Miscellanea

Richard Trevithick

Trevithick

Devon engineer Thomas Newcomen devised the original steam-pressure beam engine, and Scot James Watt first refined it, but it was the high-pressure engine devised by Cornishman Richard Trevithick (1771-1833) that enabled the Cornish mines to flourish, pumping deep shafts and raising the tin and copper ore. In 1801 he built a steam-powered road vehicle, known as 'Captain Dick's Puffer'. In 1802 he built his remarkable 'London Road Carriage' and in 1804 his 'Penydaren' locomotive hauled 10 tons and 70 men for 9 miles near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. A model of 'Penydaren' can be seen in the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro. Born at Illogan, Trevithick was raised in Penponds, off the Helston road on the southern edge of Camborne. His childhood home, now in the care of the Trevithick Trust, is open only on Wednesday afternoons from April to October. The little thatched cottage is filled with memorabilia. A small memorial to him stands on a road to the east of South Crofty mine, not far from Cornish Mines and Engines site and his statue overlooks the junction of Commercial Street and Church Street. However his true memorial is 'Trevithick Day', celebrated in Camborne on the last Saturday of each April, when the town takes to the streets to enjoy brass bands, choirs, dancing and a parade of steam engines.

Richard Trevithick's Penydaren locomotive

Now go to Trevithick Day

This review was written by Oliver Howes and is reproduced here in his own words. All text and photographs remain his work, preserved in his memory.

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