaign were used to secure the land.

Mapplebeck was born in Coulsdon in 1916 and educated at Cambridge, where he received his BA in 1938 and MA in 1942.

He was ordained deacon in 1940 and priest in 1949.

It is understood he then served as a curate in Bodmin before becoming vicar of Veryan and later incumbent of St Peter's Church in Mevagissey when choirboy and server at communion Robin Cloke attended.

Cloke said: "He was a fairly quiet, good churchman.

"He wasn't a person you get to know personally but he was helpful in various things I did.

"His predecessors had been quite boisterous community people and he was the opposite of that but a good Christian I think.

"Mevagissey was a big Methodist area so in terms of religion, the Church of England was secondary to that."

After retiring, Mapplebeck moved to a cottage in Mevagissey - a home thought to have been gifted to him by a parishioner - where he continued to live modestly.

His will also included bequests to both Veryan and Mevagissey churches.

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