Cornwall Heritage Trust’s CEO, Cathy Woolcock, has been shortlisted by Cornwall Museums Partnership for its prestigious Leader of the Year award.
One of only three people to make the cut, Cathy will find out if she’s won at a glittering awards ceremony taking place at the Royal Cornwall Museum on Wednesday 8th February 2023.
The award recognises inspirational leadership from anyone in a Cornish heritage organisation at any level who has influenced, inspired and motivated their colleagues.
Commenting on her shortlisting, Cathy said: “I can’t believe it. I am passionate about Cornwall and its heritage, and so being recognised for doing a job I love, with a team of colleagues who inspire me every day, is a true honour.”
Cornwall Museums Partnership is an independent charitable incorporated organisation, which supports a network of over 70 museums across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Image description: Cathy Woolcock (centre) and the Cornwall Heritage Trust team
The Alverton Hotel, Truro is helping us continue to protect Cornwall’s rich and distinct heritage by joining our corporate sponsorship programme.
The Alverton is a four silver star hotel, bar and brasserie with private gardens situated right at the heart of Truro. The hotel’s 19th-century Grade II Listed building was previously a convent and has stood on its hillside setting within the Cornish capital since 1830. Today, it is renowned for its unrivalled hospitality, luxurious rooms and two AA rosette-awarded food.
Cathy Woolcock, CEO at Cornwall Heritage Trust said: “As a small, independent charity, partnerships like this make a huge difference to the work we do so we’re thrilled to have the Alverton on board. We both treasure Cornwall’s heritage and want to preserve it, so the partnership makes perfect sense!”
Ben Young, Managing Director of The Greenbank and The Alverton said: “We are proud to be supporting the Cornwall Heritage Trust this year. As the Managing Director of historic hotels in Cornwall, I recognise the value of protecting and preserving our unique Cornish heritage. We hope to be able to continue to support their important work in 2023 and beyond.”
The Alverton’s sister hotel, the Greenbank has also joined Cornwall Heritage Trust’s corporate sponsorship programme.
More information about the Alverton can be found on its website: https://thealverton.co.uk/
We’re looking for a Countryside Ranger, an exciting opportunity to work throughout Cornwall in some of its most stunning landscapes and care for unique heritage properties.
Role Type: Full Time
Based: At sites throughout Cornwall – Head Office is based in Redruth
Salary: £23,660pa
Contract: Fixed-term contract for an initial period of 2 years
Benefits: Pension scheme and membership of Cornwall Heritage Trust
This brand-new, full-time role is designed to bring the routine sites maintenance activities in-house and enable us to manage their care more flexibly and consistently. An important element of the job will involve growing our on-site volunteering and outreach activities and working with partner organisations.
The role will include:
- General estate management of the portfolio of historic properties in the care of CHT; this may include fencing repairs, access works or Cornish hedging for example
- Vegetation/ scrub clearance and heathland management
- Balancing the needs of conservation with visitor management
- Helping to formulate site management plans
- Environmental monitoring activities
- Volunteer supervision and management
- Liaison with the public and engaging with the community, including partner organisations
- Responsibility for health and safety on the sites
- Maintaining equipment and machinery
- Overseeing and training of apprentices
(This is not an exhaustive list and other tasks may be necessary according to the needs of the Trust)
To view the role profile and apply by Wednesday 1st February, please visit https://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/vacancies
It is so exciting to be adding another benefit to the wealth of those on offer to our members, with the launch of our exclusive new magazine – An Gwithyas.
‘An Gwithyas’ means ‘The Custodian’, which we feel perfectly reflects the work we do preserving, protecting, and promoting Cornwall’s very special heritage.
The publication has just returned from the printers and is now winging its way to all our members, who we hope enjoy reading it! The first issue is packed full of exciting news and stories about Cornwall’s unique and distinct heritage and we would love to hear their feedback, suggestions and contributions for the next edition.
Cornwall Heritage Trust is a completely independent charity and our members are at the heart of how we can continue to connect people with Cornwall’s landscape, stories and communities.
As a thank you for their support, they receive a wealth of benefits. These include free entry to the sites in Cornwall owned by English Heritage – including Tintagel, Restormel, St Mawes, Pendennis and Launceston castles, and Chysauster Ancient Village –, free entry to Geevor Tin Mine Museum, 50% off entry at Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum, 50% off Adult Admission to King Edward Mine, guided walks, special events, publications like An Gwithyas and much more!
If you aren’t already a member, you can take a look at a preview of the magazine here…
If you’ve ever visited the Hurlers, you’ll know what a mysterious and thought-provoking place it is to be, but did you know that hidden beneath your feet is an enigmatic stone “pavement” which runs between the central and northern circles?
A triple stone circle complex, on Minions Moor, southeast Bodmin Moor, the Hurlers is one of Cornwall’s most significant ceremonial prehistoric monuments, located within a wider landscape of barrows, cairns, and stone rows. It is one of the 13 historic Cornish sites which Cornwall Heritage Trust protects.
For centuries ruinous and neglected, the monument was partially restored in the 1930s when excavations discovered this puzzling “pavement” at the site. Two community archaeology projects, Mapping The Sun in 2013 and Reading the Hurlers in 2016, revealed this fascinating feature once more, as well as investigating the geology of the stones, discovering new sites and carrying out new surveys. An interdisciplinary approach ensured a fruitful collaboration of archaeologists, geologists and astronomers and the findings offered a tantalising glimpse of the Hurlers’ story.
The discoveries unearthed by these two projects were the focus of our latest Cornish Story Cafe, hosted by Jacky Nowakowski FSA, Archaeologist, Researcher and Educator.
Jacky is a professional archaeologist who has directed many excavations and landscape surveys in Cornwall over the past 35 years. Formerly Principal Archaeologist at Cornwall Archaeological Unit, Cornwall Council, she now works freelance and her wide and varied career led her to direct these two community archaeology projects at the Hurlers. The projects were undertaken as part of the Caradon Hill Area Heritage Project, which was funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund, Cornwall Heritage Trust, Caradon Amateur Geology Group, Saltash geology group U3A, MAGA Cornish Language Partnership, Carnglaze Caverns and Cornwall Archaeological Society.
Over 100 people attended the Cornish Story Cafe, which took place at Liskeard Public Hall, and it’s wonderful to hear how much you all enjoyed it!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the fantastic evening and special thanks go to our Events Volunteers who did sterling service helping set up, looking after our guests, serving teas and coffees and distributing pasties.
If you would like to be involved as a Volunteer at events like this, please register your interest here
This Cornish Story Cafe was recorded and the film will shortly be available to watch free of charge online.
Find out more about Jacky’s work
Mapping the Sun booklets from CAU publications can be obtained by emailing enquiries@cau.org.uk
Investigating the Hurlers A Dark Skies film RAS 200 Sky and Earth – YouTube
Nowakowski, JA, Kennett, C, Gossip, J and Sheen, B, 2020. Investigating Archaeology and Astronomy at The Hurlers, Cornwall 2013 -2019, Jour Skyscape Archaeology 6.1, 53-85
Research the Hurlers by J Nowakowski, J Gossip and C Kennett, in press
Reclaiming The Hurlers: The 1930s excavations and restoration of a monumental landscape in in prep by J Nowakowski et al
A full summary of the two projects will come out in the next Cornish Archaeology journal published by the Cornwall Archaeological Society and should be out in Spring 2023
Today is Giving Tuesday, a generosity movement with a simple idea – to encourage people to do good. Why not look at how you can make a difference here in Cornwall?
We have lots of fun opportunities for people to get involved with exciting volunteering projects, from helping to conserve our historic sites to supporting an event or conducting research into our archaeological finds. Check out our volunteering page for more ideas.
Whether large or small, donations also make a massive difference to us. They are vital to our work, which includes helping us protect our ancient monuments and giving schoolchildren the chance to experience historic places in person.
If you would like to help us preserve Cornwall’s unique heritage for future generations, please consider giving a donation.
We have carried out much of our work so far as a result of generous bequests from people who share our values and want their money to be used to help continue our work, whether that’s within our education projects, maintaining and protecting our sites, supporting community projects or promoting Cornwall’s heritage.
The purchase of Caer Bran earlier this year, for example, was made possible by a bequest. If you would like to learn more about leaving a gift in your Will, please do get in touch.
We are thrilled to announce that we’ve smashed our target for Treffry Viaduct Crib Hut Life Membership Appeal. 15 new Cornwall Heritage Trust Life Members have helped us raise £6,500 to conserve the 19th-century Crib Hut adjacent to the historic viaduct.
We’re delighted to report that thanks to their support the building is now structurally sound and the finishing works are planned to be completed in the near future.
Cornwall Heritage Trust CEO, Cathy Woolcock said: “The Crib Hut offers a tantalising glimpse of what daily life was like for the workforce at Treffry Viaduct. We’re hugely grateful to our new members for helping us conserve this fascinating slice of Cornish social history – their generosity has helped ensure its legacy for future generations.”
Those who have supported the Crib Hut appeal by becoming life members will have their names on signage at the site in recognition of their commitment to this cause.
One of 13 historic sites protected by Cornwall Heritage Trust, Treffry Viaduct is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, as designated by UNESCO. The Crib Hut is thought to have been used by viaduct workers throughout the 19th century, providing welcome shelter for them to rest in during breaks.
We are excited to announce that Cornwall Heritage Trust has taken ownership of St Cleer’s Well – a medieval holy well and wayside cross, situated within a small walled enclosure in the middle of the village of St Cleer, near Liskeard.
The 13th historic site to be taken into our care, the well is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and also Listed Grade One – a demarcation earned by only 2.5% of listed buildings, which Historic England defines as warranting “exceptional interest”.
Thought to date from the 15th century, it is the only example of a well house with an open porch-like design in Cornwall. Its pillars, arches and capitals are carved with simple mouldings and patterns which are also unusual in Cornwall at this date.
During the medieval period, holy wells sometimes functioned as sites for baptism but they were also revered for less tangible reasons, such as folklore beliefs in the healing powers of the water. According to Historic England, St Cleer’s, for example, had the reputation for “curing the lame, the blind and the insane”.
Cornwall Heritage Trust CEO, Cathy Woolcock said: “This acquisition has been a long time coming and we are excited for St Cleer’s Well to join our collection of Cornish sites, which are all free for the general public to enter. Three years ago, Historic England approached us about the monument which had come to their attention because, while it was very well preserved, it was in need of some maintenance.”
“After some detective work, it was discovered that the site was owned by a Trust which no longer had any trustees. Fast forward three years and after a great deal of hard work and negotiation, we are so pleased that St Cleer’s Well is finally in the custody of Cornwall Heritage Trust. We are very grateful to Historic England for their unwavering support for this project and are delighted they have agreed to grant-fund the essential maintenance to the site as well as some additional interpretation and surveying.”
Cornwall Heritage Trust now protects 13 historic sites across Cornwall, which include the nearby ancient sites of Trethevy Quoit, The Hurler Stone Circles and King Doniert’s Stone. All of the Trust’s historic sites are open to the general public and free to enter.
More information about them can be found at www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/visit
We are hosting a Cornish Story Cafe about The Hurlers this November and warmly invite you to join us.
Date: Thursday 24th November
Time: 6.30pm
Location: Liskeard Public Hall, 3-5 West Street, Liskeard, Cornwall, PL14 6BW
One of the 12 historic Cornish sites Cornwall Heritage Trust protects, The Hurlers is one of Cornwall’s most significant ceremonial prehistoric monuments. Located on Minions Moor, southeast of Bodmin Moor, the triple stone circle complex is located within a wider landscape of barrows, cairns, and stone rows.
Taking place at Liskeard Public Hall on Thursday 24th November at 6.30pm, this special talk will explore The Hurlers through the lens of two community archaeology projects – Mapping The Sun 2013 and Reading the Hurlers in 2016.
It will be led by Jacky Nowakowski FSA, Archaeologist, Researcher and Educator.
The talk is open to the general public and free of charge. Refreshments, including pasties, will be served, and if you are able to give a suggested donation of £3 on the night, it would be hugely appreciated.
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.
Book your free place https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-cornish-story-cafe-the-hurlers-tickets-464157125457
Cornwall Heritage Trust hosts a number of Story Cafes throughout the year to bring Cornwall’s unique and distinct heritage to life and preserve its stories for future generations. Previous Story Cafés have ranged from discussing archaeological excavations at Trethevy Quoit to exploring the forgotten stories of Cornish miners from the Kolar Gold Fields.
We recognised the achievements of Cornwall’s unsung heritage champions at our annual awards last week and what a night it was!
We presented three prizes as part of our Heritage Champion Awards, which recognise people who have made a significant contribution to Cornwall’s heritage in a voluntary capacity.
This year’s winners were Elizabeth Dale “The Cornish Bird”, St Columb Old Cornwall Society and Trevor Smitheram. Their invaluable work is helping connect people with Cornwall’s landscape, stories and communities and we wish them all huge congratulations.
The awards were sponsored by Coodes Solicitors, a leading Cornish-based law firm with a long and proud history that dates back 275 years.
Elizabeth Dale… Heritage Champion 2022
Elizabeth Dale was named the winner of the Sir Richard Trant Memorial Award for Heritage Champion Award 2022. The award is presented in honour of Cornwall Heritage Trust’s former Chairman, who, following a distinguished career in the Army, dedicated his remaining years to helping promote Cornwall’s unique and distinct heritage.
Elizabeth won the award for her work with the “Cornish Bird” blog which shines a light on Cornwall’s hidden places and untold stories. The blog is very well received with over 234,000 page views and over 7,400 Twitter followers.
Elizabeth said: “I started the “Cornish Bird” blog in 2016 because I wanted somewhere to share my love of Cornwall and its incredibly diverse history and folklore. I was very aware that I hadn’t been taught any Cornish history at school and that the Cornwall that I saw represented in the media was not one that I really recognised, I wanted to fill that gap for me and others like me. I thought that at some point I would surely run out of things to write about but that just hasn’t happened yet!”
Elizabeth also has regular columns in local publications such as MyCornwall magazine, a slot on the Tiffany Truscott Show and has appeared on a number of TV programmes to tell local stories and add colour to the topic.
St Columb Old Cornwall Society… Heritage Organisations and Groups Champion 2022
St Columb Old Cornwall Society was presented with the Heritage Organisations and Groups Award. An active member of the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, St Columb earned the award for its commitment to the preservation of Cornwall’s traditions and heritage at Castle an Dinas, one of the 12 historic sites Cornwall Heritage Trust cares for.
Every year, the society hosts a well-attended midsummer bonfire at the site and this June it supported Cornwall Heritage Trust with another bonfire lighting, held as part of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee beacon lighting celebrations.
Trevor Smitheram… Lockdown Heritage Champion
The last Heritage Champion Awards were presented in 2019 and, with this in mind, the final prize to be presented was a special Heritage Champion Lockdown Award. This was awarded to Trevor Smitheram.
During pandemic lockdowns, Trevor posted regular, almost daily, videos on social media featuring dialect stories and poems which kept up the spirits of local communities and saw people from all over the world engaging with his work. A stalwart of the Hayle Old Cornwall Society, Trevor now offers his dialect stories in-person on a twice-weekly basis as well as continuing to give his time with tours, talks, fundraising and practical help to a number of Cornwall’s heritage organisations.
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 Tiffany Truscott from BBC Radio Cornwall also joined him to present the awards.
Guests were treated to Cornish music and song from Mike O’Connor and Barbara Griggs and refreshments, which were generously provided by Colwith Farm Distillery and Navas Tonic.
“What a special night! It’s such an honour to recognise the inspiring people whose achievements in preserving and strengthening Cornwall’s heritage all too often go unsung. Their invaluable work is helping connect people with Cornwall’s landscape, stories and communities and we wish them all huge congratulations. Thank you to everyone who made the wonderful evening possible.” Cathy Woolcock, Cornwall Heritage Trust CEO
Cornwall Heritage Trust is continuing its mission to rescue Caer Bran – an important multi-age hillfort in West Penwith – as Historic England makes its formal announcement of the site’s addition to the Heritage at Risk register 2022.
Cornwall Heritage Trust purchased Caer Bran in February 2022 after Historic England made the decision to add the nine-hectare site to its Heritage at Risk register, due to a risk of bracken and scrub overgrowth. The purchase was made in order to protect the site from these issues as well as from possible development and intensive agricultural use.
Cornwall Heritage Trust CEO, Cathy Woolcock said: “The hillfort and ring cairns are protected as a Scheduled Monument, but Caer Bran has been on the Heritage at Risk register at many points over the last two decades. The Trust has been tracking the property for some time and so when it came onto the market earlier this year, it was incredibly important to us to take the site into our care. The reasons why Caer Bran was added to the Heritage at Risk register are exactly why we purchased the site, and our aim by doing this is to rescue it from the register once and for all.”
Since securing ownership of the area, Cornwall Heritage Trust has begun putting in place a programme of vegetation management to promote heathland regeneration and associated works to enhance the setting of Caer Bran and the other archaeological sites in the area.
Historic England Heritage at Risk Project Officer, Ann Preston-Jones said: “Caer Bran has had a succession of owners over the last few years. The site and surrounding ground was marketed by estate agents in 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2022. When the site was put up for sale again early in 2022 and there was yet more uncertainty about Caer Bran’s future, the hillfort was added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register.”
“Historic England was delighted when Caer Bran was acquired by Cornwall Heritage Trust, thus saving it for the people of Cornwall. We are in the process of agreeing a grant to help Cornwall Heritage Trust initiate and deliver a programme of beneficial management and we fully anticipate being able to remove the site from the register next year, once the work of scrub clearance and bracken management begins in earnest.”
Located near Sancreed in the far West of Cornwall, Caer Bran contains archaeological remains from both the Bronze Age and Iron Age periods.
Traditionally considered to be an Iron Age enclosure, recent research shows that Caer Bran actually had origins in the Bronze Age, with the construction of three-ring cairns set within a hilltop enclosure. These can still be viewed at the site. Re-enclosure of the monument took place in the Iron Age with a more substantial bank and ditch, and this continuity shows the importance of Caer Bran to the people of the local area.
Cornwall Heritage Trust is an independent Cornish charity, which aims to preserve and strengthen Cornwall’s unique and distinct heritage for future generations. The charity protects 12 of Cornwall’s most iconic and important historic sites, runs a highly successful heritage education programme and provides school transport grants, which enable children to visit historic places across Cornwall.
Today saw the launch of the Cornish Voices Dialect Project – a collaboration between Cornwall Heritage Trust, The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, Gorsedh Kernow and Lowender Peran.
The project seeks to promote awareness of Cornish dialect both as a modern medium of communication and part of Cornwall’s cultural heritage and we are incredibly proud to be part of it!
