Cornwall is a place of life, of work, of culture and of history and this is evident through the places that we value. Exploring this historic landscape was the focus of our latest Cornish Story Cafe hosted by Pete Herring, a Cornish landscape archaeologist who formerly worked for Cornwall Archaeological Unit and Historic England.
Nearly 80 people joined us for this fascinating talk, which guided them on a journey through Cornwall’s ancient and modern landscape and explored many themes of Cornwall’s heritage featured in the 12 winning photos in our 2023 ‘My Cornwall, My Heritage’ community photography competition.
The talk marked the start of our ‘Sense of Place’ pop-up exhibition, which is being hosted at Kresen Kernow until mid-January.
The exhibition features the 12 winning photos from the photography competition and explores why the historic places they feature remain cornerstones of Cornish cultural identity. Cornwall’s unique landscape has shaped our industry, culture and history and the exhibition also includes archival images which explore these themes in more depth.
We hope this talk and exhibition will offer people the opportunity to reflect on the impact a sense of place has on their cultural identity, explore how Cornwall’s heritage continues to speak across generations and understand why the care of Cornish historic places is so important to Cornwall Heritage Trust
Thank you to everyone who joined us, to Kresen Kernow for so generously offering its space for the exhibition and the talk, and to Rodda’s for providing the clotted cream for the mince pies.
If you couldn’t make it to the talk or would like to watch it again, see the full recording here…
Today is Giving Tuesday, a generosity movement with a simple idea – to encourage people to do good. Our members, donors, supporters and volunteers give so much to support the work we do for Cornwall’s heritage, and we cannot thank them enough!
Your support makes a huge difference to Cornwall’s landscape, traditions and stories, and will continue to do so for many generations to come.
There are lots of ways that you can become part of this incredible community and join our mission to protect what makes Cornwall special. As a small, independent charity, every penny makes a huge difference and we are incredibly grateful for any support you can give.
Become a member
By joining as a member, you can become part of the mission to ensure everyone can enjoy what makes Cornwall special. Become part of a community of over 11,000 members and you will receive a wealth of benefits as a thank you for your support.
Membership benefits include* free entry (plus 75% discount on special event charges) to the Cornish sites owned by English Heritage, free entry to Geevor Tin Mine Museum, discounted entry to Heritage Partner sites, special events and much more!
*Terms and conditions apply
Donate to our Historic Sites Fund
All over Cornwall, there are heritage sites that are uncared for and at risk – some that are even lost forever. It is vital that their future is safeguarded, and your support can help make that possible. Every penny you donate to our Historic Sites Fund will go towards purchasing and managing historic Cornish sites which need our help. Any donation, big or small, makes a huge difference.
The historic sites we care for are all open to the public and free to enter. Your donation will help ensure that everyone can access the special places that make Cornwall unique – one and all.
If you are a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid also helps our work immensely. The Gift Aid Scheme enables us to claim a further 25% of your donation from the Government without any additional cost to you.
Support our St Cleer Holy Well Roof Appeal
Vital maintenance work needs to take place to save the roof of St Cleer Holy Well and Cross near Liskeard. But we need your support to make it happen.
We are looking to raise £8000 to have the roof completely repointed by Historic England-approved heritage specialists — essential maintenance which the Grade One Listed, Scheduled monument has been in need of for some time.
As part of this appeal, we’re looking for eight people to join as Life Members and make the holy well’s conservation their legacy.
A lasting pledge of crucial support to Cornwall’s unique and distinct heritage, Cornwall Heritage Trust Life Members enjoy a wealth of benefits, including access to some of the most iconic and important historic places in Cornwall, guided walks, special events and more.
Volunteer with us
Our volunteers are vital in helping make our charitable work possible. We now have 90 active volunteers, who last year generously gave 110 days to our cause, worth over £7500. We’re incredibly grateful for their dedication and support!
If you would like to be part of this warm and friendly community, we have lots of opportunities for you to get involved. There are regular volunteering slots and one-off sessions, which range from helping to conserve our historic sites to supporting events to giving admin support in the office to conducting research into our archaeological finds.
Photo credit: Keith Larby (www.akphotos.net) / Cornwall Heritage Trust volunteer
It’s a welcoming environment with opportunities to suit all abilities and we are hugely grateful for any support you can give.
Leave a legacy
We have carried out much of our work so far as a result of generous bequests from people who share our values and want protecting Cornwall’s heritage to be their lasting legacy.
Leaving a gift in your will can make all the difference. It’s through this generosity that we have saved some of Cornwall’s most unique historic places and preserved its heritage for future generations.
The purchase of Caer Bran, for example, was made possible in 2022 thanks to a generous gift left to us by Miss Carlene Edith Harry in her will.
If you wish to have a chat about leaving a legacy to us, please do give us a call.
Supporting Cornwall’s landscape, stories and traditions has just become even easier, as we’re pleased to announce that you can now pay for your Cornwall Heritage Trust membership annually via Direct Debit.
It’s simple, secure and convenient to pay for your annual membership via Direct Debit and we hope this new option will make renewing with us as hassle-free an experience as possible.
Whether you wish to become a member for the first time or are renewing and would like to pay your annual membership via Direct Debit going forward, click the button below where you will be asked to sign up as a ‘new’ member.
For more information about how Direct Debits work, click the button below to be taken to a guide created by GoCardless, which processes these payments on our behalf.
We recognised the achievements of those people who quietly do so much to champion Cornwall’s heritage at our annual awards last week and what a night it was!
Every year, we recognise our Heritage Champion, an award which celebrates the achievements of an individual who has made a significant contribution to Cornwall’s heritage in a voluntary capacity. Nominations for this award are submitted by the public, and this year, they were so strong that the judging panel decided to create two new special awards – one for an Outstanding Contribution and one for Long Service to Cornwall’s heritage.
This year’s winners were Dean Evans, James Gossip and Chris Easton. Their support of and dedication to Cornwall’s heritage is incredibly inspiring – huge congratulations to them all!
This year’s judging panel consisted of:
- Liz Carne – Former Grand Bard of Cornwall, Melennek and Cornwall Heritage Trust Trustee
- Peter Lamble – Chairman and Partner of Coodes
- Kim Conchie – CEO of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce
- Lt Col Richard Trant – Chairman of Cornwall Heritage Trust
- Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Col Edward Bolitho – President of Cornwall Heritage Trust
The awards were sponsored by Coodes Solicitors for the second year running, and we’re hugely grateful for its continued support.
Dean Evans… Heritage Champion 2023
Dean Evans was named the winner of the Sir Richard Trant Memorial Award for Heritage Champion Award 2023. The award was introduced in 2009 and is presented annually in memory of General Sir Richard Trant, past Chairman of Cornwall Heritage Trust.
Dean won the award for his work sharing the story and vision of Passmore Edwards in order to preserve and develop his legacy.
Though the name of Passmore Edwards remains over the doorway of many of the 70 public buildings he funded, with passing generations the association with Passmore Edwards, the enormous contribution that he made to the lives of so many people, and through many of the surviving buildings, continues to make, lessens.
Through publishing an award-winning biography of Passmore Edwards, giving talks about his life and work, and arranging numerous events to celebrate that life, Dean has ensured that people in Cornwall, and across the UK, remain aware of the contribution made by Passmore Edwards to society, nationally and internationally. His self-funded website and social media presence provide valuable information about the 70 public buildings funded by Passmore Edwards and assist many of those groups and organisations who are presently associated with them to continue to ensure that they continue to serve the communities to which they were originally given.
In 2011, Dean organised and coordinated more than 80 events to mark the 100 years since the death of Passmore Edwards and in 2023 a similar number of events has taken place to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Cornwall’s most famous philanthropist. These events have taken place across Cornwall and across the south of the country and in London, wherever one of the Passmore Edwards buildings was situated. In creating these events Dean has worked with a huge number of organisations.
James Gossip… Outstanding Contribution Award 2023
James was given this award to recognise his dedication and willingness to continually go above and beyond for Cornish archaeology. Alongside his day job as a professional archaeologist with Cornwall Archaeological Unit, James has given up much of his time as Chairman and Site Director for Meneage Archaeology Group (MAG), an active group of 70+ volunteers aged 16-80 years founded by him in 2008 to continue the work at the multi-period excavation site at Boden on the Lizard.
His work has included training MAG volunteers in excavation, surveying and recording skills, enabling them to put these to use with other heritage projects like the Monumental Improvement Scheme, the CitiZan.
He has also been involved in projects regarding the coastal erosion of important sites like Trebarveth Salt Works, including involving MAG volunteers on other important excavations in Cornwall, such as at Tintagel, The Hurlers, Carwynnen Quoit, St. Piran’s Oratory and Gunwalloe. This has allowed them to work alongside professionals to gain more experience in excavation and knowledge of Cornish ancient sites.
His enthusiasm for protecting ancient monuments in the Cornish landscape is demonstrated by his many talks on this and organising clearance teams of volunteers from MAG to improve public access and awareness of these monuments.
He has given his knowledge, experience and free time to continue to lead with unfailing enthusiasm the excavation at Boden, a multi-period site with Bronze age, Iron Age and Romano-British activity. He also organises Open Days and walks to other local ancient sites.
Chris Easton… Long Service Award 2023
Chris was given this special award to recognise nearly 50 years of service he has so generously given to his community and Cornwall’s heritage.
He was one of a group of people who set up Perranzabuloe Museum, even doing much of the building work to convert the Oddfellows Hall from its previous life as a sportswear manufacturers, and has served on the management committee ever since. He has been Chair and, as well as being involved in the organisational side, has taken an active part in fundraising and maintenance, helping to protect the building itself for the future.
Chris has always been a keen supporter of Lowender and, during its years in Perranporth, his walks (originally honed for the Museum) became a regular and popular Friday afternoon event. During the festival he would be seen dancing with the Bolingey Troyl dancers, of which he was a member for many years and which he joined to help keep the tradition of Cornish dances and dancing alive in the parish. He even made the Troylers an ’Oss which he wore in the street procession and also in Perranporth’s Carnival.
He has been a member of Perranzabuloe Old Cornwall Society for many years (and President on at least two occasions) and has proudly carried the banner at many events including the St Piran Parade in Truro. Chris took part in ‘The Mermaid’s Revenge’, a Millennium Community Project, for which he sourced the folkloric story on which the play was based. After this followed the annual St Piran Play and for a few years Chris also instituted and ran ‘Gol Sen Perran’, an evening of music, spoken word and a faith supper, to extend the Pirantide weekend activities and provide something for those who couldn’t manage the dunes.
As a beachcomber he has seen the damage done to our natural heritage by plastic and other waste and has used his ‘finds’ to spread the word, giving talks to adults and children and creating murals around the village and artworks. For years he has been a trustee with Perranporth Garden Charities, an organisation that looks after some beautiful open spaces in the village, again serving as a very proactive Chair. Through the Museum, Chris has been part of the Time and Tide project with Exeter University looking at mining activity as well as natural erosion in the story of Perranporth’s cliffs and he and his beach finds were an important part of the ‘Heritage On The Beach’ days run as part of the project.
According to those who nominated him, Chris is the person everyone turns to if they need to know something about Perranzabuloe and he has put this knowledge to the service of the parish, helping to increase their understanding of the importance of heritage in our lives.
A celebration to remember…
Over 100 guests headed to Scorrier House near Redruth last Thursday to celebrate the winners’ achievements at a glittering awards ceremony, which was sponsored by Coodes Solicitors.
The ceremony was hosted by Cornwall Heritage Trust’s President, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Colonel Edward Bolitho OBE; the Trust’s Chairman, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Trant; and Daphne Skinnard from BBC Radio Cornwall.
Guests were treated to Cornish music from Joanna Tagley and refreshments, which were generously provided by Trevethan Distillery and Navas Drinks.
We are excited to announce that we have purchased Tregonning Hill, near Helston to protect it for future generations.
This great granite hill overlooking Mount’s Bay has a diverse archaeological landscape with monuments dating back to the Bronze Age and is known as the birthplace of the British china clay industry. Much of the site is designated a Scheduled Monument and all of it is within the Cornish Mining Landscape World Heritage Site.
This acquisition aims to safeguard the 70-acre site’s future and ensure that it remains free to visit for people 365 days of the year.
The property on the summit and eastern slopes of the hill was put on the market this summer, sparking a great deal of public interest and receiving national media attention. It was reported that the sale attracted a varied range of interest, including potential buyers who were considering it as an investment, a site for an alternative healing retreat and even an engagement gift.
Our CEO, Cathy Woolcock said: “Tregonning Hill is considered to be of huge archaeological value to Cornwall’s heritage and history, so we’re incredibly proud to now be its custodians. The strength of feeling its sale has provoked and the support we have received both from Historic England and the public to purchase it has been truly overwhelming. Its acquisition has been a huge focus for us over the last few months, and we’re so pleased to be able to share this news. Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported this project, especially Simon and Barbara Maddison, whose immense generosity made the purchase of the hill possible!”
The site has a multi-period archaeological landscape which includes a wide range of historic monuments, while the summit of the hill is crowned spectacularly by the hillfort known in legend as Castle Pencair.
The landscape also contains barrows; two rounds (later prehistoric enclosed hamlets); a very well-preserved medieval strip field system; extensive mineral working and prospecting pits; and part of a china clay works notable for being the place where William Cookworthy discovered china clay. It is even believed that John Wesley preached at the site.
The hillfort on Tregonning Hill was first described in detail in 1851 by Richard Thomas, who also noted that it was traditionally ‘the home of giants’.
It is also home to a tall granite cross, the memorial to those brave men of Germoe who died in the First and Second World Wars, and a Bristol Beaufort bomber crashed into the hill in 1941, killing all four on board.
The site is currently on the Heritage at Risk Register.
Cathy explained: “The hill’s story spans a huge breadth of Cornish history which is why it has such complex needs. Like many of the sites we care for, it is also important ecologically – partly designated both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation – which requires significant expertise to manage. All of these factors made Tregonning Hill a perfect fit for our portfolio and we’re so pleased that we can make sure it gets the care it deserves.”
Cornwall Heritage Trust is a small independent charity whose mission is to preserve and strengthen Cornwall’s unique heritage. We have been protecting Cornwall’s heritage for nearly 40 years and do this through our grant schemes, education programmes and care of historic sites across Cornwall.
This collection of sites has grown significantly over the last 18 months and in order to support this increase we have launched a Historic Sites Fund. Every penny donated will directly help us to purchase and manage historic Cornish sites which need help and we are hugely grateful for any support.
We are thrilled to announce that Historic England has removed St Cleer Holy Well and Cross from the Heritage at Risk Register.
St Cleer Holy Well and Cross is the only example of a well house with an open porch-like design in Cornwall. Its pillars, capitals and arches are carved with simple mouldings and patterns which were unusual for this date in Cornwall.
The open, arched form of the structure, with a steep gabled roof was probably intended to resemble a high-status saint’s tomb or shrine. Prior to the Reformation the interior may have been used to display the image or relics of a saint, to be viewed by pilgrims to the site, who would have had access to water from the spring covered by the building through the small double arch at the east end.
The first reference to the building was by the Cornish historian William Hals around 1700, who described it as ‘much decayed.’ In the 19th century, the spring water was piped to the roadside nearby, for the villagers’ convenience. In 1864 the well was restored by Lieutenant Henry Rogers in memory of his grandfather, the Reverend John Jope, who had been vicar of the parish for 67 years. At the same time, he established a trust for its maintenance, but by the late 20th century, with no trustees surviving, the site of the well had fallen into neglect.
Cornwall Heritage Trust acquired the site in November 2022 and took on its management. Historic England has supported us with a grant to enable assessments of the site, tree surgery, some re-pointing, and interpretation to improve understanding and management of the site for future generations.
Cathy Woolcock, Chief Executive of Cornwall Heritage Trust, said: “This acquisition has been a long time coming and we’re so proud for St Cleer Holy Well and Cross to join our growing portfolio of historic Cornish sites, which are all free for the general public to access. Our charity was founded nearly 40 years ago to address concerns that far too many of Cornwall’s historic places were at risk, and helping remove this site from the Heritage at Risk Register shows just how important that mission remains today.”
“It took a great deal of hard work and negotiation to bring the site into our care, and it’s an honour to now be its custodians. We are hugely grateful to Historic England for its unwavering support throughout the process and for grant-funding some essential maintenance to the site as well as interpretation and surveying.”
Just a quick reminder that our 38th AGM will take place at Krowji in Redruth, on Thursday 16th November at 11am.
Open to all members, the AGM is a fantastic opportunity to find out about the exciting work which has taken place over the last year at the Trust. Members received correspondence inviting them to the AGM last month.
The meeting will take place in person, however, we will also be offering the option of joining by Zoom if preferred. If you would like to join us through Zoom please contact the office and we will send out a link.
Agenda and Draft Minutes from AGM
A copy of the agenda for the AGM is available to download below along with the minutes of last year’s AGM. If you are unable to access the documents, please let us know and we will send you a paper copy in the post. Copies of our annual accounts can be requested and will be available from the AGM onwards.
CHT Draft AGM Minutes – 12.10.2022
If you have any queries relating to the agenda or wish to propose a matter for discussion please do get in touch by email at info@cornwallheritagetrust.org.
The results are in… we’re excited to announce the winners of our community photography competition.
The theme this year was “My Cornwall, My Heritage”, and it’s been a real joy to see to see the places, landscapes and traditions that mean the most to you! We’ve had entries from photographers of all ages and we’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who entered. The standard, as always, was incredibly high and our judging panel had a really hard task whittling down to the final 12 winners. Huge congratulations to you all!
The top prizes go to…
1st Prize: Carn Brea and the Basset Monument by Barrie Walker
2nd Prize: Boscawen-ûn Stone Circle by Philip Tonkyn
3rd Prize: Launceston Castle by Stuart Chorlton
The other competition winners are…
The Great Flat Lode by Rosemary Didlick
Carwynnen Quoit by Peter Batson
The Chough by Martin Yelland
King Doniert’s Stone by Tim Pearson
Godrevy by Sheralyn Robinson
Botallack Crowns by Ainsley Cocks
Newlyn Harbour by Peter Batson
Engine House at South Polgooth Tin Mine by Lisa Dorne Macleod
St Michael’s Mount by Guy Robertson
Our 2024 calendar has had a bit of a makeover, and you can now expect full A4 size versions of all these fantastic photos as well as information about the heritage sites they depict and what these places mean to their photographers.
The calendar is printed in Cornwall using green energy and sustainably sourced paper.
The calendar is available to pre-order from our online shop, priced at £8 plus postage. Pre-ordered calendars will be shipped in mid-October 2023.
Experience Castle an Dinas after dark with Cornwall Heritage Trust this October.
Join our team on a ghoulish guided walk to hear the tales that have echoed down the ages about one of Cornwall’s most iconic hillforts. You’ll be surprised to find out how much has happened there over the centuries!
Expect stories of otherworldly apparitions, haunted history, and things that go bump in the night. Don’t forget to bring a torch – there’s no telling what lurks in the shadows.
Recommended for only the bravest souls, this walk is for over 16s only.
Tickets are priced at £10 per person, to include an hour-long guided walk and mulled apple juice.
Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Booking will open at 7pm on Friday 6th October 2023.
This event has been part-funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
We have Ranger Days at Treffry Viaduct coming up on October 5th, 11th, and 12th, which we hope you would like to be involved in.
Taking place at Treffry Viaduct near St Austell, these sessions will involve mud clearance of footpaths to improve accessibility and way-finding. The work is guided by a Heritage Impact Assessment undertaken by Cornwall Archaeological Unit and made possible by funding from GWR.
Our Ranger Days are an exciting new programme of volunteering opportunities, which take place across Cornwall throughout the year.
Work such as this is a vital part of helping us protect these ancient monuments and the natural habitats that they are part of, and we are hugely grateful for any support you can give. Participants are welcome to join as many or as few sessions as they wish to attend.
No experience is required and support and equipment will be provided.
Although we are keen to accommodate all offers to volunteer, on some occasions we are restricted to the number of volunteers that can participate on site. Places in these instances will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.
Back by popular demand, join us at Roche Victory Hall Social Club on Wednesday 27th September for a special talk about the findings from Cornwall Archaeological Unit’s mitigation work on the new Link Road by passing Roche.
This talk is free of charge and has been made possible by funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.
Date: Wednesday 27th September
Time: 6.30pm – 8pm
Location: Roche Victory Hall Social Club, 15 Victoria Road, Roche, St. Austell, PL26 8JF
This talk was hosted earlier this year in Indian Queens and is being repeated due to its popularity. It will once again be led by Sean Taylor, Senior Archaeologist at Cornwall Archaeological Unit.
Entitled ‘What have the Romans ever done for Roche?’, Sean will offer his expert insight into the sites uncovered by CAU prior to the main construction works commencing for the St Austell to A30 Link Road. Dating from the Neolithic period to post-Roman, these include an 18-acre Roman camp and 28-acre fortlet, an Early Neolithic longhouse, a Middle Neolithic enclosure, Late Neolithic pits, Bronze Age roundhouses and barrows, an Iron Age or early Romano-British roundhouse and post-Roman structures.
Refreshments, including pasties, will be served.
Numbers are restricted and places are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Cornwall Heritage Trust members are welcome to attend and were last week given exclusive priority access to secure their places.
If you would like to book a place, we recommend doing so without delay as we expect they will go incredibly quickly. Numbers are restricted and places are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Please be aware that Cornwall Heritage Trust is photographing the event and may publish these photos in a variety of media and online.
A major project to make Cornwall Heritage Trust more resilient has been given the green light thanks to a £250,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Ragdres Gwedhynder (Resilience Project) builds on the work the charity has undertaken over the last twelve months to grow its work and become a leading heritage body in Cornwall ahead of its forthcoming 40th anniversary.
Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project aims to broaden the charity’s audiences; increase its portfolio of heritage properties; strengthen its governance and strategy; help it collaborate with partners to use its sites in a variety of unique ways; and generate income to continue to make its work possible.
Cornwall Heritage Trust CEO, Cathy Woolcock said: “Grants for projects of this scale are incredibly hard to come by and we’re hugely grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for its support. We’re a small independent charity where every penny from memberships and donations really does count, so receiving funding specifically to carry out this project is going to make a huge difference! We’ve helped tens of thousands of Cornish people connect with their roots over the last 40 years, and we’re confident that Ragdres Gwedhynder will help us ensure that this work continues to grow for the next 40 years and many more to come.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are delighted to support Cornwall Heritage Trust with this important resilience project. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, they will be able to continue the incredible work that they do for Cornwall’s heritage. This project is a fantastic example of how we can support heritage organisations to look towards the future and encourage new heritage investment that benefits our local communities and economies.”
