A project to enable more schoolchildren and young people to learn at Cornwall Heritage Trust’s historic sites is set to become a reality thanks to a £6509 donation to the charity via NFU Mutual’s ‘Agency Giving Fund’.
The project will see the charity create a moveable outdoor classroom space to allow more students to take part in its growing programme of heritage discovery workshops.
Cathy Woolcock, CEO at Cornwall Heritage Trust said: “Workshops at our sites are so inspiring for children and young people. They are the heart of our education programme, but Cornwall’s weather can sometimes make them a real challenge given how exposed the historic places we care for are. Having a dedicated, sheltered space for outdoor learning is going to have a major impact on learning at our sites, and we’re hugely grateful to NFU Mutual for making this possible!”
Richard Angove from the NFU Mutual Central Cornwall Agency explained; “During the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020, the NFU Mutual recognised it was vital to support local frontline charities and from its reserves created a £3.25million pot called the Agency Giving Fund. This was shared equally throughout its national Agency network who each nominated a chosen charity for support. The NFU Mutual has continued its support of local charities in subsequent years and this is our 2nd successful nomination for Cornwall Heritage Trust. We are delighted our 2024 donation will provide the outdoor classroom.”
Cornwall Heritage Trust offers a wide range of free workshops at the historic sites it cares for aimed at students in KS2, KS3 and KS4. The workshops cover topics ranging from life in the Iron Age to the Industrial Revolution.
The workshops are open to both schools and community groups, and grants are also available to fund transport costs for the trips.
Find out more about Cornwall Heritage Trust’s free Discovery Workshops here https://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/learn/school-workshops-programme/
We have a new benefit to thank our members for their support. They can now receive 50% off entry at PK Porthcurno!
The UK’s only dedicated museum of global communications, PK Porthcurno explores how a once uninhabited valley in Cornwall became the heart of worldwide communications, how it remains so today, and what might happen tomorrow.
Photo Credit – PK Porthcurno
From the invention of electricity and Morse code to fibre optics and future technology, this award-winning museum combines the wonder of science with amazing histories and tales of human endeavour from around the globe, right where the story of communications.
Photo Credit – PK Porthcurno
Porthcurno Valley, or ‘PK’ as it is known in the telegraphic code, owes its unique heritage to the arrival of the first undersea telegraph cable in 1870.
By 1920, PK had become the largest and most important telegraph station in the world, shaping the landscape of the valley and the community that grew up around it. At one time, the whole valley was owned and operated by the telegraph company, and in wartime, Porthcurno was only accessible by special pass. It is now host to fibre optics which carry virtually all our communications today.
Photo Credit – PK Porthcurno
Our members are the reason we can continue our charitable work and that’s why providing benefits like this is so important to us.
In addition to this new benefit, just a quick reminder that Cornwall Heritage Trust members receive discounted or free entry to several heritage sites and museums as a thank-you for their support. These include…
Free Entry
The sites in Cornwall owned and managed by English Heritage
Free entry, plus 75% discount on special event charges
Photo credit – Tim Pearson
Tintagel Castle
Pendennis Castle
Chysauster Ancient Village
Launceston Castle
Restormel Castle
St Mawes Castle
Discounted Entry
Geevor Tin Mine
50% off entry
Photo Credit – Geevor Tin Mine
Geevor Tin Mine was the last mine to work the famous St Just Mining District, the site of the largest number of undersea tin and copper mines in the world. Today, it is a family-friendly multi-award winning heritage attraction and museum and a must-visit location within the Cornish Mining World Heritage Sites.
Cornwall Heritage Trust membership is not eligible for use by school groups at Geevor Tin Mine. Our One Adult Family and Life memberships permit 1 adult and up to 3 children 50% off entry and our Two Adult Family and Joint Life memberships permit 2 adults and up to 6 children 50% off entry. A physical Cornwall Heritage Trust membership card is required to receive discounted entry.
The Vale of Avalon
50% off entry
Photo Credit – The Vale of Avalon
Located near Tintagel, famous for its association with Arthurian legend, The Vale of Avalon is known as the traditional location of Camlann, Arthur and Mordred’s final battle.
Taking visitors on a journey through time involving Arthurian legends, Cornish history and folklore, there is much to explore at the 16-acre site including the 6th-century inscribed ‘Ogham’ Stone, which is a National Scheduled Monument.
Wheal Martyn Clay Works
50% off entry
Photo Credit – Wheal Martyn Clay Works
China clay mining has shaped the landscape, lives of people and economy of mid-Cornwall for over 250 years. It is Cornwall’s largest mining industry.
The UK’s only china clay mining museum, Wheal Martyn Clay Works tells the story of this fascinating industry and the people who worked and lived in the shadows of Cornwall’s iconic ‘white pyramids’.
King Edward Mine Museum
50% off Adult Admission
Photo Credit – King Edward Mine Museum
King Edward Mine is the oldest complete mine site in Cornwall and one of only two Cornish tin mines left in the world. Unlike all the other tin mines in the surrounding landscape, it has been unaltered for over 100 years because it was used for teaching practical mining from 1897 until 2005.
The museum has won several awards and there’s lots to explore there including an indoor exhibition, restored machinery and working engines.
Looking for a great day out exploring Cornwall’s heritage this September?
Following the huge success of our Awenek! festival last year, our Cornish heritage extravaganza is returning to The Lost Gardens of Heligan on Sunday 8th September from 10am – 5pm.
Cornwall Heritage Trust members enjoy free entry to The Lost Gardens of Heligan on this day and, for those of you who attended last year, you’ll know that it’s an event you won’t want to miss.
This one-day festival is packed with an array of hands-on activities, demonstrations, re-enactments and performances showcasing everything that makes Cornwall special.
Visitors will be given the chance to explore the gardens and watch demonstrations from artists and traditional craftspeople, take part in heritage activities, listen to Cornish music and enjoy Cornish dancing and storytelling.
Try your hand at Cornish wrestling, have a go at archery, explore an Early Medieval encampment or see the endangered craft of Cornish hedging in action with our friends from CREST. You can even sit back and watch Ed Rowe, ‘The Kernow King’ regale you with stories of Cornish heroes and heroines or cheer on our Cornish warriors in an exciting battle at the end of the day!
Cornwall Heritage Trust members enjoy free entry to The Lost Gardens of Heligan on this day.
Free entry on this day will be granted on presentation of your Cornwall Heritage Trust membership card at the entrance gate, and failure to present this will result in the refusal of entry.
For those who aren’t our members, there are no charges in addition to the cost of their garden entry and entry as always remains free for Heligan Local Pass and Membership holders.
Awenek! is a huge undertaking which comes at considerable cost to our charity, so if you are able to make a donation to support the event, we would be hugely grateful.
Awenek! has been organised by Cornwall Heritage Trust and is kindly sponsored by Coodes Solicitors. The festival is a huge undertaking which comes at considerable cost to Cornwall Heritage Trust, so if you are able to make a donation to support the event, we would be hugely grateful.
Photo credits: Keith Larby / Cornwall Heritage Trust volunteer
Classic Cottages has pledged support to Cornwall’s rich and distinct heritage by joining the top level of Cornwall Heritage Trust’s business sponsorship programme.
Dominique Adams from Classic Cottages said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the wonderful Cornwall Heritage Trust this year. With our head office being based in Cornwall and many staff members living and working there, we are passionate about protecting Cornwall’s special heritage and environment. We really admire the work of the Trust and everything they do to preserve and restore heritage sites, provide education for Cornwall’s residents and visitors, and support inspiring projects throughout Cornwall.”
Cathy Woolcock, CEO at Cornwall Heritage Trust said: “As a small, independent charity, partnerships like this make a huge difference to our charitable work, and we’re hugely grateful for Classic Cottage’s support!”
More information about Classic Cottages can be found on its website: www.classic.co.uk
Are you aged 14 – 18 and want to make a difference to the environment this Summer?
Our Climate Action Youth Group Young Rangers Project is hosting a mid-week Summer session at Caer Bran near Penzance on Wednesday 21st August, and we would love as many young people as possible to get involved.
Running from 11am – 3pm, the session will be focussed on grassland management, which aims to encourage wildflowers to improve the biodiversity of the area.
There will also be the chance to learn more about Carn Euny ancient village, which is located nearby.
Anyone aged 14 – 18 is welcome to attend to get a taste of what this environmental project is all about and develop their skills in countryside management.
Whilst the group does meet once every month, if you only wish to join us for this one-off session our team would still love to hear from you.
This project is supported by English Heritage’s national youth engagement programme, Shout Out Loud: http://shoutoutloud.org.uk/
A project to explore the potential for Minions Heritage Centre to be reopened has been given the green light thanks to a grant from the Community Capacity Fund.
Minions Heritage Centre was a free-to-enter visitor attraction located in the restored Houseman’s Engine House of the South Phoenix mine on the eastern edge of Bodmin Moor. It has been closed since the start of the pandemic.
The building is currently in the ownership of Cornwall Council and this project, which is being undertaken by Cornwall Heritage Trust in conjunction with the Council, aims to establish solutions to the issues with the building which could potentially result in its reopening.
Cornwall Heritage Trust CEO, Cathy Woolcock said: “This project is the first step towards hopefully reopening this invaluable visitor attraction so that it can once again provide interpretation and information to visitors to Bodmin Moor and the surrounding area. It is a fantastic resource for raising awareness of the historic landscape and the rich mining and industrial heritage it contains.”
“We hope the space will help facilitate activities both for ourselves and partners such as the World Heritage Sites and Cornwall National Landscape (AONB) teams. We also hope that it will be used by local groups and organisations too and will be consulting them throughout the development stage of the project.”
The project is located within the Tamar to Moor Community Area Partnership.
This funding has been allocated from Cornwall Council’s Community Capacity Fund. The Community Capacity Fund is part of the Good Growth Programme, which is delivering the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.
“Fantastically bonkers!”
“Fresh approach, well acted, best performance I’ve seen for ages!”
“High energy and fun. Such a wonderful venue.”
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our open-air improvised retelling of Tristan & Yseult at the end of last month! It’s wonderful to receive feedback like this, and we’re so glad to hear how many of you enjoyed the show.
The entirely improvised take on this beloved legend was fun, fast-paced and had our audiences in fits of laughter throughout. Eggy, Eilish and Rachel from Smashed Window Community Theatre were truly fabulous – we’re thrilled to have collaborated with them for the show!
Indian Queens Pit provided the perfect backdrop for the production too. Thank you for hosting us!
This event has been made possible by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and we’re hugely grateful for its support.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for an Open Garden this year – your generosity has helped us raise a truly phenomenal figure to help our work protecting Cornwall’s heritage. We’re hugely grateful for your support!
We’ve been overwhelmed by the popularity of this year’s events and have welcomed over 1000 visitors across the season.
Our dedicated events volunteers did sterling service helping set up, directing traffic, welcoming visitors, serving cream teas, and so much more, and we would like to thank them for all their hard work! A special mention goes to Keith, our volunteer photographer, who captured fabulous images of the days at Boconnoc, Trevince and Trenarth.
We’re incredibly grateful to Elizabeth Fortescue and the team at Boconnoc House and Estate; Richard and Trish Stone, the owners of Trevince; Jan Trefusis and the Trefusis Estate; and Lucie Nottingham, the owner of Trenarth; for all so generously opening their gates to help raise funds for our work.
We are also hugely grateful to Laurence Jarrett-Ker, the Director and Founder of Soul Farm; printmaker Lou Tonkin; artist and blacksmith Lisa Wisdom; woodturner Jamie Lovekin; basketmaker Lin Lovekin; and pole lathe woodturner Joseph Huggett; for their support in making our event at the Trefusis Estate possible.
Thanks also go to Coodes Solicitors for sponsoring Open Gardens 2024.
Photo credits: Keith Larby / Cornwall Heritage Trust volunteer
A project to make it easier for people throughout Cornwall to enjoy some of its most iconic historic sites and strengthen the rural communities which surround them has received a major boost, thanks to a grant of £241,260 from the Rural Prosperity Fund.
The project involves the 16 historic sites protected by the independent Cornish charity, Cornwall Heritage Trust. These span the breadth of Cornwall from Caer Bran in the far west, to Dupath Well in the east, and cover a broad spectrum of history; from Neolithic remains such as Tregiffian Burial Chamber near Penzance, to the 19th-century Treffry Viaduct near St Austell. They are all set within historic landscapes and are free for everyone to visit all year round.
The project will see the charity improve facilities at the places it cares for; make them easier to access and understand; and provide opportunities for the public to engage with them.
A key part of this involves the introduction of innovative on-site and online interpretation and wayfinding, ranging from digital tours and information boards to reconstruction images and a fully equipped ‘mobile museum’.
Cornwall Heritage Trust has received £241,260 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The Rural Prosperity Fund is part of the Good Growth Programme, which is managed by Cornwall Council and funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The funding will also be used to help schools and education groups struggling with the cost of transport for trips to these historic places. This will include providing grants for transport hire, offering pick-ups for volunteers and groups using public transport, and introducing guided tours for visitors. This part of the project builds on the charity’s School Transport Grants Scheme, which has helped over 20,000 schoolchildren visit Cornwall’s historic places and museums since its launch in 2014.
The charity also plans to invest in accessible compostable toilet facilities, benches to enable those with reduced mobility to explore its sites more fully, a machinery shed and the creation of an outdoor classroom inspired by a Bronze Age round house.
Cathy Woolcock, CEO of Cornwall Heritage Trust said: “This is a really exciting step forward for us. Our charitable work and the team who make it happen have grown significantly over the last few years, and the Rural Prosperity Fund award will now provide us with the capital investment we need to carry out our plans and accelerate our growth in a sustainable way. Our sites are set within incredible historic landscapes and represent free to access green spaces bursting with historic and ecological significance. We want to keep growing the ways local communities can benefit from them and investment like this is going to ensure that vital work can continue to happen!”.
Cornwall Heritage Trust has launched a 10-week programme of after-school workshops for care-experienced young people aged between 16-25.
The ‘Explore Group’ is being run as part of an ongoing partnership with Carefree Cornwall.
Carefree is a Cornish charity for young people with care experience aged 11-25. It aims to help care experienced young people have a good life through positive relationships, support with transitions and helping young people improve the care system for themselves and others.
The ‘Explore Group’ offers participants the chance to discover and engage with Cornwall’s unique heritage through visits to the historic sites cared for by the charity and reflective creative workshops.
The activities on offer include investigating folklore at Castle an Dinas, foraging at Sancreed Beacon, map making at the Hurler Stone Circles, and a sensory exploration at Treffry Viaduct. The programme will be rounded off with a celebration of the young people’s achievements.
Engagement Manager, Sophie Meyer said: “The work Carefree Cornwall does is incredible and we’re so proud to be doing our bit to help. We know what a huge impact engaging with our shared heritage can have on wellbeing and social connection, and that’s why we believe offering these experiences to the young people Carefree supports is so important. The response from the young people involved has already been fantastic and we’re really excited to see how much they enjoy the rest of the programme!”
The ‘Explore Group’ has been made possible by funding from the Carew Pole Charitable Trust (administered by Cornwall Community Foundation), the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
We commemorated the rescue of St Cleer Holy Well and Cross from the Heritage at Risk Register at our annual Well Dressing Ceremony last Friday – and what a special celebration with the local community it was!
Blue skies and glorious sunshine provided the perfect backdrop to the festivities, which included a parade up to the monument led by Merv Davey on Celtic pipes, readings in Cornish and English, the laying of posies, a blessing of the well, and (of course) a rousing rendition of Trelawney.
The festivities also showcased the talents of children from St Cleer Primary School. They paraded with a banner dedicated to the monument created in a special workshop with Cornwall Heritage Trust’s Education team and performed Cornish dances learnt alongside Alison Davey, an expert in Cornish dance and folk traditions.
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 supported the charity 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.
In November 2023, Historic England announced that the site would be removed from the Heritage at Risk Register thanks to these successful interventions.
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!
We’re incredibly proud to be caring for St Cleer Holy Well and Cross and keeping its story alive through community events like this.
Thank you to St Cleer Primary School, Liskeard Old Cornwall Society, St Cleer Parish Council, St Cleer Church, Jan Edmondson, and Merv and Alison Davey for helping make this event such a success.
What a difference four and a half years of conservation work has made to the 19th-century Crib Hut adjacent to Treffry Viaduct!
Work first began uncovering the building in September 2019. It was our first ever on-site conservation volunteering day – a real testament to how much our charity has grown – and since then the Crib Hut’s transformation has been truly remarkable!
September 2019
May 2024
Built between 1839 and 1842, Treffry Viaduct was designed to carry both trucks and water across the Luxulyan Valley for the mining industry. The Crib Hut is thought to have been used by tramway workers to provide shelter for them to rest in during breaks. Inside you can see the remains of a fireplace and a window, and you can imagine there would be a couple of wooden benches on either side where the workers might have sat.
Once a hive of industry, nature has very much reclaimed the landscape around the viaduct and invasive foliage and vegetation had been pulling apart the Crib Hut for some time.
Last Summer, a great deal of work to clear the area around the site and secure the structure took place thanks to the generous support of 15 new Cornwall Heritage Trust Life Members.
Further conservation work took place last week and saw our Rangers and volunteers join the Old Light Building Conservation Company to undertake some final consolidation of the outer walls and soft-cap them with turf. This recent conservation work has been made possible by funding from GWR, and we’re hugely grateful for its support.
