On Tuesday 14th October 2025 we were joined by local author and historian Nick Cole, for a fascinating evening learning the story of North East Cornwall’s prehistory and Medieval periods, enjoying a detailed insight into the origins of our region and the pivotal role it played in the independent nature of Cornwall.
“Prehistory is written in the rocks, in the landforms and what early man left behind.”
Before there was Bude: The Neet Estuary and Coastline History is a prequel to Nick’s previous book, Bude’s Tide Mill and Bridge, and takes the local story back to the Ice Ages, which set the prehistoric foundation for all that followed.
The local story then weaves its way through our prehistory and Medieval periods, blending the national with the local, through to the mid-sixteenth century, and it was a thoroughly engrossing subject for Nick to entertain us with throughout the evening.
Nick’s huge knowledge and enthusiasm was captivating as he talked us through Bude’s fascinating prehistory, in conversation with our very own Reb Fell, before the audience were invited to join the conversation and ask questions.
Both of Nick’s books are available in store at Spencer Thorn and each offer a unique and previously unexplored insight into Bude’s incredible geological and archaeological heritage.
About Nick…
Nick’s interest in history was sparked during his school days when artefacts from a civil war skirmish between the Cornish Royalists and the Parliamentarian Roundheads were discovered in a field on a family farm.
This farm was between Whitstone and Week St Mary where it is known that a skirmish did take place; the farm adjoins the farm of Bevill’s Hill. The history teacher at his local school made much of these finds, being so close to Stamford Hill.
Similarly, his interest in Geology was sparked by encounters with Ted Freshney, who was the Geologist tasked in the 60’s of trying to resolve the geological history here at Bude. Ted later joined Nick in introducing geology to universities and sixth form colleges when he set up Shoreline Special Interest Holidays in the late seventies.
Many of the Geologists who came to his hotel over a twenty-five-year period became friends and kept him up to date with current thinking.
There is a link between the two interests that have influenced Nick; in the sixties, when living in Scotland, he read Sir Charles Lyle’s book “Principals of Geology”. In his preface to his book Sir Charles wrote, “to walk upon this earth and know nothing of its history is like having a library of books and never opening a cover to read its contents”. This has greatly influenced so much in his life, and he says he never visits anywhere without searching out its geology or history. And having written the book about Bude’s Tide Mill and Bridge, he finds it difficult to walk over that bridge without thinking of its history.
This took its ultimate form when, upon retiring, Nick and his wife Jeannie toured Western USA and Canada, exploring the geology and history of the early Native American People- particularly of the western deserts. This has helped him greatly in formulating some of the ideas in his latest book.