Par is a village on Cornwall’s south coast, east of St Austell. Its beach, railway connections and industrial harbour sit close together, but each has a different story. The village entry is the starting point; Par Harbour has a separate entry for the port itself.
Joseph Thomas Treffry’s harbour and inland transport works helped turn this coast into an outlet for mineral traffic. Copper belonged to the earlier industrial story, while china clay became central to the wider district. The practical idea was straightforward: heavy material needed an affordable route from where it was dug to a ship that could take it away.
Par also helps explain why a Newquay railway story can suddenly find itself on the south coast. Cornwall’s industrial networks were not organised around the boundaries of today’s holiday destinations. They connected mines, quarries and ports wherever a workable route could be made. The map identifies Par generally; it is not an invitation into operational harbour land.
Where it is
Par
50.3505, -4.7111 · Position source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par,_Cornwall
Par village — orientation, not harbour access
Visiting and access
A location reference, not confirmation of public access or a visitor entrance.
Sources
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par,_Cornwall Source: https://www.luxulyanvalley.co.uk/the-valley/history/
Connected subjects
Read on
- Joseph Thomas Treffry: The Man Who Joined Cornwall’s Businesses Together
Most of us, faced with an awkward delivery, complain about the delivery company. Joseph Thomas Treffry’s approach was rather more expensive. He became involved in mines, harbours, waterways and tramways.
- The Harbour That Would Have Turned Towan Head Into an Island
Meet the man behind Newquay’s unfinished harbour, follow the cargoes that made it worth attempting, and imagine the town that might have grown around it.
- Cornwall Had More Railways. Did That Mean Better Transport?
Cornwall’s lost railway map is persuasive. But coverage, speed and the ability to get home are different things—and the timetable does not always agree with the nostalgia.
- There Was a Railway Running Out of Newquay Harbour
A load of ore could reach Newquay and still have a cliff to get down. Follow the horses, miners and winding machinery that completed the journey.