Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative BEACON · Brinkhoff (CCC Planning Directorate Technical...

Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative BEACON

(Camborne/Redruth Area)

March 2002

4

CORNWALL INDUSTRIAL SETTLEMENTS INITIATIVE Conservation Area Partnership

Name: BEACON Study Area: Camborne/Redruth

Council: Kerrier District Council NGR: SW 6539

Location: Mid-west Cornwall, one mile south-east of Camborne

Existing CA? No

Main period of industrial settlement growth:

1850-1910 Main industry:

Mining

Industrial history and significance Beacon’s mining history is closely linked to that of Camborne, yet it has always retained its identity as a separate settlement. The core of the village which, at the beginning of the study period, was already linked to small scale mining activity, underwent its first main period of expansion in the mid-19th century and its second with the re-opening of Great Condurrow Mine in the early 20th century. Its significance lies in its location on the Great Flat Lode and its development pattern reflects the rhythm of mining expansion and decline in this area.

Other comments

The settlement’s individual identity from Camborne should be protected with measures to limit the extension of built development between the settlements.

This settlement will either form part of the proposed Cornish Mining World Heritage Site Bid, or will be considered an important part of the context for the Bid.

Recommendations Historic areas

• Designate conservation area

• Prepare a full conservation area appraisal Historic buildings

• Review Statutory List.

• Prepare list of locally significant buildings Policy and management

• Article 4 Direction to control permitted development on single dwelling houses and alteration and partial demolition of small buildings and walls in conservation area

• Limiting development on the settlement outskirts, particularly between Beacon and Camborne

• Further study of adjoining areas outside the existing CISI programme, especially Tolcarne and Knave-Go-By

7

Conservation Area Partnership

Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative BEACON

(Camborne/Redruth Area)

The Cahill Partnership and

Cornwall Archaeological Unit

March 2002

8

Acknowledgements This report presents the results of an assessment carried out by The Cahill Partnership following desktop research by Cornwall Archaeological Unit (Bryn Perry Tapper). Assistance was also provided by Andrew Richards, Kerrier District Council. The report text was prepared by Mary Cahill, with additional material by Nick Cahill and edited by Jeanette Ratcliffe (CAU Senior Archaeologist and CISI Project Manager). The report maps were produced by John Brinkhoff (CCC Planning Directorate Technical Services Section) from roughs prepared by The Cahill Partnership.

Front cover illustration Beacon – overhead view (1996 CCC Vertical AP 1:10,000 96 11 188)

©Cornwall County Council 2002 Cornwall Archaeological Unit, (Historic Environment Section), Planning, Transportation and Estates, Cornwall County Council, Kennall Building, Old County Hall, Station Road, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3AY. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher.

9

Contents

Page 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 11

1.1 Background ..................................................................................................................................11 1.2 Project Aims.................................................................................................................................11 1.3 Project methodology...................................................................................................................11 1.4 Date of Assessment.....................................................................................................................11

2 Location and setting .................................................................................................. 12 2.1 Geographical location .................................................................................................................12 2.2 Landscape setting ........................................................................................................................12

3 History and physical development (Fig 2).................................................................. 12 3.1 1809 ...............................................................................................................................................12

3.1.1 Mining and related developments ....................................................................................12 3.1.2 Extent of settlement...........................................................................................................12 3.1.3 Settlement function and characteristics...........................................................................12

3.2 1809-41..........................................................................................................................................13 3.2.1 Mining ..................................................................................................................................13 3.2.1 Extent of settlement...........................................................................................................13 3.3.3 Settlement function and characteristics...........................................................................13

3.3 1841-1877 .....................................................................................................................................13 3.3.1 Mining ..................................................................................................................................13 3.3.2 Extent of settlement...........................................................................................................13 3.3.3 Settlement function and characteristics...........................................................................14

3.4 1877-1906 .....................................................................................................................................14 3.4.1 Mining ..................................................................................................................................14 3.4.2 Extent of settlement...........................................................................................................14 3.4.3 Settlement function and characteristics...........................................................................14

3.5 1906-46..........................................................................................................................................14 3.5.1 Mining ..................................................................................................................................14 3.5.2 Extent of settlement...........................................................................................................14 3.5.3 Settlement function and characteristics...........................................................................15

3.6 Post 1946 ......................................................................................................................................15 4 Surviving historical components (Fig 3) ..................................................................... 15

4.1 Pre-1809........................................................................................................................................15 4.2 1809-41..........................................................................................................................................15 4.3 1841-77..........................................................................................................................................15 4.4 1877-1908 .....................................................................................................................................16 4.5 1908-46..........................................................................................................................................16

5 Character .................................................................................................................... 16 5.1 Buildings (Fig 4)...........................................................................................................................16

5.1.1 Beacon Square.....................................................................................................................16 5.1.2 Pendarves Street .................................................................................................................17 5.1.3 Tolcarne Road.....................................................................................................................18 5.1.4 Cadogan Road.....................................................................................................................18 5.1.5 Fore Street ...........................................................................................................................18 5.1.6 Condurrow Road................................................................................................................18

5.2 Materials and details ....................................................................................................................19 5.3 Spaces views and panoramas .....................................................................................................19 5.4 Landscape .....................................................................................................................................20

6 Designations ..............................................................................................................20 6.1 Scheduled monuments................................................................................................................20

10

6.2 Listed Buildings (Fig 4)...............................................................................................................20 6.3 Conservation Areas .....................................................................................................................20 6.4 Other designations ......................................................................................................................20

7 Current uses and forces for change............................................................................20 8 Industrial significance................................................................................................20 9 Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 21

9.1 Historic areas................................................................................................................................21 9.2 Historic buildings.........................................................................................................................21 9.3 Policy and management ..............................................................................................................21

10 References ..................................................................................................................22 10.1 Primary Sources ...........................................................................................................................22 10.2 Publications ..................................................................................................................................22

Appendix: Gazetteer of archaeological sites and historic structures

List of figures 1. Location map

2. Historical development

3. Surviving historical components

4. Gazetteer sites, existing designations and recommendations

5. The farmstead at the core of Beacon

6. Fore Street - the approach to Beacon Square

7. Pendarves Street - mid 19th century expansion

8. Condurrow Road, looking to Woolf’s Shaft

Abbreviations in main text AGHV Area of Great Historic Value AGSV Area of Great Scientific Value AONB Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty CA Conservation Area CAU Cornwall Archaeological Unit CCC Cornwall County Council CISI Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative GPDO General Permitted Development Order HES Historic Environment Section, Cornwall County Council HERS Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme (English Heritage) HLF Heritage Lottery Fund (ing) LB Listed Building OALS Open Areas of Local Significance to Settlement Character OS Ordnance Survey PD Permitted Development SPG Supplementary Planning Guidance THI Townscape Heritage Initiative (Heritage Lottery Fund) [1] Site number on Figure 4 and in the gazetteer (Appendix)

11

1 Introduction 1.1 Background Cornwall’s industrial settlements are the subject of a Conservation Area Partnership under the heading Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative (CISI). This partnership between English Heritage (with the Heritage Lottery Fund), Cornwall County Council, and the District Councils is intended to assess the character and significance of the County’s 112 industrial settlements. These include villages, ports and towns associated with Cornwall’s 19th century industrial revolution, based on metalliferous mining, slate and granite quarrying, and china clay extraction. The historic importance and distinctive character of such settlements has previously been undervalued, and their existing status does not adequately represent the industrial history of the county. CISI is aimed at redressing this imbalance.

1.2 Project Aims The aim of CISI is to produce a settlement by settlement analysis in order to obtain an overview of the history, present character and importance of Cornwall’s industrial settlements. This will help determine where, for example, new Conservation Areas should be designated (and existing ones revised), and could provide the basis for Conservation Area Statements (to be drawn up subsequently by District Conservation Officers).

A bid is being prepared for submission to UNESCO by February 2004 (for inscription in June 2005). The bid areas will include the full range of 18th-20th century mining landscape components, including the settlements that were created or rapidly expanded as a result of mining and its associated industries. All mining settlements are of significance to the World Heritage Site Bid – those that fall within the final Bid areas will be covered by the WHS Management Plan, while those that fall outside these areas will form part of the context for the World Heritage Site and will need to be sensitively managed in the light of this.

1.3 Project methodology The methodology involved historical research, followed by a site visit(s). For the historical research, a date range of 1750 to 1945 was chosen, as this represented the period of industrial growth and decline in Cornwall. Archaeological and historical sources housed at CCC (see Section 11.1) were consulted, together with Listed Building data supplied by the District Councils. Using this information, Ordnance Survey base maps were hand coloured to show: the different phases of historical development; surviving historic components from each development phase; archaeological sites, key historic buildings, and statutory designations. These maps (which formed the basis for Figures 2-4), together with copies of the primary sources consulted, were bound into a folder for each settlement, for use during site visits.

The focus of the site visits was to assess settlement character and consider ways in which this could be protected and enhanced in the future. This was achieved using a checklist drawn from Conservation Area Practice: English Heritage’s guidance on the management of Conservation Areas (1995) and Conservation Area Management - A Practical Guide (published by the English Towns Forum, 1998). The maps compiled during the historical phase were enhanced during the site visits, particularly with information relating to the survival and significance of historic buildings, and a general photographic record (colour prints) was made of each settlement. Meetings on site were arranged with the District Conservation Officers in order to discuss current initiatives and recommendations for future management.

1.4 Date of Assessment Beacon was assessed as part of CISI during September 2000

12

2 Location and setting 2.1 Geographical location Beacon is located in mid-west Cornwall on elevated ground half a mile to the south-east of Camborne and a mile north-west of Troon. It lies within Camborne Parish in Kerrier District; see Figure 1.

2.2 Landscape setting The study area is located on the edge of high moor dominated by Carn Brea and Carn Marth with magnificent views across the rich agricultural land of the Pendarves Estate to the south and west. The moor is characterised by typical upland small fields and areas of impenetrable scrub. This is the land of the Great Flat Lode and consequently it is rich in mining remains with the chimneys of the Condurrow Mines forming a backdrop to the village.

3 History and physical development (Fig 2) This section should be read in conjunction with the mapped historical development in Figure 2.

3.1 1809

3.1.1 Mining and related developments Tin streaming took place in the area on a relatively small scale from at least the Middle Ages and there is a record of mining activity in Tolcarne in 1580. In the late 17th century, though, this all changed with the advent of copper mining which, due to the depth of the ore, necessitated the sinking of deep shafts and adits, requiring investment in both water-driven and steam-driven machinery, while a far greater number of people was needed to raise and process the equivalent volume of copper than tin. Very soon, copper mining was undertaken at a much larger scale than tin extraction had ever been in this area. In 1727 the Bassets’ Heart’s Ease Mine, on the site of what was to become Carn Camborne, was recorded as already an old copper-producing mine. The group of small mines that eventually merged to become Carn Camborne remained the main producers throughout this period, recorded in the 1750s as amongst the larger copper mines in the area. Although there were a number of other small tin and copper mines locally, they employed few and produced relatively little, and details of their histories remain largely unrecorded. The ancient pattern of mixed agriculture and part-time streaming and mining probably remained the most important economic activity in the area at this period.

However, on Christmas Eve 1801 the first road locomotive, designed by Richard Trevithick, was given its trial run up Camborne Hill towards Beacon heralding the transformations that were to take place in both Camborne and Beacon in the 19th century.

3.1.2 Extent of settlement The 1809 OS Survey drawings illustrate Beacon’s origins as a farming hamlet concentrated on a townplace that was to become Beacon Square, with some small-scale settlement along what is now Pendarves Street. The surrounding area comprised many such small settlements (Tolcarne, Trewoon, Chynmouth, Knave-Go-By) which were a mix of agricultural smallholdings and cottages. With Heart’s Ease so close by, the limit of development in that direction had already been set.

3.1.3 Settlement function and characteristics In this early period Beacon was nothing more than a hamlet on the edge of the Pendarves Estate, possibly with an inn on the main road.

13

3.2 1809-41

3.2.1 Mining The copper boom experienced by the whole Camborne area in the 1820s and 1830s stimulated the exploration of several old and newly subdivided setts in the Beacon area; most remained small, employing just a handful of people. However, the old mine on Carn Camborne remained productive, and two new mines at Condurrow (from 1815) and Wheal Harriet (employing 33 people in 1838) were worked on a relatively larger scale. There was clearly much exploration and working of lodes in and around the settlement of Beacon; for instance the 1841 Tithe Map shows a dump-line extending over part of what is now the cricket ground and shafts along Pendarves Street.

3.2.1 Extent of settlement By the 1830s the cluster of buildings around Beacon Square had consolidated, changing in nature with, in addition to the farm sites, short rows of miners’ cottages. The 1841 OS survey shows a second farm about 100 metres to the east along what is now Pendarves Street, which is also on the line of a lode and may have been a miner’s smallholding. The presence of shafts and dumps in the village at this time explains Beacon’s piecemeal growth, constrained by the mines and their waste within as well as outside the village.

3.3.3 Settlement function and characteristics Beacon was now establishing itself with a significant growth in the local working population and in 1839 a Wesleyan chapel was built on the site of the present day Sunday School, indicative of a growing and more stable population.

3.3 1841-1877

3.3.1 Mining Although sharing in the confusing series of booms and busts that characterised this period, there was generally a greater scale of activity in most of the local mines, as many of the old, small enterprises combined into more successful groupings. The opening up of the Great Flat Lode in the 1860s, enabling the transition from the failing copper lodes to deep and productive tin lodes, saw an increasing scale of investment and size of operation. Great Condurrow, only half a mile from Beacon’s centre, opened for copper in 1844, prospering in both the 1840s and 1850s before the collapse of 1863. Carn Camborne continued, with some interruptions, to produce copper with some tin production later in its life, but like all the mines it suffered in the early 1870s and closed for six years in 1874. After a temporary closure in the 1860s Camborne Vean re-opened in the early 1870s. West Condurrow was opened in the 1850s and in 1870 employed 100 people. Between 1853 and 1866 Wheal Harriet was worked for copper with some tin but the site was abandoned in the latter year (although the sett was still worked with Pendarves United Mine). Wheal Grenville, originally a copper mine, made its first sales of tin in 1863 and in 1870 is recorded as employing 150 men. In 1866 Pendarves United was formed from Tolcarne, Wheal Harriet, Tryphena and Condurrow. In 1867-8 this conglomerate was the third largest tin producer in Cornwall, employing 521 men in 1870. However, it was managed badly and only the Tryphena section was working by 1872.

3.3.2 Extent of settlement As the early boom years and expansion of the mines took hold the rows on either side of Pendarves Street and the south side of Fore Street were built and work started on the row in Tolcarne Road. There was also some small-scale development in Condurrow Road, most probably associated with Wheal Harriet. Settlement was still constrained to some extent by working mines (Carn Camborne Mine to the north) and recently abandoned workings (such as on the south side of Pendarves Street)

14

3.3.3 Settlement function and characteristics It was during this period that Beacon underwent significant expansion, much of it showing clear signs of a planned layout with some road-straightening (Pendarves Road); the settlement remained exclusively a workers’ settlement, with only the inn and a few small shops, and trades were limited to such crafts as boot-making or tool-making supplying the local mining population. The increased size of Beacon generated the building of a new large chapel in Beacon Square and possibly the rebuilding/refronting of the Pendarves Arms. It remained distinct from Camborne, the two settlements separated by mine workings.

3.4 1877-1906

3.4.1 Mining Wheal Grenville slowed down in production but survived, turned to tin in 1880, and in 1897 was one of only 4 tin mines left in the area (with Tin Croft/Carn Brea, Dolcoath and Basset). Carn Camborne was re-opened in 1880, and worked for a few years, eventually to be absorbed with Camborne Vean and Wheal Harriet by Dolcoath (1897). South Condurrow continued successfully and was the third richest tin mine in Cornwall in 1882. However, by 1894 it was struggling due to technical problems and stopped production in 1895 with 100 jobs affected (part of the sett was re-established in 1896 as the Camborne School of Mines training mine, renamed King Edward Mine in 1901). Both the Dolcoath group and Condurrow were worked again around 1900, although not to the same scale as in the 1880s.

3.4.2 Extent of settlement During this period both sides of Fore Street were further developed up to Carn Camborne Mine. For the first time Condurrow Road was developed on both sides and there was also expansion along Pendarves Street and Tolcarne Road. These events can be connected to the success of both mines in the early 1880s.

3.4.3 Settlement function and characteristics There was a shift from the small scale style of the rows in Pendarves Street and Tolcarne Road to the development of larger housing to accommodate the growing numbers of mining agents and captains from the local mines, and some of the professional classes from Camborne - the only private residents of note were the Bennets family of Bella Vista, the most successful of this class in the village. The centre of Beacon reflected this increased status with the impressive Sunday School building in 1895 and the school in 1890 in Tolcarne Road, while trade directories reveal an increasing range of shops in the village, including a post office.

3.5 1906-46

3.5.1 Mining The Beacon mines shared in the major reinvestment in tin mining in Cornwall around 1906; Condurrow United was one the larger new ventures of this period; there was much outlay with hopes of using cheap electricity and developing a large scale operation, although with little gain from the investment. In 1906 Neame’s (formerly Woolf’s) shaft was re-opened at Great Condurrow with hopes that earlier fortunes would be revived. However, due to problems with the crooked nature of the shaft itself, the venture did not last long and the mine closed again in 1913. Wheal Grenville, the only other large conglomerate in the area (close to Troon) finally closed in 1921. Mining in Beacon was effectively at an end. There had never been any other industry or major employer in the settlement.

3.5.2 Extent of settlement The re-opening of the Great Condurrow Mine in 1906 is almost certainly related to the rows being developed along the Great Condurrow Road and the terrace to the south-west along

15

Cadogan Road. This reflected in miniature the problems that nearly all the expanding mines in the early 20th century experienced in finding skilled workers in Cornwall, and nearly all built new terraces of housing to attract potential employees.

3.5.3 Settlement function and characteristics The Cadogan Road terrace is particularly interesting as an example of early twentieth century workers’ housing related to mining. At this time the cricket pitch was established and this suggests a strong sense of identity and community participation in local events.

3.6 Post 1946 Beacon is now regarded administratively as part of Camborne, and since the closure of the local mines (before World War Two) has had little independent economic activity. However, despite the development of housing on the Carn Camborne mine site, it retained a clearly separate physical setting and character, with its own shops, public house, chapel, school, sports facilities and burial ground (shared with Troon). With the continuing use of the Camborne School of Mines training centre at the King Edward Mine, a working mining presence, at least of surface works, was maintained in the post war period.

4 Surviving historical components (Fig 3) 4.1 Pre-1809 At its heart Beacon retains at least part of its pre-industrial core with the small farmhouse on the north side of Beacon Square. Some of the original field boundary walls are evident throughout the village.

Beacon Square retains its original function as a crossing point to and from the high moor and the valleys of the Pendarves Estate and Camborne below.

4.2 1809-41 This period is marked by the survival of disused shafts on the south side of Pendarves Street and the unsurfaced lane and farm complex opposite; these are all connected to other disused shafts outside the study area along the underlying lodes, and the shaft currently in use by the Camborne School of Mines. Links to early mining are also evident in the survival of part of the waste dump to the north of the cricket pitch together with the cottages in front. Few buildings from this period survive, since the improvements of the mid 19th century appear to have swept most away. A pair of cottages adjacent to the post office is probably from this time, as is a pair of cottages adjacent to the disused shaft on the south side of Pendarves Street.

4.3 1841-77 The evidence of Beacon’s expansion from the mid-late 19th century has survived largely intact with the one major exception of the Methodist Chapel in Beacon Square of which no trace remains other than its yard walls. In Beacon Square the surviving historical components comprise the row of cottages, Beacon Inn and associated buildings. Across the square the Sunday School and the adjacent shop and cottages also survive. In Pendarves Street the main feature from this period is the long row on the north side with back lane and remnants of outbuildings. On the south side the extension of the original row with four cottages and then a further three adjacent to the disused mine shaft all survive. Further to the east in Newton Road five cottages survive from what appears to be a smallholding. West along Fore Street the south side of the road has a group of four and one outlying cottages that survive from this period.

16

4.4 1877-1908 Along Fore Street the mix of cottages and villas on the south side facing the site of Carn Camborne Mine remains largely unaltered, as does the row of some eight houses with plots on the north side and the large villa (Bella Vista) on the site of the original Heart’s Ease Mine. Nothing survives of Carn Camborne mine itself other than its boundary wall which has been pierced to allow for later bungalow development. The Carn Camborne chimney, for so long a landmark in the area with its distinctive square castellated design, was dynamited in 1972.

The other rows developed in Beacon at this time also survive more-or-less unaltered, including those on both sides of Condurrow Road, Pendarves Street and the two pairs of cottages in Newton Road. The site of the old shaft on the south side of Pendarves Street, marked as disused on the 1877 map, was being developed for housing at the time of writing.

4.5 1908-46 Late 19th century rows stand adjacent to the early 19th century farmhouse in Fore Street, and a pair of dwellings tacked on to the central core on the south side of Pendarves Street. In Cadogan Road the terrace of fourteen houses complete with plots and back lane survives intact. The cricket pitch also dates from this period and overlies part of a waste dump. On the north side of Fore Street an early bungalow in the far west of the Carn Camborne site is shown on the 1946 aerial photograph, while, on the south side of Condurrow Road is a range of semi-detached and detached early 20th century dwellings.

5 Character Beacon’s character is that of an essentially 19th century industrial village, with some intrusion by modern development, set against the backdrop of the high moors and their engine houses and the wide ranging views across the countryside to the sea.

5.1 Buildings (Fig 4)

5.1.1 Beacon Square Beacon Square has remained the heart of the village, dominated by the 1895 Wesleyan Sunday School [47]. This impressive building has acted as a focal point since the demolition of the Chapel [60] opposite. The Sunday School is an eye-catcher when approached from Fore Street with its lofty Gothic windows picked out in render against the solidity of the granite walls. Its chimneys, now lost, could only have added to its impressive feeling of height, but the expanse of slate roof remains and is a reminder of its dominating presence wherever it is glimpsed around the village.

Across the road the original farmhouse [12], now two cottages and attached outbuilding [13] forms a contrast to the Sunday School. This is an important group in the townscape in that it illustrates the change in scale from the ‘pre-industrial’ smallholding to the raised aspirations of Victorian industrial housing and public buildings. The granite boundary wall creates a strong sense of enclosure both to the square and to the cottages themselves and, together with the set back of the buildings themselves, establishes a feeling of seclusion that is an interesting and attractive contrast to the site’s location at the heart of the village. The dwellings are two storey with slate roof and stacks at either end, and the outbuilding is single storey with roof space with sheet roofing; its gable end window, while in a state of some decay is nonetheless an important part of its character in terms of scale and materials.

The third corner of the square comprises Beacon Inn [19] and associated buildings that have now been converted into shops with accommodation above. The public house has lost some of its historic character since it has been renamed from The Pendarves Arms, which had been a

17

reminder of the village’s historical economic and physical links with the Pendarves Estate. It has also suffered in a more physical way, most notably by the single storey porch which contrives not only to be out of character with the simple elegance of the east front but also manages to crash into the existing door frame, with the result that the original lofty pediment now only peeps out over a flat roof. Nevertheless, the inn remains an important feature of the street scene with its shallow hipped slate roof and four paned sliding sash windows, especially when viewed from the Pendarves Street side.

Enclosing the square is the small row of cottages [20], a mix of single and two window wide cottages with shallow slate roofs and original short chimney stack. Set back from the street frontage and enclosed behind low granite walls and front gardens, these form an important part of their setting. They date from the 1840s when the road may have been changed, sweeping away earlier buildings.

5.1.2 Pendarves Street Pendarves Street has an impressive row of cottages on its north side [46] that dates from the 1850s and is typical of the homogenous yet piecemeal development of such rows at this time in Cornwall. Some of the row used to have shop-fronts but these have been removed some time ago and all are now two storey dwelling houses of mixed widths. The arc of the back lane is peppered with outbuildings which, while many have been rebuilt, nevertheless contribute to the small scale and intimate nature of the rear of the cottages that are glimpsed down long narrow gardens. Despite some two storey extensions inappropriate to the historical scale and detailing of the group, it still retains considerable historical and visual value and the roofs are particularly important for the rhythm they create to both front and rear.

Southeast of this, the later 19th century row [41] is also visible from the rear and the view from Bekelege Drive reveals the survival of original sash windows often hard up against the eaves line and smaller rear gardens. Stepping up the hill and set behind granite walls and front gardens which are without exception intact, this is a good group which has suffered only from unsympathetic window replacement and the sporadic sprouting of single storey lean-to front additions and satellite dishes. Again, the mix of outbuildings of varying quality adds texture to the streetscape here.

The south side of Pendarves Street, when approached from the south from Troon at first sight has the same homogeneity. However, on closer inspection the mix of houses here lacks the coherence presented by the two rows on the opposite side of the road. Coming down the hill, the first row [36] is late 19th century as might be expected from its location. It is very much a mixed bag of roof heights and angles and with one rendered house on the end. It is this rather jumbled look that gives this first five buildings their character as a group, together with the binding factors of materials(slate and granite), the set back behind the wide grassy verge that borders Pendarves Street at this point, and their rough granite walls and front gardens.

Further down the hill the earlier houses and their plots [33, 34, 35] are constrained by the presence of the disused shaft [32]. At the time of writing this historical feature, so closely linked to the development of Beacon as an historical settlement, was being built over. A sense of enclosure onto the street will hopefully be maintained.

Towards the centre of the village the south side of Pendarves Street has undergone redevelopment from the early 19th century with the result that again it is an attractively mixed row of sizes and proportions [29, 30, 31] leading down to the post office [28], a late 19th century building modernised in a way that has little regard for its historic character, and that serves only adequately as punctuation to the corner of Pendarves Street and Tolcarne Road.

18

5.1.3 Tolcarne Road The row on the east side of Tolcarne Road [27], other than replacement windows and the odd encroachment of cars into front gardens, has changed little from late 19th century photographs, which show it as a backdrop to the Board School [25]. The front walls play an important role to the character of the street and form a contrast to the Cornish hedge opposite that forms the boundary to the children’s play area and the cricket pitch [24]. The houses themselves are part of the mid 19th century expansion years and are a mix of single and double fronted houses faced in granite and with slate roofs.

The school, now home to the Beacon Playgroup, marks the end of expansion south towards Tolcarne. Built in 1890 it is a modest and well-defined building bounded by its original granite boundary walls, although with gates of a modern design. It forms a fitting end stop to the industrial settlement.

5.1.4 Cadogan Road The terrace that dominates Cadogan Road is a good example of the new type of development associated with the early 20th century re-opening of Cornish mines and forms an interesting contrast to the mixed character of the rows elsewhere in Beacon. Set on elevated ground it also reflects expectations of a new affluence at that time, which unfortunately was to be short-lived.

5.1.5 Fore Street The character of Fore Street can be split into three parts but these are linked by the topography of the street that forms an entrance to the village. Near to Beacon Square the late 19th century and early 20th century rows on the north side of the street [10, 11] reflect those in Pendarves Street, being set back from the pavement edge behind and between the neat granite walls that give enclosure to the street and create a rhythm that reflects the scale of the houses themselves.

The south side, in contrast, consists of a mix of buildings from the early to mid 19th century [14 - 19], all of which are positioned hard up against the back of pavement with smaller rear gardens and, as such, give rise to a much more constricted townscape than elsewhere in Beacon.

However, north-west towards Camborne the character changes yet again with the late 19th century development of larger houses on raised gardens on the south side of the road facing what was, at the time of their construction, a disused Carn Camborne Mine. The further away from Beacon centre, the larger the front garden and the corresponding size of dwelling with the result that the last building of this group [5] is a grand semi-detached pair with double height canted bay windows and gently sloping front lawns. Of particular interest is a pair half way down Fore Street [7] which is gable end onto the road, and as such at odds with other buildings in the street. These are directly opposite the former entrance to Carn Camborne Mine and it may be that their form is indicative of being intended as eye catchers in this location.

5.1.6 Condurrow Road Condurrow Road’s character can be related almost entirely to the re-opening of Woolf’s shaft at the end of the road itself, since all the houses date from the end of the 19th century and later. On both sides of the street there are tightly packed rows [58, 59] of miners’ houses with short front gardens set behind granite walls and with long gardens to the rear. The gardens on the north side are, however, constricted by the former Wheal Harriet Mine. Of particular note is no. 12 Condurrow Road, the only row house in the street to have retained its original four-pane timber sashes and timber panelled door.

Further up the road the early 20th century bungalows [52] are of interest in their own right and, together with the houses play an important role in enclosing the street when viewed from the Beacon Square end and form a foreground to the imposing South Condurrow engine house on the horizon beyond.

19

5.2 Materials and details Granite is the almost universal building material in Beacon, sometimes mixed with local country stone and some mineralised blocks produced from the local mines. Almost always roughly coursed, better dressed stone is used for the principal buildings (the Inn and the chapel, which uses stucco detail set against the granite walling to great effect). Machine cut, rock-faced granite is typical of the houses and terraces of about 1900 (Fore Street and Cadogan Road).

Well-preserved low granite rubble walls to front yards and walls are a particular feature of Beacon. Render and painting has been applied to some 19th century buildings, but for the most part is confined to rear elevations (where it has been used to help blend in modern block-built and rendered extensions). It was used on some early 20th century buildings, for instance in Condurrow Road, but it has been used sensitively there to provide architectural enrichment and decoration.

Roofing was traditionally slate, and remains the predominant roofing material, although much has been cement-slurried, and there is some replacement. The roofscape remains a surprisingly important and relatively unchanged element in the appearance of the village.

This traditional pattern is in great contrast to the white rendered bungalows with artificial pantiled roofs which have been built in the back lanes of Beacon, and which bear no relationship to the historic use of materials (or scale and detailing of buildings) in the village.

5.3 Spaces views and panoramas It is the interesting mix of intimate and open spaces in Beacon that creates interest in the townscape. Approaching the village from Troon the road is wide and bounded by grass verges that add important green wedges to the setting of the buildings. Pendarves Street then narrows into a classic funnel shape possibly indicative of a droving route down from the moors.

At the end of this approach, Beacon Square opens out into what has always been a significant space reflecting its importance as a crossroads between moor and valley. While boundary walls create a strong sense of enclosure there is an attractively open and loose feel to the space of Beacon Square itself that reflects the semi-informal village environment and distinguishes Beacon from its larger neighbour Camborne.

From the leafy climb up Camborne Hill the entrance to Beacon is defined by the long run down towards the Wesleyan Sunday School, which becomes tighter nearer to the centre of Beacon. The sense of growing enclosure is not as pronounced as from the Troon direction but nevertheless informs a sense of arrival.

The physical relationship between the late 19th century row in Tolcarne Road and the early 20th century terrace in Cadogan Road is an important one although they are some distance apart; this is because of the nature and quality of the space between them, which includes the cricket pitch, that plays an essential role in providing the setting and relationship of both streets, as well as providing the foreground to the village itself.

Examples of closer spaces are provided in the numerous back lanes around the village. For example, the arc of the back lane behind Pendarves Street is of particular value for its feeling of small-scale intimacy.

There are views both in and out of Beacon from long distances, particularly to the west, where St Ives and Carbis Bay can clearly be seen as well as the granite moors of West Penwith. Because the views are so extensive there is constantly a sense of how Beacon fits into a surrounding landscape that is both natural and industrial.

20

5.4 Landscape Beacon’s separate identity has to date been retained by virtue of being on the top and the other side of Camborne Hill which has formed a natural barrier to the spread of Camborne from below. As its name suggests Beacon sits in a prominent position on the edge of the moor leading to the magnificent views outlined above. The landscape setting is, though, predominantly industrial and the presence of mines such as Carn Camborne and Wheal Harriet have had the effect of both constricting as well as generating development.

6 Designations 6.1 Scheduled monuments There are no scheduled monuments in Beacon.

6.2 Listed Buildings (Fig 4) There are no listed buildings in Beacon

6.3 Conservation Areas There are no conservation areas.

6.4 Other designations Policies have been taken from various sources, particularly the Cornwall Structure Plan (SP) and the relevant District Local Plan (LP); only those policies or allocations directly relevant to the preservation and enhancement of the historic environment or character of the settlement have been selected.

• Open Area of Local Significance (OALS) proposed to the south and east.

• Strategic housing site (R652) proposed to the east of Carn Camborne (part of the site of Wheal Harriet).

• Derelict land (D253 & D254) proposed designation to the east on Condurrow Road.

• A large part of the village is within a designated area of Great Historic Value (SP)

7 Current uses and forces for change Beacon has retained a level of vitality by becoming a dormitory settlement to Camborne. It is almost entirely residential in use, with only the post office, Beacon Inn and a couple of general shops to serve local needs. With the closure of the mines and no other industry in the village or its immediate area, the residential function has both saved and threatened Beacon’s integral character as the demand for suburban type development has impacted on the setting of its townscape as an industrial village.

The proposal for strategic housing on adjacent sites can only exacerbate this situation. If the character and appearance of the historic settlement and its setting are to be preserved and enhanced, such developments should be related to the identified historic character with regard to materials, type of housing, layout, boundary treatment and landscaping.

8 Industrial significance Beacon’s industrial significance lies in its location on the Great Flat Lode; its townscape reflects the tides of fortune of the mining industry, having developed from a townplace with a farming/small scale mining mix to become a modest mid-19th century mining village and then to expand again with the expectations raised with the re-opening of Neame’s shaft and other mines in the area.

21

9 Recommendations 9.1 Historic areas The designation of a conservation area is recommended that encompasses the area of architectural and historic significance as summarised in Section 5 above and shown on Figure 4.

9.2 Historic buildings Nos. 49 & 51 Fore Street together with the attached outbuilding [12 &13] and curtilage are of historic interest as the core of the original village and should be considered for listing. Beacon Inn (former Pendarves Arms)[19] is also of note and should be considered.

A list of locally significant structures which contribute substantially to the character of the settlement should include all the items referred to in the gazetteer.

9.3 Policy and management 1. Article 4 Directions to control the demolition of walls for the creation of hard standings

and alterations to individual houses.

Reason: To protect the character of Beacon against inappropriate incremental alterations and demolition.

2. Limiting development on outskirts, particularly between Beacon and Camborne.

Reason: To retain both the discrete identity of Beacon and the historic interest of its mining remains.

3. Further study of adjoining areas outside the existing CISI programme, especially Tolcarne and Knave-Go-By.

Reason: To ensure a full and accurate record of, and understanding of, the industrial settlements in this area and Cornwall as a whole.

10 References 10.1 Primary Sources 1809 OS drawings

1841 Tithe Map

1877 OS 25 inch map

1908 OS 25 inch map

1946 RAF air photographs

Cornwall Sites and Monuments Record (computerised database of archaeological sites maintained by HES)

10.2 Publications Cornwall Structure Plan, Cornwall County Council, 1997

Kerrier Local Plan Deposit Draft, Kerrier District Council, 1999

Barton, D.B, 1978 edn, A history of Copper Mining in Cornwall and Devon, D. Bradford Barton

Barton, D.B, 1989 edn, Tin Mining and Smelting in Cornwall, D. Bradford Barton

Hamilton-Jenkin, A K, 1964. Mines and Miners of Cornwall Vol. 10. Truro Bookshop

23

Appendix: Gazetteer of archaeological sites and key historic buildings Codes: PRN : Primary Record Number in Cornwall Sites & Monuments Record. NGR : National Grid Reference. LB : Listed Building. SM : Scheduled Monument. Date: PA = palaeolithic, ME = mesolithic, NE = neolithic, BA = bronze age, IA = iron age, RB = romano-british, EM = early medieval, MD = medieval, PM = post-medieval, PX = prehistoric undated, HX = historic undated, UX = unknown, C = century, c = approximately.

Ref Street no. Name Street Site type Period Status SM or LB No PRN

1 11 Fore Street House (bungalow) 1908-46

2 Carn Camborne Mine (boundary wall)

Fore Street Wall 1908-46

3 21 Bella Vista Fore Street House 1877-1908

4 6, 20-24, 30-50 (even)

Fore Street House 1877-1908

5 2 & 4 Fore Street House 1877-1908

6 8-18 Goon Terrace Fore Street Terrace 1877-1908

7 26 & 28 Fore Street House 1877-1908

8 52 Fore Street House 1841-77

9 25-51 (odd)

Cadogan Road Terrace 1908-46

10 25-39 (odd)

Fore Street Terrace 1877-1908

11 41-47 (odd)


12 49 & 51 Fore Street House (now cottages) Pre-1809

24


13 Outbuilding attached to no. 51

Fore Street Outbuilding Pre-1809

14 54 & 54a Fore Street House (incl. former shop) 1877-1908

15 56-60 (even)


16 62 Fore Street House

17 64 & 66 Fore Street Half-house 1841-77

18 70&72 Fore Street House & shop 1841-77

19 76-80 Including Beacon Inn (formerly Pendarves Arms)

Fore Street Public House & shop 1841-77

20 82-92 (even)

Fore Street Row 1841-77

21 Carn Camborne Mine (site of)

Carn Camborne Mine (site of) 1814-70’s

22 R/o nos. 70 & 72 Fore Street Dump 1809-41

23 Heartsease Mine (site of) Carn Camborne Mine (site of) Pre-1809

24 Tolcarne Road Cricket Pitch 1908-46

25 Tolcarne Road Hall (Old School) 1877-1908

26 11 & 13 Tolcarne Road House 1877-1908

27 1 – 9 Tolcarne Road Row 1841-77

28 2 & 4 Pendarves Street House & Post Office 1877-1908

29 6 & 8 Pendarves Street Row 1809-41

25


30 10 – 16 (even)

Pendarves Street Row 1841-77

31 18 &18a Pendarves Street House 1908-46

32 R/o no. 28 Pendarves Street Mine shafts (disused) 1809-41

33 28 & 30 Pendarves Street House 1809-41

34 32 Pendarves Street House 1841-77

35 34 – 38 (even)


36 40 – 52 (even)


37 Boundary stone in front of no.62

Pendarves Street Boundary stone inscribed NT and ST

mid-C19

38 2-12 (even)

Newton Road House 1841-77

39 14-20 Newton Road House 1877-1908

40 Outbuilding (ruin) r/o no. 53 Pendarves Street Outbuilding (ruin) 1908-46

41 39-53 (odd)


42 Lane to no. 37 Pendarves Street Lane 1809-41

43 37 Pendarves Street House 1809-41

44 Carnmouth Cottage Pendarves Street Farm building (now house) 1841-77

45 Camborne School of Mines Mine buildings 1908-46

26


46 1-35 (odd)


47 Beacon Methodist Church Beacon Square Sunday school (now Methodist Church)

1895

48 2-4 (even)

Condurrow Road Shop & houses 1841-77

49 Gutter in front of chapel Beacon Square Paving 1877-1908

50 Junction plate r/o chapel Beacon Square Junction plate 1877-1908

51 Junction plate adj. to no. 25 Fore Street Junction plate 1877-1908

52 6 & 8 Condurrow Road House 1841-77

53 10-34 (even)

Condurrow Road Row 1877-1908

54 36-42 (even)

Condurrow Road House 1908-46

55 48-58 (even)

Condurrow Road House (bungalows) 1908-46

56 29-35 (odd)


57 Wheal Harriet Mine (site of) Condurrow Road Mine (site of) 1809-41

58 1-11 (odd)


59 13-27 (odd)

Condurrow Road Row 1877- c.1910

27


60 Beacon Chapel Beacon Square Wall to former chapel yard 1841-77

61 K6 Telephone Kiosk Beacon Square K6 Telephone Kiosk 1908-46

62 Front garden wall to nos. 49 & 51

Fore Street Wall mid C19

63 Stile Beacon Square Stile mid C19

64 Stone Beacon Square Stone mid C19

Figure 5 The original farmstead facing Beacon Square around which Beacon developed – 49/51 Fore Street [12] and attached outbuildings [13].

Figure 6 Fore Street – late 19th century workers’ housing [10][11], with early 19th century houses and shops on the right [[17][18]; looking into the chapel/Sunday school in Beacon Square [47].

Figure 7 Pendarves Street. Early-mid 19th century housing [33-36] spreading along the hill towards Troon – separated from the older core by disused shafts (end right [32]). Beacon is high up on former moorland - roofscapes and distant views play important roles.

Figure 8 Condurrow Road. Rows of substantial late 19th century miners’ houses [59][53] focussing on the stacks of Great Condurrow (Woolf’s Shaft). The last in the sequence are typical single-storey houses of the early 20th century [55]. An archetypal ensemble of houses, small walled front yards, large rear gardens and outbuildings.

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

� ��

��

�� !�� "��#�$ ��% �� &�!��'��(�)�� ' �!��'�� ' (�!��!��!��*+��,��

��

��

� ��

��

��

� ��

��

� ��

�� !��"�#�$� ��"��"�� "�#�� %&��'�()*��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�� !��"

#��

��

��$��

%��

��

$��

��&��

�� !��" �# �!�#"�

�#"�!�#$$

�#$$!�� !�# �

'��

��

�

(��)��

�� )��!��"

%��&�'�(��

��

�� !"#$%&'()�*##*

��

��

��

��

# *& &# $& ��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�� !��"

#��

��

��$��

%��

��

$��

��&��

�� !" �� #$�� %%

� %%��

'��

��

�

(��)��

�� )��!��"

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

�

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

�

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

�

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�� !

"#�� $��

%��

��

� ��

� ��

��

��

��&��

!��" ##�$��%�� #��#� ��$�� &��'�(��%��

�� !�"�#�� !�� !�� !�"��$%�&'�()*�+��+

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

!��"��

��#��

��

��

$��#

��

!��% ��

&�#��

"��% �'� ��

(��'�#��

)��

��

��

)� ��'� ��(�)*+,-

Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative BEACON · Brinkhoff (CCC Planning Directorate Technical...

Documents

Transcript of Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative BEACON · Brinkhoff (CCC Planning Directorate Technical...