08 Luxulyan Valley & Charlestown
From tranquil green woods to a bustling harbour village, the landscapes of Luxulyan Valley and Charlestown are very different to one another. However, they share important similarities: both are stunningly beautiful places with fantastic walks and rich mining histories to explore, and both were created by two locally-prominent industrial entrepreneurs.
Charlestown, whose picturesque
harbour has featured in many films, was developed in the late 18th century by Charles Rashleigh, while the many works in the Luxulyan Valley – including the Treffry Viaduct, leats and tramways – were constructed by Joseph Treffry during the mid 1800s.
early to
Highlights •
Standing under the Treffry Viaduct, which, despite being huge, manages to hide itself amongst the woodland until it is literally upon you!
• Walking the attractive circular route from Ponts Mill along Par Canal (90 minutes), which was created to transport copper ore from Fowey Consols to Par Harbour.
• Glimpsing Austen’s Engine House above Penpillick, part of the Fowey Consols copper mine.
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The huge water wheel pit on the valley side near Carmears Rocks shows the sheer scale of operations here. Try dropping twigs into the leats so you can watch them flow through the complex water systems.
• Experiencing the delightful Prideaux Woods (to the south-west of Luxulyan Valley) – a quarter of which is ancient woodland.
Mining Heritage W ater was crucial to both locations in this Area. Charlestown, built between 1792 and 1801, is the best
preserved china-clay and copper ore port of its period in the world. The new harbour required a water source to fill the dock and flush out accumulated silt, therefore a five-mile leat was constructed to the Par River.
By 1850 Charlestown was well established as an industrial village with its own tin smelter and foundry, and the harbour had to be enlarged towards the end of the century due to ships overcrowding the original dock.
Works in and around the Luxulyan Valley include a three mile leat constructed to power the many water wheels and water pressure engines at Fowey Consols Mine; a canal to transport copper ore to the purpose-built harbour at Par; and a horse-drawn tramway to provide a link to the mines and give access to the granite quarries at nearby Colcerrow. The most impressive feature within the Valley is undoubtedly the Treffry Viaduct, which carries both a leat and tramway route high above the Valley floor.
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Sites within the district Click on the site to find out more.
• Wheal Martyn For travel information click here.
Did you know? Valuable Charlestown Charlestown was so valuable that it had its own defences to protect it during the Napoleonic Wars!
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