Hayle Mill From The South, On The Loose Stream
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Hayle (, "estuary") is a port town and
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 ...
in west
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, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the
Hayle River The River Hayle (, meaning ''estuary'') is a small river in West Cornwall, England, United Kingdom which issues into St Ives Bay at Hayle on Cornwall's Atlantic coast. The River Hayle is approximately long and it rises south-west of Crowan v ...
(which discharges into
St Ives Bay St Ives Bay (, meaning "Ia's anchorage") is a bay on the Atlantic coast of north-west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in the form of a shallow crescent, some 4 miles or 6 km across, between St Ives in the west and Godrevy Head in ...
) and is approximately northeast of
Penzance Penzance ( ; ) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the westernmost major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated in the ...
. Hayle parish was created in 1888 from part of the now defunct
Phillack Phillack () is a village (and formerly a parish) now in the parish of Hayle, in west Cornwall, England. It is about one mile (1.6 km) northeast of Hayle and half-a-mile (0.8 km) inland from St Ives Bay on Cornwall's Atlantic Ocean co ...
parish, with which it was later combined in 1935, and incorporated part of
St Erth St Erth () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. St Erth takes its name from Saint Erc, one of the many Irish saints who brought Christianity to Cornwall during the Sub-Roman Britain, Da ...
in 1937. The modern parish shares boundaries with St Ives to the west,
St Erth St Erth () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. St Erth takes its name from Saint Erc, one of the many Irish saints who brought Christianity to Cornwall during the Sub-Roman Britain, Da ...
to the south, Gwinear and
Gwithian Gwithian () is a coastal village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Gwinear-Gwithian, in the Cornwall district, in west Cornwall, England. It is three miles (5 km) north-east of Hayle and four miles (6.5 km) east of St Iv ...
in the east, and is bounded to the north by the
Celtic Sea The Celtic Sea is the area of the Atlantic Ocean off the southern coast of Ireland bounded to the north by St George's Channel, Saint George's Channel; other limits include the Bristol Channel, the English Channel, and the Bay of Biscay, as wel ...
.


History


Early history

Although there is a long history of settlement in the
Hayle Estuary The Hayle Estuary (, meaning ''estuary'') is an estuary in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is one of the few natural harbours on the north coast of south-west England and during the prehistoric and early medieval periods was importa ...
area dating from the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
, the modern town of Hayle was built predominantly during the 18th century
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
. Evidence of
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
settlement exists at the fort on the hill above
Carnsew Pool The Hayle Estuary (, meaning ''estuary'') is an estuary in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is one of the few natural harbours on the north coast of south-west England and during the prehistoric and Early Middle Ages, early medieval ...
where the Plantation now stands. It is thought that Hayle was an important centre for the
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
tin industry, trading not only with Irish and
Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...
people, but also the
Phoenicians Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syrian coast. They developed a maritime civi ...
of the eastern Mediterranean. Evidence of this comes from finds of imported pottery including Romano/Grecian Amphorae - containers for wine and oil. Although the
Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
never conquered Cornwall they may have had a military presence in the Hayle Estuary, and it is thought that the rectangular churchyard at
St Uny's Church, Lelant St Uny Church, Lelant, is the Church of England parish church of Lelant, Cornwall, England. It is dedicated to Saint Uny (or Euny) who is also the patron saint of Redruth. It is a Grade I listed building. History and description The church is m ...
on the western shore of the estuary is built within the outline of a Roman fort. In those times the estuary looked a lot different from that of today. It appears that the estuary was deeper and it was possible for boats to go up the
River Hayle The River Hayle (, meaning ''estuary'') is a small river in West Cornwall, England, United Kingdom which issues into St Ives Bay at Hayle on Cornwall's Atlantic coast. The River Hayle is approximately long and it rises south-west of Crowan v ...
as far as where
St Erth St Erth () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. St Erth takes its name from Saint Erc, one of the many Irish saints who brought Christianity to Cornwall during the Sub-Roman Britain, Da ...
Bridge is now situated; the tide used to flow in and out of what is now Foundry Square in the town, and at
Gwithian Gwithian () is a coastal village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Gwinear-Gwithian, in the Cornwall district, in west Cornwall, England. It is three miles (5 km) north-east of Hayle and four miles (6.5 km) east of St Iv ...
reached inland some considerable distance toward
Connor Downs Connor Downs () is a village in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, in the civil parish of Gwinear-Gwithian. It is situated approximately two miles (3 km) east of Hayle Hayle (, "estuary") is a port town and civil parishes in ...
. The departure of the Romans was followed by an influx of
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...
, most of whom are said to have had Irish origins and after whom many Cornish towns take their present name. The lives of Saint Samson and
Saint Petroc Petroc or Petrock (; ; ; ) was a British prince and Christian saint. Probably born in South Wales, he primarily ministered to the Britons of Devon (Dewnens) and Cornwall (Kernow) then forming the kingdom of Dumnonia where he is associated with ...
report that both saints arrived in Cornwall at the Hayle Estuary, indicating that it was an established port at least by the end of the 5th century. During the mid-6th century, however, the area was held by the
Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...
exile
Tewdwr Mawr Tewdwr Mawr ( Breton for "Theodore the Great"; or '; ; ; ; mid-6th century) was an early medieval king in Armorica (now Cornouaille, France) and Cornwall. Life Tewdwr was a member of the royal family of Cornouaille in Armorica. His father was ...
( or '), who was said to have
martyred A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloquial ...
many of them—particularly the members of
Saint Breaca Breage or Breaca (with many variant spellings) is a saint venerated in Cornwall and South West England. According to her late hagiography, she was an Irish nun of the 5th or 6th century who founded a church in Cornwall. The village and civil pari ...
's mission—before returning to his patrimony around 577.Ford, David Nash
"King Tewdwr Mawr"
earlybritishkingdoms.com; accessed 1 December 2014.
A number of inscribed stones from this period have been found in the area. Two early stones have been found at
Phillack Phillack () is a village (and formerly a parish) now in the parish of Hayle, in west Cornwall, England. It is about one mile (1.6 km) northeast of Hayle and half-a-mile (0.8 km) inland from St Ives Bay on Cornwall's Atlantic Ocean co ...
, one bearing a 'Constantine' form of a Chi-Rho cross which may date to the 5th Century. The most noteworthy inscribed stone is one uncovered during the construction of a road in the grounds of Carnsew, and is now set into a bank at The Plantation, a public park. The stone was discovered in December 1843 by workmen, lying in a horizontal position at the depth of four feet. When the stone was moved it broke into three parts. A Mr Harvey had it fixed into the wall of his path on Carnsew cliff, within a few feet of the spot where it was discovered, and added a more recent replica which lies next to it, where it has remained since. The stone bears an inscription in
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, but it is now unreadable. The version that appears on the replica is translated as "Here Cenui fell asleep who was born in 500. Here in his tomb he lies, he lived 33 years." However, in her discussion of this inscription
Elisabeth Okasha Elisabeth Okasha (née Barty) is an expert in early medieval language and inscribed objects, and professor emerita of English language at University College Cork, where she served as Acting Director of UCC Language Centre between 2007-2019. She i ...
passes over this transcription in silence, and mentions only three early drawings of this inscription and the results of more recent inspections, then tentatively offers her translation: "Here in peace has rested Cunatdo
r ''Cunaide'' R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars''. The letter ...
Here he lies in the tomb. He lived for 33 years." While physical and documentary evidence indicates that the port continued to be of importance through the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, it was the Industrial Revolution that saw the town and port of Hayle grow to resemble the town as seen today.


Medieval period

The
Domesday survey Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
in 1086 shows that the town of Hayle was not yet in existence. The manor of Connerton ("Conarditone") is recorded as including the Hayle Estuary with the manor centred on Conerton, close to the present day village of Gwithian. This was held by the King and was the headmanor of the hundred of Penwith. It is from Conerton that the name of the present day settlement of
Connor Downs Connor Downs () is a village in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, in the civil parish of Gwinear-Gwithian. It is situated approximately two miles (3 km) east of Hayle Hayle (, "estuary") is a port town and civil parishes in ...
is derived. A number of scattered farmsteads are recorded but no substantial settlement. By the 13th century Conerton was owned by the
Arundel Arundel ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Arun District of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. The much-conserved town has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much la ...
family until it was purchased by the Cornish Copper Company in the early 19th century. The first documentary evidence of any settlements around the Hayle Estuary is in 1130 when Phillack Church and surrounding dwellings were recorded as "Egloshayle", meaning the church (eglos) on the estuary (heyl), with the church being dedicated originally to St Felec, as appears in a 10th-century Vatican codex.


Industrial revolution

Hayle was initially a coal importing and ore exporting port but Hayle was initially dwarfed by nearby Angarrack, where a tin smelter was built in 1704 and mills and stamps converted/constructed to process the ore. Hayle's role was simply to serve as a convenient point to land coal from South Wales, which was then taken to Angarrack by mule. In 1710 a
copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
and
tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...
smelter Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron, copper, silver, tin, lead and zin ...
was built at Mellanear Farm on the Mellanear stream which prospered for many years Perhaps the first major development at Hayle was the construction of the first modern
quay A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...
by John "Merchant" Curnow, in the 1740s, to service the growing mining industry. In 1758 the Cornish Copper Company (CCCo) moved from
Camborne Camborne (from Cornish language, Cornish ''Cambron'', "crooked hill") is a town in Cornwall, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 20,845. The northern edge of the parish includes a section of the South West Coast Path, Hell's Mouth, C ...
and set up a
copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
smelter at Ventonleague (Copperhouse Creek) and this proved very successful, so much so that a
canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...
was built to bring vessels right up to the works and additional land was purchased on both sides of the creek for industrial use and providing housing for the workers. The smelting process generated large amounts of waste. The copper slag was cast into large heavy dark bricks or "Scoria Blocks" which were to prove a very useful building material which were used and re-used in the town and can be seen in many buildings. The blocks were sold at 9d (about 4p) for 20 and given free to employees of the CCCo to build their own houses. Sea Lane or Black Road (and Black Bridge) as it is now known was built using these and waste used to fill in the upper reaches of Copperhouse Creek creating Wilson's Pool and dividing it from Copperhouse Pool. Copperhouse Pool was subsequently modified to serve as a tidal reservoir both to allow ships to travel up as far as the dock, (where Home Bargains now stands), and to flush or sluice the channel to keep it clear of sand and silt. In 1779
John Harvey John Harvey may refer to: People Academics *John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician *John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture a ...
, a
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
from nearby
Carnhell Green Carnhell Green () is a hamlet in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately three miles (5 km) southwest of Camborne at . It is in the civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative par ...
, established a small
foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...
and engineering works in the area, now known as Foundry, to supply the local mining industry. The business flourished and by 1800 employed more than 50 people. It went from strength to strength through both professional and family partnerships with a series of great engineers and entrepreneurs.
Harvey & Co John Harvey was a Cornish people, Cornishman whose career started as a blacksmith and engineer at Carnhell Green near Hayle, in west Cornwall. In 1779 he established a foundry and engineering works at Hayle called Harvey & Co. By 1800 the compan ...
may be best remembered for producing
beam engine A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead Beam (structure), beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used b ...
s, which not only served locally but were exported worldwide; the largest was used to drain the Haarlemmermeerpolder and is preserved at the
Museum De Cruquius The Museum De Cruquius (or Cruquiusmuseum) occupies the old Cruquius steam pumping station in Cruquius, the Netherlands. It derives its name from Nicolaas Kruik (1678–1754), a Dutch land-surveyor and one of many promoters of a plan to pum ...
near
Schiphol airport Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport (, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands, and is one of the major hubs for the SkyTeam airline alliance. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municip ...
. The company also produced a range of products ranging from hand tools to oceangoing ships, including the SS ''Cornubia'' and the world's first steam-powered rock boring machine. As Harvey's and the Cornish Copper Company continued to thrive, the rivalry between the two grew into open hostility. Disputes regularly erupted over access to the sea as The Cornish Copper Company controlled the dock and the tidal sluice which they had built at Copperhouse. Harveys acted to break the Cornish Copper Company's
monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek and ) is a market in which one person or company is the only supplier of a particular good or service. A monopoly is characterized by a lack of economic Competition (economics), competition to produce ...
by constructing their own harbour by deepening Penpol Creek and building a dock. They even constructed their own tidal reservoir and sluice by creating Carnsew Pool. Harvey's operated a "Company Store policy" forcing workers to buy their provisions from Harvey's Emporium and prohibiting the development of any independent shops. When this policy was finally brought to an end a number of shops quickly established. Prior to 1825 anyone wanting to go from Hayle to St Ives or Penzance had to cross the sands of Hayle Estuary or make a significant detour crossing the River Hayle at the ancient St Erth Bridge. Guides took travellers across the sands, but, even with guides, it was sometimes a perilous journey and the shifting sand and racing tide claimed several lives. This barrier to trade led to the 1825 formation of the '' Hayle Bridge Causeway Turnpike Trust'' with parliament passing the Grigg's Quay, Hayle Bridge and Phillack Road (Cornwall) Act 1825 ( 6 Geo. 4. c. iv). The
turnpike trust Turnpike trusts were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom, Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road toll road, tolls for maintaining the principal roads in Kingdom of Great Britain, Britain from the 17th ...
built the causeway which now takes the road below the plantation west to the Old Quay House. Costing £5000 in 1825, the investors charged a toll to use the causeway to recover their costs. As Hayle's prosperity grew the foundry and smelter owners invested in the nearby mining industry. There was relativity little mining in and around Hayle itself, with Wheal Alfred and Wheal Prosper (near Gwithian), being the only mine of any note, the nearest significant mines being around Helston. As Hayle's involvement in the mining industry around
Helston Helston () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the The Lizard, Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: ...
grew it eventually reached the point in 1833 that it replaced Helston as the local
tin coinage In Devon and Cornwall, tin coinage was a tax on refined tin, payable to the Duchy of Cornwall and administered in the Stannary Towns. The oldest surviving records of coinage show that it was collected in 1156. It was abolished by the Tin Du ...
(
Stannary A stannary was an administrative division established under stannary law in the English counties of Cornwall and Devon to manage the collection of tin coinage, which was the duty payable on the metal tin smelted from cassiterite ore Mining in Co ...
) town, although this was short-lived as the Stannary system was abolished in 1838. From 1831 to 1861 the Hayle and Bristol Steam Packet Company operated Steam Packet services which from 1837 connected with the newly opened Hayle-Redruth Railway. Designed from the outset to carry both goods and passengers the Hayle Railway's terminus was in Foundry Square under the present
viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...
. Steam was introduced onto the Hayle Section in 1843 but the construction of the railway meant that only light engines could be used, whilst the incline at Angarrack also remained a problem. In 1852 a new railway was opened spanning the valley on the impressive
Angarrack viaduct Angarrack railway viaduct crosses the valley of the Angarrack River at Angarrack in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Geography The eleven-arch granite-built viaduct carries the Cornish Main Line railway across the steep-sided valley of t ...
and passing through Hayle on a new wooden supports over Foundry Square which were later replaced with the current stone pillars. The Harbour Branch line was closed in 1982 and the station buildings and signal box were demolished at the same time breaking direct rail links with the local communities of Praze-an-Beeble,
Leedstown Leedstown is a village on the B3280 road between Helston and Hayle, in the civil parish of Crowan (where the 2011 census population is included), Cornwall, England. It lies northwest of Helston and southeast of Hayle, at an elevation of above ...
and Helston. The original station in Foundry Square remained until after the Second World War when it was demolished. Harvey's of Hayle reached their peak in the early/mid-19th century but, along with the other foundries and engineering works in Hayle, began a long and slow decline. Harvey's acquired the Cornish Copper Company in 1875 but the downturn continued. The engineering works and Foundry were closed in 1903, although the company continued to trade as general and builders merchant, eventually merging with UBM to become Harvey-UBM in 1969. The
Royal National Lifeboat Institution The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat (rescue), lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on s ...
opened
Hayle Lifeboat Station Hayle Lifeboat Station was the base for a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat at Hayle in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was in use from 1866 until 1920. History Hayle is a small town situated on a tidal inlet on the no ...
in 1866 and a new boathouse was built in 1897. The lifeboat station closed in 1920, the boathouse then being rebuilt as a store for Hayle Power Station. The first lifeboat was named ''Isis''. It was replaced in 1888 by the ''New Oriental Bank'' which was soon renamed ''E.F. Harrison''. The final lifeboat was the ''Admiral Rodd'' which was built in 1906. A memorial to the lifeboat has been placed in the Isis Gardens which were opened in 1995 in Foundry Square. In 1888, the National Explosive works were established on Upton Towans (giving it the alternative name "Dynamite Towans"). Originally built to supply the local mining industry, it soon grew to supply the military and, during 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 ...
, employed over 1500 people. The remote location on the Towans proved a wise move as there were a number of accidents resulting in explosions.


The 20th century

Explosive manufacture ceased in 1920, although parts of the site were used as an explosives store until the 1960s. The area is now a
nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
managed by the
Cornwall Wildlife Trust The Cornwall Wildlife Trust (founded as the Cornwall Naturalists' Club) is a charitable organisation founded in 1962 that is concerned solely with Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It deals with the conservation and preservation of Cornwall's w ...
. 1910 saw the opening of Hayle Power Station on Harvey's Towans. It was coal-fired and the coal was supplied by ship from South Wales until the station was closed in 1977. At the same time Hayle Harbour was also closed to commercial shipping, although a locally important
fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
fleet, specialising mainly in
shellfish Shellfish, in colloquial and fisheries usage, are exoskeleton-bearing Aquatic animal, aquatic invertebrates used as Human food, food, including various species of Mollusca, molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish ...
remained. Until the early 20th century Hayle had two very distinct areas of settlement around the competing foundries but slowly buildings began to appear between the two communities. St Elwyn's Church, the
Passmore Edwards John Passmore Edwards (24 March 1823 – 22 April 1911)ODNB article by A. J. A. Morris, 'Edwards, John Passmore (1823–1911)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 200 accessed 15 Nove ...
Institute and a new Drill Hall all appeared within a few years of each other, and housing followed. The Passmore Edwards Institute was just one of a series of institutes and libraries built throughout Cornwall by its eponymous benefactor, who had made a fortune in the publishing business. The town council used it for offices for many years but moved to the Community Centre in April 2008. In the years between the World Wars a number of small works were established on North Quay, including a glass works, a small oil depot and an ICI plant for producing
bromine Bromine is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a similarly coloured vapour. Its properties are intermediate between th ...
–a fuel additive for high
octane Octane is a hydrocarbon and also an alkane with the chemical formula C8H18, and the condensed structural formula CH3(CH2)6CH3. Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers ...
aviation fuel. This additive increased the power of aircraft such as
Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
, Spitfires, Lancasters and
Mosquitoes Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a family of small flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by '' mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mosquitoes have a slender segmented body, ...
. All are now closed and most of the buildings have been demolished. The metalworking business of J & F Pool, founded in 1862, survived in Copperhouse producing perforated and fabricated metal. The engineering tradition continues with the more recent small specialist firms of Bassett Engineering and Rigibore which specialise in tooling and precision engineering products from the Guildford Road Industrial Estate. Rigibore provides tooling to a global market and offers revolutionary products for hole boring. Bassett Engineering offer a wide range of engineering services to the
Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
.


21st century

In autumn 2011 there was a large landslip on the North Cliff and the coastal footpath had to be diverted.


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, for prizes, have been held in Hayle for a least the last 200 years. Tournaments were held at Penpol,West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 2 August 1850. the Royal Standard Hotel,West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 2 September 1853. the field adjoining Floyd's Hotel,The Cornish Telegraph - Wednesday 24 August 1853. Bodriggy FieldsCornishman, 12 September 1946. and the Recreation Ground.West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 18 August 1994. See Cornish wrestling in Copperhouse.


Hayle today

Hayle's position by the sea and its 3 miles of golden sandy beaches allowed it to develop as a holiday destination. Indeed, Hayle still has much holiday accommodation. The sand dunes or Towans are the favoured location for a number of holiday villages and caravan and camping sites. The Gwithian beach near Godrevy is picturesque and a popular area for water-related sports including surfing, windsurfing and body-boarding. The local
community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting. Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...
station is Coast FM (formerly Penwith Radio), which broadcasts on 96.5 and 97.2 FM.


Hayle Harbour development and regeneration

Since the 1980s, Hayle
Harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...
has been the focus of several projects and schemes aimed at regenerating the local economy of
Penwith Penwith (; ) is an area of Cornwall, England, located on the peninsula of the same name. It is also the name of a former Non-metropolitan district, local government district, whose council was based in Penzance. The area is named after one ...
. In the 1980s, well-known businessman
Peter de Savary Peter John de Savary (11 July 1944 – 30 October 2022) was a British businessman in shipping, oil and property. He once owned or managed 13 shipyards around the globe and had global oil-trading and refuelling businesses. He was the Chairman of ...
fronted an attempt to develop the harbour area but ultimately failed to attract financial support to bring his plans to fruition. Despite several other similar schemes, today the harbour is still not regenerated. In 2004, ING Real Estate, an international
property development Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re- lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to oth ...
company, became the owners of Hayle harbour and started to purchase land within the immediate vicinity of their planned project area. In April 2008, ING submitted an outline planning application to the planning department of
Penwith Penwith (; ) is an area of Cornwall, England, located on the peninsula of the same name. It is also the name of a former Non-metropolitan district, local government district, whose council was based in Penzance. The area is named after one ...
District Council. As of November 2009, the granting of outline planning permission still depends on the Section 106 Agreement being agreed, a sticking point to this is finalising traffic and transport improvements. Outside of the harbour area, Hayle has been the site of a number of successful regeneration schemes; including the ongoing Harveys Foundry project which has seen the development of business and residential units in the hope of attracting employment to the Hayle area; and projects being progressed through the Hayle Area Plan include retail developments.
Asda Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol station chain. Its headquarters is in Leeds, England. The company was incorporated as Associated Dairies and Farm Stores in 1949. It expanded ...
opened a large superstore on the South Quay of Hayle on 24 November 2014. The design of the building, by
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (also known as FCBStudios) is a British architectural design firm, established in 1978, with offices in Bath, London and Manchester. The firm is known for its pioneering work in sustainable design and social design ...
had to fit into its local surroundings because it is situated in an area which is part of a UNESCO world heritage site. A new petrol station plan for the store was submitted in 2017. Quayside housing, watersports facilities, an arts centre, improved facilities for local fishermen, bars and restaurants are also planned as part of the ongoing regeneration of the area.


World Heritage

The townscape of Hayle and its historic harbour were part of the initial submission of the Cornwall and West Devon historic mining landscape
World Heritage 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 ...
bid. On 13 July 2006 it was announced that the bid had been successful and that the
Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape The Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape is a World Heritage Site which includes select mining landscapes in Cornwall and West Devon in the south west of England. The site was added to the World Heritage List during the 30th Session of the ...
would be added to World Heritage list. The Port of Hayle was one ten areas identified within this site.


Transport

Hayle railway station Hayle railway station serves the small town of Hayle, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Great Western Railway (train operating company), Great Western Railway manage the station and operate most train services. It is on the Cornish Main Line north-ea ...
is close to Foundry Square, at the east end of the viaduct. It is also linked to the harbour area along a footpath that used to be the branch railway line serving the quays. It is served by
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
and
CrossCountry CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the current CrossCountry franchise. The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2006, ...
with local services to
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
and services to destinations including
London Paddington Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London railway station and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great Western Ra ...
,
Manchester Piccadilly Manchester Piccadilly is the main railway station of the city of Manchester, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England. Opened originally as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchest ...
and beyond.
National Express Mobico Group, formerly National Express Group, is a British multinational public transport company with headquarters in Birmingham, England. Domestically it currently operates bus and coach services under brands including National Express. Th ...
run three daily services from Hayle stopping at Foundry Square and Copperhouse, they are: * 1 x 330 coach to
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
with major stops at
Camborne Camborne (from Cornish language, Cornish ''Cambron'', "crooked hill") is a town in Cornwall, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 20,845. The northern edge of the parish includes a section of the South West Coast Path, Hell's Mouth, C ...
,
Redruth Redruth ( , ) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. According to the 2011 census, the population of Redruth was 14,018 In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, ...
,
Newquay Newquay ( ; ) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is a civil parishes in England, civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries with an airport and a spaceport, and a fishing port on t ...
,
Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordered ...
,
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
,
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
and
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
. * 2 x 500 coaches to
London Victoria Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a London station group, central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Victoria, London, Victoria, in the City of Westminster, managed by Network Rail. Named afte ...
with major stops at Camborne, Redruth, Truro, St Austell, Liskeard, Plymouth, Taunton and London Heathrow Airport.


Notable buildings

Godrevy, Godrevy Lighthouse, at the eastern end of Hayle Towans, is said to have inspired Virginia Woolf's novel ''To the Lighthouse''. The St Elwyn's Church, Hayle, church of St Elwyn was built in 1886–88 to the design of J. D. Sedding. According to Pevsner it is "loud outside ... and dull inside".Pevsner, N. (1970) ''Cornwall''; 2nd ed., rev. by Enid Radcliffe. Penguin; pg. 80 Trevassack Manor is a house of the 17th to 18th century; there is a datestone of 1700. Bodriggy House is of granite, ca. 1710.


Local government

For the purposes of local government Hayle is a town and elects its own town council. The principal local authority in the area is Cornwall Council.


Education

The local secondary school is Hayle Academy.


Media

Local TV coverage is provided by BBC South West and ITV West Country. Television signals are received from either the Redruth transmitting station, Redruth or Caradon Hill transmitting station, Caradon Hill TV transmitters. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Cornwall on 103.9 FM, Heart West on 107.0 FM, and Coast FM, a community radio station that broadcast to the town on 96.5 FM. The town is served by the local newspapers: St. Ives Times & Echo, The West Briton and The Cornishman (newspaper), The Cornishman.


Twinning

Hayle is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with Pordic in Brittany, France.


Notable residents

*
John Harvey John Harvey may refer to: People Academics *John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician *John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture a ...
(1730–1803), ironfounder, blacksmith and engineer at Carnhell Green * Henry Jenner (1848–1934), antiquary, scholar of the Cornish language. * Kitty Lee Jenner (1853–1936), artist, bard and writer; helped set up the Gorsedh Kernow, Cornish Gorsedh. * Francis Cargeeg (1893–1981), coppersmith, born in Carnsew * Jack Cock, John Gilbert Cock (1893–1966), born in Hayle, the first Cornish footballer to score for the England national team; played over 400 pro games * Donald Cock (1896–1974), an English footballer, played over 200 pro games * Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Sir Caspar John, (1903–1984), First Sea Lord from 1960 to 1963; moved to Hayle on retiring and died there. * Rick Rescorla, Cyril Richard Rescorla (1939–2001), policeman and soldier, born in the town, served in the British and American armed forces, died in the attack on the World Trade Center (1973–2001), World Trade Center. * Jean Golding, (born 1939), a British epidemiologist.


See also

* Hayle Academy * St Michael's Hospital, Hayle


References


Further reading

*Wigley, Edward (1972) "Hayle: a new industrial town of the West" in: Todd, A. C. & Laws, Peter ''The Industrial Archaeology of Cornwall''. New ton Abbot: David & Charles; pp. 86–102 *Nick Cahill with the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (July 2000
"Hayle Historical Assessment Cornwall"
Report for English Heritage


External links

*
Hayle Town CouncilCornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Hayle
{{Authority control Hayle, Towns in Cornwall Civil parishes in Cornwall Ports and harbours of Cornwall Populated coastal places in Cornwall Cornish Killas