Did you know that excavations undertaken by Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU) at the site of the planned St Austell to A30 Link Road uncovered a rare Early Neolithic longhouse? Thought to date from around 3800BC, it’s only the second of its kind known of in Cornwall!
This was just one of the amazing finds featured in our latest Cornish Story Cafe, hosted by Sean Taylor, Senior Archaeologist at Cornwall Archaeological Unit.
Entitled ‘What have the Romans ever done for Roche?’, Sean offered 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 11.7-hectare Roman camp and 0.06-hectare 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.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the fascinating evening – it’s been fantastic to hear how much you all enjoyed it!
The Story Cafe was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, as part of the Platinum Jubilee funding.
If you would like to be involved in helping to organise events such as this, we are currently looking for volunteers to join our events team and would love to hear from anyone interested.
To find out more about the opportunity to volunteer for the Story Cafe events team and attend an online information session on Thursday 3rd November at 6.30pm, please register your interest here…
Do you remember your favourite school history trip?
For so many children, following in the footsteps of their ancestors and seeing their heritage come to life at Cornwall’s ancient sites, museums and historic properties is a learning experience they will never forget! But, as school budgets tighten and the costs of petrol and vehicle hire continue to rise, many schoolchildren may miss out on these amazing opportunities. That’s why Cornwall Heritage Trust is here to help.
To all the Cornish primary schools struggling with the rising costs of transport for class trips, don’t forget that you can apply for support through our School Transport Grants Scheme. This financial support aims to help primary schools to fund the costs of petrol and vehicle hire for class trips to heritage sites in Cornwall.
“When we launched this scheme in 2014, we asked schools what the biggest barrier to visiting heritage sites was and the vast majority told us it was the cost of transport. We know that’s only getting tougher in the current economic climate and that’s why it’s so important to us that we continue to help!”
“Right now, our schools are facing an unprecedented strain on their budgets and sadly, enrichment activities like trips are all too often the first things to be cut when times are hard. We get such amazing feedback from the schools who apply to us for grants so we know how much children benefit from the experience of visiting these special Cornish places and learning about their heritage.” Cathy Woolcock, CEO
This academic year’s grants are being made possible by a partnership with Cornish Lithium. Based in Penryn, the pioneering mineral exploration and development company focuses on the environmentally-responsible extraction of lithium from geothermal waters and hard rock in Cornwall. Lithium is a vital component of batteries used for electric vehicles and energy storage, and is therefore critical to the global goal of decarbonisation and the transition to a green economy.
“At Cornish Lithium, we combine historical detective work with modern technology to learn from the past how we can innovate for the future. By sponsoring this important initiative, we aim to give Cornish school children the opportunity to engage with the amazing heritage on our doorstep, to help bring Cornwall’s rich history to life and to inspire a new generation of pioneers.” Lucy Crane, ESG & Sustainability Manager at Cornish Lithium
Find out more…
To find out more and apply for a School Transport Grant, click here
Cornwall Heritage Trust is hosting a Story Cafe about the Neolithic to post-Roman sites on the St Austell to A30 Link Road taking place this October.
Date: Tuesday 25th October
Time: 6.30pm
Location: Victory Hall, Indian Queens, Saint Columb, TR9 6PP
Expected finds based on previous work (geophysical survey and evaluation) included a number of ring-ditches and a Roman camp. However, the work revealed a much larger range of sites than expected, including an Early Neolithic longhouse, a Middle Neolithic enclosure, Late Neolithic pits, Bronze Age roundhouses and barrows, an Iron Age or early Romano-British roundhouse, a Roman fortlet (in addition to the camp), and post-Roman structures, as well as a number of early roads. The talk will give a brief summary of each site.
The talk will be led by Sean Taylor, Senior Archaeologist at Cornwall Archaeological Unit.
Sean has been a professional archaeologist for 24 years. After working for a variety of commercial archaeological organisations in the South West, he joined Cornwall Archaeological Unit in December 2000. As Senior Archaeologist, he currently manages and undertakes a wide range of projects. Major excavation projects include the Scarcewater Bronze Age to Romano-British site; Camelford School Iron Age site; the Brownie Cross; Plympton medieval tin-smelting site; the Truro Eastern District Centre Neolithic to medieval site; the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross road upgrade (Mesolithic to post-medieval) and the St Austell to A30 Link Road (Neolithic to post-Roman).
The talk is free of charge. Refreshments, including pasties, will be served.
Cornwall Heritage Trust members were given exclusive early access to book their place at the talk last week.
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 place here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-cornish-story-cafe-what-have-the-romans-ever-done-for-roche-tickets-440820585237
Please be aware that Cornwall Heritage Trust is photographing the event and may publish these photos in a variety of media and online.
Did you know that West Penwith is home to around 5000 miles of Cornish hedges, many of which have been there for thousands of years? Some of the oldest are thought to be around 4000 years old, making them as old as the pyramids in Egypt!
We learnt this and much more about this fascinating part of Cornwall at our latest Story Cafe, hosted by Laura Ratcliffe-Warren, Ancient Penwith Officer at Penwith Landscape Partnership. Nearly 100 people joined us at Pendeen Parish Hall last week for this insightful talk and it was fantastic to hear how much they enjoyed it!
Laura offered a whistle-stop tour of almost 10,000 years of history in the living historic landscape of West Penwith. The talk saw her explore historic sites ranging from Neolithic quoits to Iron Age settlements and mysterious stone circles to holy wells precariously perched on windswept clifftops. These included a number of sites cared for by Cornwall Heritage Trust including Sancreed Beacon, Carn Euny, Tregiffian Burial Chamber and Caer Bran.
If you couldn’t make it to the talk or would like to watch it again, click here to see the full recording.
A project which aims to connect local communities in Luxulyan, near St Austell, with their unique industrial heritage has received a £10,105 grant from Great Western Railway.
Cornwall Heritage Trust successfully applied for the grant from the train operator’s Community Fund, which was launched in May to support local communities and address areas of social need.
The project will focus on the history and heritage of Treffry Viaduct and the Luxulyan Valley, near St Austell. One of 12 historic sites which the Trust protects, Treffry is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, as designated by UNESCO. This unique heritage site can be reached via Luxulyan Valley train station, on the Atlantic Coast railway branch line between Par and Newquay.
The project will involve local people in a number of ways, including collating their views and connections to the viaduct and the valley, producing a film about its history with local expert John Smith, path clearances to improve the area, a guided walk around the site, and a special talk to offer people the chance to celebrate their heritage together.
Cornwall Heritage Trust CEO, Cathy Woolcock said: “We’re extremely grateful for this funding from Great Western Railway. Connecting local communities with Cornwall’s unique cultural heritage is at the heart of everything we do, so it’s incredibly exciting to be able to deliver this exciting programme of interpretive and access works to bring this nationally significant site to life for the people of Luxulyan.”
South East Cornwall MP, Sheryll Murray said: “It is good to see Great Western working with our local communities to promote the wonderful heritage of South East Cornwall. The Treffry Viaduct and Luxulyan Valley are very important sites, and I am really pleased that Cornwall Heritage Trust was successful in its bid for community funding. I very much look forward to seeing the film when it is finished and hope all goes well with the project.”
GWR Business Development Director, Tom Pierpoint said: “The Community Fund is a fantastic opportunity for us to invest in our communities in projects that really make a difference at a local level.”
“We’re delighted this funding will help to support the production of a film about the valley and the viaduct’s history and we look forward to seeing the end results.”
Photo credit: www.instagram.com/takemetocornwall
Do you know an unsung hero or heroine, who has made a significant contribution to Cornwall’s heritage in a voluntary capacity?
If you do, we are currently inviting nominations for our annual Heritage Champion Awards and would love to hear from you!
“There are so many people who quietly do so much for Cornwall’s heritage, so celebrating their hard work and dedication like this is incredibly special. We want to hear from as many people as possible so please get in touch, whether it’s about an incredible person you’ve met at a heritage site or someone in your local community who goes above and beyond to protect Cornwall’s landscape, stories and communities.” Cathy Woolcock, Cornwall Heritage Trust CEO
The awards, which are set to take place this November at Scorrier House, are sponsored by Coodes Solicitors, a leading Cornish-based law firm with a long and proud history that dates back 275 years.
“As Cornwall’s longest established legal firm marking our 275th anniversary this year, we fully understand and recognise the importance of celebrating Cornwall’s rich heritage. We are delighted to be partnering with Cornwall Heritage Trust as a ‘Heritage Hero.’ Cornwall has a long, strong history and Coodes is proud to be a part of that.” Peter Lamble, Chairman of Coodes
Recent individual award winners include…
Will Coleman, for his involvement in projects such as the Man Engine and Golden Tree Productions; Cheryl Straffon, for her work with CASPN, FOCAS and the Penwith Landscape Partnership Project; Carole Vivian; for establishing and organising the Cornwall Association of Local Historians (CALH); and Captain George Hogg; for his involvement with the National Maritime Museum Cornwall and the Bartlett Library.]
The award is presented in honour of our former Chairman, who, following a distinguished career in the Army, dedicated his remaining years to helping promote Cornwall’s unique and distinct heritage.
How to submit your nomination…
Nominations can be submitted by all members of the public and should be supported by letters from people with first-hand knowledge of the nominee, who can endorse their contribution or supply additional information.
The closing date for nominations is Friday 21st October.
Cornwall Heritage Trust volunteers helped uncover archaeological finds thought to date back over 120 years, as part of a day of conservation and restoration work taking place at Sancreed Beacon last weekend.
One of twelve historic sites protected by Cornwall Heritage Trust, Sancreed Beacon is a beautiful stretch of natural moorland located near Penzance. Part of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and West Penwith International Dark Sky Park, it is a designated County Wildlife Site and is shortly to become a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
It is home to a wide variety of flora, fauna and historic remains as well as four rare Dartmoor ponies, who help the Trust with the management of the bracken through their grazing. The conservation day involved the practical clearance of debris in an area of the Beacon that has historically been used as a midden or refuse site. As a result of the work, a significant number of interesting historic artefacts were uncovered, some of which date back to the Victorian period.
One of the oldest finds of the day was an Elliman’s Embrocation bottle, which is thought to date from around c.1880 to 1900. The bottle would have originally housed a medicine made of eggs, turpentine and vinegar that was said to help with aching muscles and joints.
Volunteers therefore also supported the Trust’s archaeological team in processing and recording these finds in order to help the charity learn more about activity at Sancreed over the years.
Whether it’s conserving our sites, leading guided walks, helping at events or conducting heritage research, there are lots of ways to volunteer at Cornwall Heritage Trust. It’s the chance to join a supportive team and make new friends, make a difference to your local heritage, share your knowledge and experience, and learn and develop new skills and interests.
We are hosting a talk about Ancient Penwith this October and warmly invite you to join us.
Taking place at Pendeen Parish Hall on Monday 3rd October at 11am, this special talk will focus on the invaluable living heritage which is looked after by our friends at the Penwith Landscape Partnership. The talk will be led by Laura Ratcliffe-Warren, Ancient Penwith Officer at Penwith Landscape Partnership.
Graduating from Cardiff in Archaeological Conservation in 2001, Laura has since worked in Museums and in the field on both archaeological and cultural material, from individual objects to wider sites and collections. She currently works as a freelance Conservator and an Ancient Penwith Officer for the Penwith Landscape Partnership in West Cornwall, working in a living heritage landscape to conserve, enhance and promote aspects of it through community engagement.
The talk is open to the general public and free of charge. Refreshments, including pasties, will be served. Cornwall Heritage Trust members are welcome to attend and were also previously given exclusive access to book 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.
If you would like to attend, please click here to book your free place.
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.
Thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, we are inviting applications from an organisation or individual to design and lead a series of education workshops to be delivered to Primary Schools near Sancreed Beacon and Castle an Dinas. This project has been made possible as part of the Platinum Jubilee funding.
Who we are looking for
We are looking for an organisation or individual with the following:
- A passion for Cornwall’s history and for inspiring the next generation to understand and care about their heritage
- An understanding of conservation issues or a partner who can fulfil that element
- Ability to lead traditional craft activities or a partner who can fulfil that element
- Demonstrable experience of successfully delivering workshops to Key Stage 2 children
- Suitably qualified staff with a proven track record of designing curriculum-based activities
- Policies and procedures in place for risk assessment, safeguarding and child protection and letters of assurance relating to the relevant DBS checks etc.
If you think this could be you, please take a look at the information pack here
The deadline for applications is Monday 10th October 2022 at midday
A huge thank you to the volunteers who last week joined us to continue the vital preservation work taking place at the historic West Cornwall settlement of Carn Euny.
A well-preserved ancient village, Carn Euny is located near Sancreed, Penzance. The Iron Age and Romano-British courtyard house settlement was occupied from about 500 BC to AD 400.
The work, which is part of an ongoing project at the site, included the removal of turf and the build-up of vegetation from within the ancient buildings and the laying of gravel within the internal spaces.
We are hugely grateful for the support of our volunteers. Their hard work has helped us maintain this unique Cornish heritage site for future generations!
One of twelve historic Cornish sites that Cornwall Heritage Trust protects, Carn Euny is free to enter and open to the general public throughout the year. There’s much to explore at the site including the chance to step inside its most intriguing feature – a huge stone-walled underground chamber known as a fogou.
Whether it’s conserving our sites, leading guided walks, helping at events or conducting heritage research, there are lots of ways to volunteer at Cornwall Heritage Trust. Find out more about volunteering with the Trust here https://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/support-us/volunteer/
Cornwall Heritage Trust has received a huge boost to the ecological management of the historic sites it protects, having been awarded nearly £20K from the Banister Charitable Trust.
The £19,942 of funds will go towards undertaking ecological surveys at each of the historic sites the Trust owns in order to create management plans to protect rare habitats and endangered species. As a result of the grant, Cornwall Heritage Trust will also employ a Countryside Ranger to introduce the recommendations and best practise from these plans as part of the grant.
The small independent charity protects over 100 acres of historic landscapes and heritage sites spanning the breadth of Cornwall from Caer Bran in the far West, to Dupath Well in the East. Three of its properties are designated County Wildlife Sites and two are soon to become Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
Cathy Woolcock, CEO of Cornwall Heritage Trust said: “We’re hugely grateful for the Banister Charitable Trust’s support! We’re incredibly proud of the huge range of landscapes and biodiversity we look after and this grant will provide us with the knowledge required to manage these special places with consideration for their unique and complex ecological needs.”
Notice is hereby given that the AGM of the Cornwall Heritage Trust will take place at Krowji, in Redruth, on Wednesday 12th October 2022 at 4pm.
We are delighted to confirm that the meeting will take place in person this year, 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 2021
A copy of the agenda for the AGM is available to download below, along with the minutes of last year’s AGM and the draft 2021-22 Annual Accounts. If you are unable to access the documents, please let us know and we will send you a paper copy in the post.
CHT Draft AGM Minutes 01.12.2021
CHT Draft 2021-22 Annual Accounts
You will notice that we have tabled a special resolution which relates to our Articles of Association; this document contains the written rules about running the Limited Company and is agreed by the members and directors (trustees). During lockdown, we took the opportunity to review and update the Articles of Association because it had been many years since this exercise had taken place and we needed to bring it up to date. A copy of the amended document can be downloaded here and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries. There are no major changes.
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.
