Before the Railway: How Perran's Iron Ore Reached the Sea
Gravel Hill’s iron mine stood beside the Atlantic. Its ore still travelled about three miles by cart to reach a ship. That awkward journey explains a great deal about this coast.
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Mines And Moving Goods
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When Ships Sailed Up the Gannel
The Gannel carried cargo, served mines and supported shipbuilding. Restoring that movement changes the relationship between Newquay and Crantock.
From Waterwheel to Railway: The Industrial Landscape Hidden Around Holywell
A wheelpit, a corn mill, coastal mines and competing transport schemes reveal the working landscape behind Holywell’s beach.
The Smelter on the Other Side of the Gannel
Ore from Newquay crossed the Gannel to be processed near Crantock. A forgotten works connects the town’s mines to the opposite bank.
Before the Beach: Perranporth Was a Mining Town
Wheal Leisure, the workings around Droskyn and Cligga’s wartime tungsten put the mining town back beneath modern Perranporth.
The Strange Holes in the Rock at Fern Pit — A Gannel Mystery Since 1890
The hollows beside Fern Pit have attracted explanations for more than a century. Their history is easier to establish than their purpose.
Watergate Bay: The Hotel Waiting for a Railway That Never Came
Watergate Bay’s hotel was built for an expected railway arrival. The railway failed to turn up; the building found several other futures.
The Mine Beneath Mount Wise: Putting Newquay’s Lead and Silver Back on the Map
A shaft, a count house, miners’ homes and an adit towards Towan: the industrial hillside hidden inside modern Newquay.
The Railway to Holywell Bay That Never Was
Holywell Bay could have had a railway, pier and harbour. The parliamentary record reveals a serious Victorian proposal—and a coastline that escaped a very different future.