Museums & Galleries

Upton Towans at Hayle

At the end of Sepember 2007 I did a walk from Godrevy National Trust car park - busy with surfers - to Hayle and back to investigate Upton Towans to see how much I could find of its former industry, the National Explosive Works. I was surprised by just how much I found. The National Exposive Works, which gave the dunes their alternative name of 'Dynamite Towans', opened in 1888 to make dynamite for the Cornish mines. It continued in operation until around 1920, latterly producing explosives for the First World War. To my surprise explosives were still stored on the site until the 1960s. At first I thought that all I would see was several protective bunkers near the sea where, presumably, testing took place. But, when I made my way towards the tall brick chimney by the Hayle to Gwithian road, I passed quite a number of abandoned buildings and skeletal ruins. By the chimney were even more substantial remains, including what must have been a very large brick building. This was clearly a vast works and indeed once employed 1500 workers. Elsewhere on Upton Towans I found some of 30 odd capped mine shafts - one on Gwithian Towans too - as well as WWII pillboxes and bunkers. While at Hayle I also sought out the power station, operating from 1910 to 1977. At its closure the once busy harbour, which had imported the coal, also closed.

Hayle Towans, a National Explosive Works building

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Wheal Martyn Museum of China Clay

Cornwall’s tin-mining industry may be long gone with the collapse in the price of tin but, with the demand for kaolin for porcelain, paper, medical and many other applications, china clay production continues on a large scale north of St. Austell, amidst a strange ‘Mountains of the Moon’ landscape, known locally as the Cornish Alps. Wheal Martyn, a major working clay-pit, has restored its 19th century workings to create an important museum of one of Cornwall's most enduring industries. An excellent introductory exhibition tells the story of china clay and of Wheal Martyn. Informative exhibitions include displays of minerals, examples of local pottery and porcelain, the great Fal Valley Oil Engine, displays on the local brick-making industry, on the cooper’s art and on tools and transport equipment. An Historic Trail covers the old works; along the way you see two working waterwheels, one 18 foot, the other Cornwall's largest at 35 feet, slurry pumps, settling pits, tanks and kilns. The whole process of china clay production, from quarrying to the final product, is well explained. A well waymarked Nature Trail runs for over a mile and shows how nature has colonised old workings and spoil heaps; a platform above modern Wheal Martyn pit offers views of the present industry and a panorama of the Cornish Alps. The museum is signed from the Bodmin-St. Austell road and is not far from the Eden Project. There is a shop, a good caf� and ample parking.

Wheal Peevor at Radnor near Redruth

Peevor at Radnor near Redruth

Botallack Mine

I had been here before but decided to take a closer look at the extensive remains of Botallack Mine during a walk in the area in October 2006. I parked at Pendeen Watch and then walked the coast path to Kenidjack. It is quite difficult to decide where one mine finishes and another begins - Geevor, Levant, Botallack, Wheal Edward, Kenidjack and Cape Cornwall - so closely are they packed together. Indeed, after Levant closed, Geevor, one of the last mines to work in Cornwall, and the most modern-looking along here, took over some of its extensive workings. At its most prosperous from around 1835 to 1890, Botallack was visited by Queen Victoria in 1846. In 1865 some 500 men worked there and eleven steam engines operated. Most impressively sited of these were the Crown engine houses, perched on a ledge above the sea. The lower of these housed a pumping engine, the upper was the winding engine for the 1360 foot deep Diagonal Shaft. The mine last worked in 1907-1914 when the impressive arsenic flues near the cliffs were built. A photo of the Count House, now owned by the National Trust, is in another walk I did, also in October 2006, from Pendeen Watch. There is also some 20th century headgear to be seen. If needing refreshment, try the Queen's Arms in Botallack village.