Residents and visitors are being encouraged to step back in time and celebrate the heritage of one of Cornwall’s mining heartlands.
Luxulyan Valley with Charlestown was designated as part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining World Heritage Site in 2006 and retains an industrial and natural heritage of international significance.
Cornwall Council has been working in partnership with Friends of Luxulyan Valley and Wheal Martyn Clay Works, which is the World Heritage Site information centre for this area, to celebrate the valley's history.
Reminders of the valley’s copper mining and china clay industries are still prominent within the area, which is home to the impressive Treffry Viaduct, several mine buildings, leats, tramways, mineshafts and a waterwheel pit.
Watch: spectacular views of Luxulyan Valley from above
Ideas about how to celebrate the valley’s heritage were developed after Cornwall Council and Cornwall Heritage Trust secured a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Funding from Cornwall Council has enabled these projects to be brought to life.
A series of eye-catching information boards and granite way-markers have now been installed throughout the valley and a Luxulyan Valley Guidebook has been produced.
New installations can also be found at Wheal Martyn Clay Works, including a series of interactive displays and an external 4m-wide steel structure which provides a distinct World Heritage focus to compliment the story of china clay told at the museum.
Councillor Martyn Alvey, portfolio holder for Environment and Climate Change at Cornwall Council, said: “It is fantastic to see this project come to fruition. Luxulyan Valley is a beautiful part of Cornwall, and it has a fascinating history which represents Cornwall’s global significance when it comes to mining.
“I recommend that people do go and visit to appreciate what is on offer and celebrate Cornwall’s glorious industrial past.”
Colin Vallance, Managing Director at Wheal Martyn, said: “We have always been committed to Wheal Martyn’s role as the Area Centre for the Luxulyan Valley and Charlestown area of the World Heritage Site.
“We are delighted that this project furthers how we deliver this role by enabling visitors and our communities to gain a deeper understanding of the close links between the metalliferous and china clay mining industries in mid-Cornwall and beyond.”
The Luxulyan Valley guidebook and is available to buy from the Friends of Luxulyan Valley website.
Press release issued on October 14, 2022.
