We absolutely love hearing about the role the Guildhall plays in peoples lives… be it a great night out, a stall holder at a market or getting married here. We’ve been gathering stories and want to share a very special one with you this Valentines.
Darrin visited the Guildhall in August 2024 to see where his mum and dad met on a fateful day in 1960 and through this his mum, Diana, shared Her’s and Bob’s story:
Bobs and my story started on the 30th July 1960 at St Ives Guildhall Saturday evening dance! I was nearly 18, on holiday with my parents and a friend. Towards the end of the evening this very tall handsome man asked me to dance and that was the beginning of a 5 year courtship before marrying in 1965. He always told me that he had crossed the dance floor to ask someone else to dance but was gazumped at the last moment……….I was the next nearest. Always the joker I never managed to get the truth! So I’ll never know. Bob was teaching in London at the time but working at a St Ives Cafe during his 6 week summer holiday and I was still at home in Gloucester, however family circumstances moved him to Cheltenham, Gloucester, Bristol and finally Bournemouth. We had a 52 year marriage, 2 children and travelled extensively, something the Vingoes have done for hundreds of years. Bob died in 2017 after a very long illness, he was one of the bravest people I know, never complained, still travelled and always thought he was invincible! I was very lucky.
Bob Vingoe was from the Newlyn Vingoe family, he was a decorated swimmer for Cornwall, a great waterpolo player for Penzance, did his National Service in the RAF and then went to Loughborough studying PE and geography.
We want to thank the Vingoe family and especially Diana for sharing this wonderful story and we look forward to hearing yours and making many more special moments for generations to come.
