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.
We’re hosting a special Nature Discovery Day at Treffry Viaduct this May half term, and invite you all to join us!
Taking place on Tuesday 28th May from 11am – 2pm, visitors will have the chance to spot the signs of Spring at this 19th-century architectural wonder hidden in the beautiful Luxulyan Valley near St Austell.
Once a hive of industrial activity, this incredible historic place has very much been reclaimed by nature and there is a wealth of wonderful wildlife for you to discover there.
There’ll be lots to get involved with including bird identification, a nature trail around the valley, and even the chance to make your own bird feeder and wildflower pot.
There’s no need to book and you don’t need to be members. Just come along and enjoy!
This event has been made possible by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and we’re hugely grateful for its support.
The varied landscape of Cornwall has inspired people to create and share stories of giants, knockers and piskies for hundreds of years. It’s steeped in folklore, myths and legends – tales which are inextricably tied to the ancient stones, historic hillforts and maze of mine shafts which make Cornwall such a special place.
There is a wealth of stories which surround the historic sites we care for, and it was this rich tapestry of folklore which inspired students from Falmouth University to collaborate with us to create the illustrated poetry collection, ‘The Moor Dwellers’ Guide’.
This week, we officially launched the collection at our latest Cornish Story Cafe. The launch included a talk hosted by Siân Esther Powell – a Cornish museum professional, amateur folklorist and host of the Celtic Myths and Legends Podcast – which took them on a whistle-stop tour of some of Cornwall’s most iconic myths and legends.
When asked about what inspired them to create the collection, the students said: “We wanted to highlight the importance of these sites in a creative way that would hopefully engage children of all ages to think about the sites on a more multidimensional level. By introducing the stories encompassing these places, we hope people will feel inspired to visit the sites and contribute to their preservation.”
Thank you to everyone who joined us and to all of the contributors for dedicating their time and talents to the project!
The collection is now available to purchase on our website, priced at £7. If you would like to place an order, we would be hugely grateful for your support. All the profits will support our work to preserve and strengthen Cornwall’s unique heritage, and as a small independent charity, every penny really does make a huge difference!
We are hosting the annual Well Dressing Ceremony at St Cleer Holy Well and Cross next week, and warmly invite you all to come along.
Taking place on Friday 3rd May from 10.15am – 11.15am, the event is open to the general public. It will involve the children from St Cleer Primary School, Liskeard Old Cornwall Society and the local community.
The blessing of the well will take place in Cornish and English, with short prayers by the local Curate and singing. Cornish dancing will also take place.
This year’s event is particularly significant as it will celebrate the site’s removal from the Heritage at Risk Register in November 2023.
Cornwall Heritage Trust CEO, Cathy Woolcock said: “We are absolutely thrilled that our interventions have saved St Cleer Holy Well and Cross from the Heritage at Risk Register, and the Well Dressing Ceremony is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate with the local community. We hope as many people as possible can come along!”
Thought to date from the late 15th or early 16th century, St Cleer Holy Well is a Scheduled Monument and also Listed Grade One – a demarcation earned by only 2.5% of listed buildings and marking it out as nationally important.
Photo credit – Steve Baker © Historic England Archive
The Well Dressing Ceremony at St Cleer was hosted for a number of years by Liskeard Old Cornwall Society and was reinstated by Cornwall Heritage Trust last year following our acquisition of the site. Liskeard Old Cornwall Society remains closely involved with the event.
Brian Oldham, President of Liskeard Old Cornwall Society said: “We are delighted to have been invited by Cornwall Heritage Trust to be involved in the St Cleer Holy Well Dressing Ceremony once again this year. Old Cornwall Societies are very active in keeping alive traditional events such as this one, others include Crying the Neck and the Midsummer Bonfire. This event in St Cleer is particularly important as, by involving them in the procession and in Cornish Dance, it gives the children of St Cleer the opportunity to learn about one small aspect of our heritage. It may encourage some of them learn more about the history of their lovely village and Cornwall!”
As part of the proceedings, posies of flowers will be laid at the monument by the children from St Cleer Primary School. If you would like to donate a posy, please drop it to the school on the morning of the event.
We’re pleased to announce that booking is now open for our Open Garden at the Trefusis Estate near Falmouth, which is set to take place on Saturday 18th May from 10.30am – 4pm.
New for 2024, this is an Open Garden with a difference offering visitors the chance to take a look behind the gates of a working estate which puts environmental sustainability at the heart of everything it does. The estate includes informal gardens, beautiful woods, lovely views, and the community-owned market garden, Soul Farm.
Free guided walks exploring the estate’s sustainable woodland management and coppicing will be available at 11.30am and 2pm. These can be signed up to on the day and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
A variety of traditional and heritage craftspeople will also be demonstrating their work throughout the day. These include printmaker Lou Tonkin, who is our current artist in residence; artist and blacksmith Lisa Wisdom; woodturner Jamie Lovekin; basketmaker Lin Lovekin; and pole lathe woodturner Joseph Huggett.
Cakes and refreshments will be available, and we recommend bringing a picnic blanket or camping chairs as there is no outdoor seating at the estate.
Compostable toilets with access via steps will be available for visitors to use on the day.
There’s something for all the family, including a fun-filled trail to keep the little ones busy during your visit. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome.
Last entry will be one hour before closing time.
Ticket prices are £6 if pre-booked online and £7.50 on the door. Under 12s go free and do not require booking. Online booking will close at 12noon on the Friday before the event.
By visiting, you’ll be helping our work to preserve and strengthen Cornwall’s heritage. As a small, independent charity, every penny makes a huge difference and we would be hugely grateful for your support.
Cornwall Heritage Trust’s Open Gardens 2024 is sponsored by Coodes Solicitors. All proceeds go to Cornwall Heritage Trust.
Following the huge success of our first Ranger Ramble earlier this month, we’re launching two new dates for rambles at Treffry Viaduct and Sancreed Beacon.
The walks involve uneven ground, steps and slopes. Please wear sensible footwear and appropriate clothing.
If you would like to book a place, we recommend doing so without delay to ensure you have a spot. Our members were given early access to book their places at this event and there are a limited number remaining. Numbers are restricted and places are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
These events have been part-funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Sancreed Beacon ‘In Bloom’
Friday 26th April | 1.30 – 5.00pm
Explore all that Spring has to offer around the historic landscape of Sancreed Beacon this April.
The afternoon will include a 90-minute guided walk exploring the bluebells at Sancreed Beacon, a cream tea and paper flower craft workshop. The walk will be led by Cornwall Heritage Trust’s Countryside Ranger, Hollie.
Located near Penzance, Sancreed Beacon has a wealth of flora, fauna and historic remains to explore, as well as a stunning view across Mount’s Bay.
Tickets are priced at £20 per person. All ages are welcome to attend and all materials for the craft workshop will be provided.
‘The Sounds of Spring’ at Treffry Viaduct
Tuesday 28th May | 9.00 – 10.00am
Learn how to interpret birdsong in the idyllic Luxulyan Valley surrounding Treffry Viaduct this May.
This hour-long guided walk will help you learn about bird species and their calls. The walk will be led by Cornwall Heritage Trust’s Countryside Ranger, Hollie.
Located near St Austell, this 19th-century viaduct was designed to carry both a tramway and a high-level water channel (known as a leat) across the Luxulyan Valley for local mining entrepreneur, Joseph Thomas Treffry. Once a hive of industrial activity, the site has very much been reclaimed by nature and is home to a wide variety of flora, fauna and historic remains.
Tickets are priced at £10 per person. All ages are welcome to attend.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Open Garden at Boconnoc earlier this month — we hope you all enjoyed your time exploring the grounds! We’re thrilled to report that you have helped us raise over £1500 to support our work protecting Cornwall’s heritage.
Our events volunteers once again did a fabulous job helping set up, serve refreshments, direct traffic, and much more. We are incredibly grateful to them for all their hard work, and a special mention goes to Keith, our volunteer photographer, who spent the afternoon busily capturing the gardens on camera.
Thank you to Elizabeth Fortescue and the team at Boconnoc House and Estate for so generously opening their gates to help raise funds for our work and to Coodes Solicitors for sponsoring Open Gardens 2024. Thanks also go to historian and author Catherine Lorigan for her fascinating talk on the history of the estate.
Our next Open Garden is on Sunday 12th May at Trevince, near Gwennap, and we hope to see many of you there. The event runs from 10.30am – 4pm, and the last entry will be one hour before closing time.
Ticket prices are £6 if pre-booked online and £7.50 on the door. Under 12s go free and do not require booking. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome.
Photo credits: Keith Larby / Cornwall Heritage Trust volunteer
Following a number of postponements due to an unprecedented amount of rain over the last few months, we have decided to move the date of our performances of ‘Tristan & Yseult’ to later in the year, to give us the best chance to ensure that they can go ahead.
Booking is now open for these rescheduled performances which are set to take place on Sunday 30th June at 11am and 2.30pm at Indian Queens Pit near St Columb Major.
This raucous production will see a trio of actors from Smashed Window Community Theatre perform an entirely improvised take on ‘Tristan & Yseult’. It’s epic, energetic and sure to have you crying with tears of laughter (and perhaps a few of sorrow too)!
Performances are 1 hour 30 minutes with an interval.
This production is recommended for ages 8+.
Adult tickets are priced pay as you feel at £10, £12 and £15. Tickets for those aged 16 and under are priced at £5.
This is an outdoor production, so please bring a chair or blanket to sit on and dress for the weather!
Smashed Window is a community theatre company based in Cornwall. Its team facilitates workshops and creates exciting new work, under the ethos that everyone should have access to a creative practice. Smashed Window has hosted creative workshops across Cornwall and created One Day Plays.
A Scheduled Monument, Indian Queens Pit was constructed as a preaching pit by local villagers in 1850 within a disused mining openwork. It was traditionally used by the local Methodist Chapels from Indian Queens and Fraddon, as well as a temperance society. Today, it remains at the heart of the local community and regularly hosts fetes, concerts and plays.
This event has been made possible by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and we’re hugely grateful for its support.
Join us at the Fox Lecture Theatre on Falmouth University’s Falmouth Campus for a special talk on Cornish folklore on Tuesday 23rd April at 5.30pm.
Date: Tuesday 23rd April
Time: 5.30 – 7.00pm
Location: Fox Lecture Theatre, Falmouth University – Falmouth Campus, Woodlane, Falmouth, TR11 4RH
The talk will guide you on a mythical journey across the Cornish landscape. On the way, you’ll explore the stories of giants, mermaids and piskies which people have been inspired to create and share for hundreds of years. But where do these stories come from? And how relevant are they to Cornwall today?
You will also take a closer look at the rich tapestry of folklore explored in ‘The Moor Dwellers’ Guide’, a new poetry collection which we have created in collaboration with students from Falmouth University. The collection includes original poetry and illustrations inspired by the stories which surround the historic sites we care for.
The talk will be given by Siân Esther Powell, a Cornish museum professional, amateur folklorist and host of the Celtic Myths and Legends Podcast.
We hope this talk and poetry collection will offer people the opportunity to reflect on the part Cornwall’s enchanted landscape has to play in their cultural identity, explore how these stories continue to speak across generations and discover the magic which resides in the places cared for by Cornwall Heritage Trust.
The talk is pay as you feel, with a minimum donation of £1 and a suggested donation of £5.
If you would like to book a place, we recommend doing so without delay to ensure you have spot. Our members were given early access to book their places at this event and there are a limited number remaining. 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.
It is with great sadness that we heard of the death of Ann Trevenen Jenkin who passed away yesterday just before her 94th birthday.
Ann was a trustee of Cornwall Heritage Trust for 18 years, a Life Member and a keen supporter and advocate for Cornwall’s heritage.
A former Grand Bard of the Gorsedh, educator and writer she will be much missed and we send our deepest sympathies to her family and friends.
