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Charlestown () is a village and
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
on the south coast of
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, England, in the
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of St Austell Bay. It is situated approximately southeast of
St Austell Saint Austell (, ; ) is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon. At the 2021 Census in the United Kingdom, census it had a population of 20,900. History St Austell was a village centred ...
town centre. The port at Charlestown developed in the late 18th century from the fishing village of West Polmear. Whereas other areas of
St Austell Saint Austell (, ; ) is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon. At the 2021 Census in the United Kingdom, census it had a population of 20,900. History St Austell was a village centred ...
have seen much development during the 20th century, Charlestown has remained relatively unchanged.


History

Charlestown grew out of the small fishing village of West Polmear (or West Porthmear), which consisted of a few cottages and three cellars, in which the catch of pilchards were processed. The population amounted to nine fishermen and their families in 1790. Before the harbour was built, trading vessels landed and loaded on the beach. Charles Rashleigh, who moved to Duporth Manor, just outside the village, used plans prepared by
John Smeaton John Smeaton (8 June 1724 – 28 October 1792) was an English civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent scholar, who introduced various ...
to begin the construction of a harbour and dock in 1791. After building the outer pier, he excavated a natural inlet to form the main dock and a shipyard at its inner end that was demolished when the dock was extended. The first dock gates were completed in 1799. To maintain water levels in the dock, a
leat A leat (; also lete or leet, or millstream) is the name, common in the south and west of England and in Wales, for an artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground, especially one supplying water to a watermill or its mill pond. Othe ...
was constructed, which brought water from the Luxulyan Valley, some away. Rashleigh also planned the village, which had a broad road running from the harbour to Mount Charles. In 1793, a gun battery was built to the west of the harbour mouth, as a defence against possible French attacks. Volunteers from Rashleigh's estate formed an artillery company that lasted until 1860, when the original four 18-pound cannons were replaced by 24-pound models. The Crinnis Cliff Volunteers became part of the
1st Cornwall (Duke of Cornwall's) Artillery Volunteers The 1st Cornwall (Duke of Cornwall's) Artillery Volunteers were formed in 1860 as a response to a French invasion threat. They served as a Coast Artillery unit during both World Wars, and also manned batteries serving overseas. The unit continue ...
, and the battery continued to be used for practice until 1898. In 1799 the locals asked his permission to rename the place Charles's Town which became Charlestown. The port was built to facilitate the transport of copper from nearby mines. Crinnis Hill Mine to the east of the village exported some 40,000 tons of copper ore between 1810 and 1813. South Polmear Mine to the west and Charlestown United Mines operated from a site near Holmbush to the north. This enterprise was particularly prolific, employing 431 men, 120 women and 263 children in 1838. The 1851 census recorded 283 adults living in Holmbush, of whom ten were employed as miners and one was the mine agent. As the mines became exhausted and their output dropped, the port was used to export
china clay Kaolinite ( ; also called kaolin) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition aluminium, Al2Silicon, Si2Oxygen, O5(hydroxide, OH)4. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedron, tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen ...
from the region's quarries. Following the death of Charles Rashleigh in 1823 the fate of Charlestown was caught up in the financial problems of his estate. Joseph Dingle, once a servant and footman employed by Rashleigh, became superintendent of works when the construction of the harbour began, but had systematically embezzled money from the project. By the time the case reached the courts in 1811, he was thought to have embezzled around £32,000 (equivalent to £ million in ) Dingle was bankrupted and died a pauper; Rashleigh also was made bankrupt before his death. In 1825 Messrs Crowder and Sartoris, trading as Charlestown Estate, agreed to accept all the leasehold property in Charlestown in lieu of sums owed to them and purchased the rest of the estate from the Rashleigh family becoming the new owners of the port and the surrounding settlement. Despite competition from the port at
Pentewan Pentewan (, meaning ''foot of the radiant stream'') is a coastal village and former port in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at south of St Austell at the mouth of the St Austell River. Pentewan is in the civil pari ...
, which opened in 1826, and from Par, which opened shortly afterwards, Charlestown prospered from the rapid expansion in the export of china clay until the onset of the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. By 1911, its population had increased to 3,184. The harbour was designed for small sailing vessels, and an awkward turn was required to avoid the protruding end of the outer harbour. Following the widening of the entrance and the fitting of new gates in 1971, ships of up to 600 tons were able to enter the harbour, but could only do so at high tide, and a system of ropes was used to manoeuvre vessels through the gates. By the 1990s, the size of vessels used for the transport of china clay had outgrown the harbour, and the last commercial load of clay to leave Charlestown did so in 2000. Exports of china clay left Cornwall through Par or the deepwater port at
Fowey Fowey ( ; , meaning ''beech trees'') is a port town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, ...
instead. In 1994 the harbour was bought by Square Sail as a base for their sailing ships. Much of Square Sail's business involves using the harbour and their ships as film sets such as the 2015 '' Poldark'' television series.


Economy

Charlestown harbour is used by local fishermen but is owned by Square Sail, a company that owns and sails a small fleet of
tall ship A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigging, rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a r ...
s (including the '' Kaskelot'') so one or two tall ships can often be found in the harbour. A well-known tall ship which used to regularly visit the port was the '' Maria Asumpta''. First launched in 1858, it was the world's oldest working
square rig Square rig is a generic type of sail plan, sail and rigging arrangement in which a sailing ship, sailing vessel's primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spar (sailing), spars that are perpendicular (or wikt:square#Adjective, square) to t ...
ger but ran aground and broke up on the north Cornish coast in May 1995 with the loss of three of her sixteen crew. In July 2012 the owner of Square Sail and the harbour offered his business for sale for £4.4 million, made up of £1.5 million for the harbour, £1.4 million for Square Sail's assets, and another £1.5 million for adjacent land. Charlestown is a tourist destination whose attractions include the architecture and sea. The Charlestown Shipwreck, Rescue and Heritage Centre has also been put up for sale due to the retirement of the owner. The ''Pier House Hotel'' is by the harbour; the ''Rashleigh Arms''
public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
is owned by St Austell Brewery. The
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
closed without a replacement and the village has a gift shop and several other eating establishments in and around the harbour. As with many smaller villages in Cornwall most of its income is generated during the busy summer months and it becomes much quieter out of season, although many of its small businesses such as cafes, restaurants and public houses open all the year round.


Religion

The
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
Chapel was built in 1827. It continued in use until 2000, when it closed and was sold. In 2012, the structure was in a poor state of repair and causing concern because it is within a
UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
. Both the chapel and the attached schoolrooms are
Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
. The parish of Charlestown was created in 1846 by the Diocese of Exeter, when the population of the village was about 3,000 people. It was split from the parish of St Austell, and land was given for a church in 1848 by George Augustus Crowder, the managing director of Charlestown Estates. Construction of St Paul's Church began the following year and was completed in 1851. It was designed by Christopher Eales, and has a nave and chancel with transepts and north and south aisles. It is constructed of rubble with granite dressings. The tower at the western end did not have a spire until 1971, when a glass-reinforced plastic structure was added. The south aisle has late-19th-century stained-glass memorials to five local families. The church has been
Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
since 1999. St. Paul's (see gallery of images) is an
Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...
church in the
Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a theological movement of high-church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the Un ...
style of worship in the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
.


Culture

Charlestown harbour has been used as a
filming location A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, instead of or in addition to using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage. In filmmaking, a location is any place where a film crew wi ...
for both film and television dramas. On 25 September 2008
Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...
filmed part of his ''
Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...
'' film here. Filming took place on 1 February 2011 for much of ''
The Curse of the Black Spot "The Curse of the Black Spot" is the third episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by Stephen Thompson, and directed by Jeremy Webb, the episode was first broadcast on 7 May 2011 on ...
'', an episode of the
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
television series. It was filmed at night on the sailing ship ''Phoenix of Dell Quay'' while it was moored in the harbour. In spring 2012, the harbour was a filming location for the fantasy adventure movie '' The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box''. It was also used extensively in the war drama ''The Eagle Has Landed''. The harbour has also been used in the filming of recent series of ''Poldark''. In 2018 Mark Jenkin based much of the shooting for his film ''Bait'' there.


Sport


Cornish wrestling

Cornish wrestling Cornish wrestling () is a form of wrestling that has been established in Cornwall for many centuries and possibly longer. It is similar to the Breton people, Breton Gouren wrestling style. It is colloquially known as "wrasslin’"Phillipps, K C: ...
tournaments were held in Charlestown throughout the 1800s and 1900s.Royal Cornwall Gazette, 17 June 1876.Cornish Guardian, 20 May 1910.


Rowing

Charlestown Rowing Club is based in the village.


Education

Charlestown Primary School is a two form entry primary school situated between Charlestown village and Carlyon Bay.


Administration

Charlestown is in the parliamentary constituency of St Austell and Newquay.
Local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
services are provided by
Cornwall Council Cornwall Council ( ), known between 1889 and 2009 as Cornwall County Council (), is the local authority which governs the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary ...
(a
unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
), and since 1 April 2009 the village has been in St Austell Bay civil parish, before then it was in an
unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparis ...
of Restormel Borough Council.


Gallery

Image:Charlestown Beach St Austell Cornwall.jpg, The first beach is separated from the other... Image:Charlestown Harbour St Austell Cornwall.jpg, ...by the harbour entrance and outer harbour... Image:charlestown_harbour.jpg, The impounded harbour Image:Charlestown Beach St Austell Cornwall right.jpg, ... as the tide went out, August 2001


References


Bibliography

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External links


Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Charlestown
{{authority control Villages in Cornwall Ports and harbours of Cornwall Beaches of Cornwall Populated coastal places in Cornwall Fishing communities in England