Perranarworthal
Encyclopedia
Perranarworthal is a civil parish and village in Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. The village is situated approximately four miles (6.5 km) northwest of Falmouth
and five miles (8 km) southwest of Truro
.
Perran Wharf is the area of the parish beside the River Kennall (a tributary of Restronguet Creek
) where there were wharves and a quay. The other major settlement in the parish is Perranwell.
Perranarworthal parish is bordered on the north by Kea
parish, on the east by Restronguet Creek and Mylor parish, on the south by St Gluvias
and Stithians
parishes and on the west by Gwennap
parish.
The name derives from the Manor of Arworthal which has had a number of spellings in the past including Hareworthal (1187), Arwoethel and Arwythel. By the 18th century two names appear on maps “Perran Arworthal” meaning St Piran’s by the creek or estuary.
William Penaluna described the settlement in 1838.
The original 15th century Anglican church of Saint Piran
was replaced by a building designed by James Piers St Aubyn
in 1884. However, the original granite-built tower remains from the 15th century church. Pevsner described the church as "indifferent".
and other Quaker business families. It was set up on the site of a tin smelting works in 1791. The foundry was later operated in partnership with the Williams family
, and in 1858, it was sold to them.
The creek serving the factory silted up and mining in Cornwall declined. The wharf had been used to import timber for the mining industry from Scandinavia. The slump in the mining industry during the 1870s hit Perran Foundry badly and it closed in March 1879 with the loss of 400 jobs, causing great distress in the parish. In April 1879, the 'Royal Cornwall Gazette' reported that a soup kitchen had been open since January: '793 people had attended and 1,240 quarts of soup were distributed'.
The buildings including Manor Mill on the opposite side of the road were later adapted by the Edwards Brothers for the milling and storage of grains and animal foods, and also cloth dyeing; another waterwheel was added. Over the past few years there have been ambitious plans which have come and gone, but little has changed at the foundry site apart from the gradual deterioration of the buildings.
The site has been used for various purposes since but closed in 1986. In 2005, the owners, North Hill Estates Ltd., applied for planning permission to redevelop the site. The proposal is for a mix of live/work units and residential accommodation. Further consultation on their proposal is ongoing (2007).
vessels which once brought loads of timber to Perran Wharf, largely for use in the mines. The timber would be seasoned by being 'pickled' for several months in shallow tidal ponds. The Norway Inn was built in 1828/1829 at the same time that the main Falmouth
to Truro
road was rerouted to cross the Carnon River on an embankment just above the village of Devoran
/. As of December 1st, 2011 the Inn, after having had a refurbishment, is once again, after many years, offering accommodation with four rooms.
Tullimaar House
, an early 19th century mansion, is in the parish. It was the home of Nobel Prize-winning novelist Sir William Golding
and is still occupied by Golding's son David.
and Barclay Fox
, managers of the Perran Foundry; the poet Jane Crewdson
, née Fox, was born here; William Jory Henwood
, mining geologist who was born at Perran Wharf; William Lobb
(1809–1864), a plant collector who was responsible for the commercial introduction to England of the "monkey puzzle" tree Araucaria araucana
and the Sequoiadendron giganteum. William Golding
, the novelist, died here in 1993 having lived in the village for the last 8 years of his life
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The village is situated approximately four miles (6.5 km) northwest of Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
and five miles (8 km) southwest of Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
.
Perran Wharf is the area of the parish beside the River Kennall (a tributary of Restronguet Creek
Restronguet Creek
Restronguet Creek is a tidal ria in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a tributary of Carrick Roads, the estuary of the River Fal, and is situated approximately four miles south of Truro and three miles north of Falmouth....
) where there were wharves and a quay. The other major settlement in the parish is Perranwell.
Perranarworthal parish is bordered on the north by Kea
Kea, Cornwall
Kea is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a "large straggling parish" in a former mining area south of Truro.Kea village is situated just over one mile southwest of Truro....
parish, on the east by Restronguet Creek and Mylor parish, on the south by St Gluvias
St Gluvias
St Gluvias is a civil parish and settlement in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is now a suburb on the northern edge of Penryn which is situated two miles northwest of Falmouth.-Church history:...
and Stithians
Stithians
Stithians is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It lies in the centre of the triangle bounded by Redruth, Helston and Falmouth. Its population is 2,004....
parishes and on the west by Gwennap
Gwennap
Gwennap is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately five miles southeast of Redruth....
parish.
The name derives from the Manor of Arworthal which has had a number of spellings in the past including Hareworthal (1187), Arwoethel and Arwythel. By the 18th century two names appear on maps “Perran Arworthal” meaning St Piran’s by the creek or estuary.
William Penaluna described the settlement in 1838.
The original 15th century Anglican church of Saint Piran
Saint Piran
Saint Piran or Perran is an early 6th century Cornish abbot and saint, supposedly of Irish origin....
was replaced by a building designed by James Piers St Aubyn
James Piers St Aubyn
James Piers St Aubyn , often referred to as J. P. St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident restorations.-Early life:...
in 1884. However, the original granite-built tower remains from the 15th century church. Pevsner described the church as "indifferent".
Historic foundry
It was the home of the Perran Iron Foundry, an innovative concern, run by the Fox family of FalmouthFox family of Falmouth
The Fox family of Falmouth, Cornwall, UK were very influential in the development of the town of Falmouth in the 19th century and of the Cornish Industrial Revolution...
and other Quaker business families. It was set up on the site of a tin smelting works in 1791. The foundry was later operated in partnership with the Williams family
Williams family of Caerhays and Burncoose
The Williams family of Caerhays and Burncoose, were, for several generations, dominant in the Cornish Industrial Revolution as owners of mines and smelting works...
, and in 1858, it was sold to them.
The creek serving the factory silted up and mining in Cornwall declined. The wharf had been used to import timber for the mining industry from Scandinavia. The slump in the mining industry during the 1870s hit Perran Foundry badly and it closed in March 1879 with the loss of 400 jobs, causing great distress in the parish. In April 1879, the 'Royal Cornwall Gazette' reported that a soup kitchen had been open since January: '793 people had attended and 1,240 quarts of soup were distributed'.
The buildings including Manor Mill on the opposite side of the road were later adapted by the Edwards Brothers for the milling and storage of grains and animal foods, and also cloth dyeing; another waterwheel was added. Over the past few years there have been ambitious plans which have come and gone, but little has changed at the foundry site apart from the gradual deterioration of the buildings.
The site has been used for various purposes since but closed in 1986. In 2005, the owners, North Hill Estates Ltd., applied for planning permission to redevelop the site. The proposal is for a mix of live/work units and residential accommodation. Further consultation on their proposal is ongoing (2007).
Notable buildings
The Norway Inn was known originally as the Norway Hotel and the name derives from the NorwegianNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
vessels which once brought loads of timber to Perran Wharf, largely for use in the mines. The timber would be seasoned by being 'pickled' for several months in shallow tidal ponds. The Norway Inn was built in 1828/1829 at the same time that the main Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
to Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
road was rerouted to cross the Carnon River on an embankment just above the village of Devoran
Devoran
Devoran is a village in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated four miles southwest of Truro at . Formerly an ecclesiastical parish, Devoran is now in the civil parish of Feock....
/. As of December 1st, 2011 the Inn, after having had a refurbishment, is once again, after many years, offering accommodation with four rooms.
Tullimaar House
Tullimaar House
Tullimaar House is a mansion just east of Perranarworthal in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom; it is not visible from the main A39 Falmouth to Truro road, and stands in private grounds...
, an early 19th century mansion, is in the parish. It was the home of Nobel Prize-winning novelist Sir William Golding
William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding was a British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate, best known for his novel Lord of the Flies...
and is still occupied by Golding's son David.
Notable people
Notable people from Perranarworthal include Charles Fox (scientist)Charles Fox (scientist)
Charles Fox , a Quaker scientist, developed Trebah Garden, near Mawnan Smith in Cornwall. He was a member of the influential Fox family of Falmouth....
and Barclay Fox
Barclay Fox
Robert Barclay Fox was a businessman, gardener and diarist, a member of the influential Quaker Fox family of Falmouth.-Family relationships:...
, managers of the Perran Foundry; the poet Jane Crewdson
Jane Crewdson
Jane Crewdson , poet, was born at Perran-arworthal, Cornwall, on 22 Oct. 1808, being the second daughter of George Fox of that place , and was married at Exeter, in October 1836, to Thomas Dillworth Crewdson, a Manchester manufacturer...
, née Fox, was born here; William Jory Henwood
William Jory Henwood
William Jory Henwood FRS , Cornish mining geologist, was born at Perran Wharf, Cornwall.In 1822 he commenced work as a clerk in an office of the Perran Foundry, owned by the Fox family of Falmouth, a post previously held by his father, John Henwood....
, mining geologist who was born at Perran Wharf; William Lobb
William Lobb
William Lobb was a Cornish plant collector, employed by Veitch Nurseries of Exeter, who was responsible for the commercial introduction to England of Araucaria araucana from Chile and the massive Sequoiadendron giganteum from North America.He and his brother, Thomas Lobb, were the first...
(1809–1864), a plant collector who was responsible for the commercial introduction to England of the "monkey puzzle" tree Araucaria araucana
Araucaria araucana
Araucaria araucana is an evergreen tree growing to tall with a trunk diameter. The tree is native to central and southern Chile, western Argentina and south Brazil. Araucaria araucana is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria...
and the Sequoiadendron giganteum. William Golding
William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding was a British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate, best known for his novel Lord of the Flies...
, the novelist, died here in 1993 having lived in the village for the last 8 years of his life
Further reading
- Acton, Bob Exploring Cornwall's tramway trails, Volume 2: The coast-to coast trail: Portreath to Devoran and beyond, Penpol, Landmark Publications (1997) ISBN 1 873 3443 285