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 Camborne -
For accommodation in
Camborne click here
Camborne Tourist Information
Together with its neighbouring town
Redruth the two have combined to become
the largest urban population in the county.
In the 19th century the area was the most intensely mined in
the world, to this day it is littered with old mine
workings.
The county had well over 300 mines and together produced two
thirds of the world’s copper and tin. This was a time of
great prosperity with 50,000 people employed in the
industry. Unfortunately, from the middle of the 19th century
to the early 20th century most mines closed due to extensive
mineral deposits being found in the Americas, South Africa
and Australia. This brought about a mass exodus of Cornish
Miners who emigrated to places that required their
expertise. Hence the saying, ‘look down any pit in the world
and you will find a Cornishman.
To export all the minerals, the north coastal port of
Portreath was developed. This is some 3 ½
miles from
Camborne. It was developed in the mid 18th
century with copper being exported and coal imported, mainly
from Wales. In 1809, the new harbour was connected to the
mines by the first railway in
Cornwall.
In the early 18th century before the mining industry,
Camborne was a small village surrounded by
moorland, the rapid expansion of the mines
can be seen with the numerous terraces of small mining
houses, very similar to the houses in the clay area around
St
Austell.
A ‘Town Trail’ now guides visitors around this historic town
pointing out the many interesting buildings that could
easily be missed amongst the town’s now busy streets.
With mining being the town’s main livelihood for several
hundreds of years it was only natural that it became home
for the ‘School of Mines’. (Now at nearby
Penryn). The school has an impressive
Geological Museum and Art Gallery displaying minerals and
rocks from all over the world.
The School of Mines is now part of the
Exeter University having a worldwide reputation of
excellence. Full details available on:
www.uec.ac.uk/csm/
A statue of Richard Trevithic (1771 -1833) stands outside
the town library. Not only was he an accomplished wrestler
(known as the Cornish Giant) but also an inventor. He was
responsible for developing the high pressure steam engine,
the screw propeller and an early locomotive that predated
Stephensons rocket by 12 years. He also invented a high
pressure steam carriage known as ‘Puffing Devil’, this
completed a test run up Camborne Hill on Christmas Eve 1801,
a popular local song remains popular today, the words
include:
‘Going up Camborne Hill, coming down,
Going up Camborne Hill, coming down,
The horses stood still,
The wheels went around,
Going up Camborne Hill coming down’.
This great man was born in ‘Trevithic Cottage’, now owned by
the National Trust and is open to the public. Trevithic died
penniless and is buried in an unmarked grave in Dartford,
Kent
There is a festival held each year in his memory, this is on
the last Saturday in April and includes, model exhibitions,
vintage vehicles, Bal Maidens and miners dance led by the
town brass band, performances by local male voice choirs,
plus a host of other entertainment. Further information can
be seen on:
www.trevithic-day.org.uk
Camborne was also home to various important industries, this
included the world renowned foundry of ‘Holmans’. Founded in
1801 was Cornwall’s largest manufacturer of industrial
equipment, even making guns during the 2nd world war. At one
time employing 3500 men, the factory kept going until 2001.
Today, Camborne is a bustling town and improved considerably
since it was by-passed. It provides a good selection of
shops and all main services.
The town itself has very little accommodation of offer, most
of this lies in the surrounding villages and tourist
resorts.
These include: Portreath –
Gwithian,
Hayle and
St
Ives.
Bed and breakfast in
Camborne
Self catering in
Camborne
Return to towns and
villages
Camborne News:
Street pastors to hit the pavements of CamborneFalmouth Penryn Packet, UK - May 5, 2008A pioneering new idea to take pastoral care onto the streets could soon be up and running in Camborne. Churches Together in Camborne are aiming to set up a ... |
Measles outbreak in CamborneFalmouth Penryn Packet, UK - Apr 28, 2008Parents in the Kerrier district are being warned about the dangers of measles following an outbreak of the infection at St John's School in Camborne. ... |
Cornwall back on trackFalmouth Penryn Packet, UK - May 7, 2008Cornwall's MCCA Trophy aspirations are back on track following a hard-earned 29-run victory at Camborne on Sunday. In recent seasons Cornwall have usually ... |
Blues face a difficult startNewbury Weekly News Group, UK - May 7, 2008The provisional fixture list sees Blues head to Cornish Pirates at Camborne - almost certainly on Sunday, August 31 - before commencing their home programme ... |
Exmouth Herald |
Local rugbyExmouth Herald, UK - 22 hours agoIt is proving difficult to arrange games once the senior season has finished and only one game was possible against Camborne. ... |
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