Treffry Viaduct Teaching and Learning Resources
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Cornwall Heritage Trust Treffry Viaduct Luxulyan Valley, Cornwall, England National Grid Reference: SX056571 The Treffry Viaduct, built by the 19th Century Cornish engineer Joseph Treffry, is an engineering wonder. Teaching and Learning Resources Scheme of work, classroom and visit-based activities for Key Stages 2-3 3/1 West Briton March 15 , 1839 How the start of the big build was reported in 1839 THE TREFFRY exertions of Mr. the proposition s u b j e c t w a s V I A D U C T Treffry are so which was mooted mentioned, that highly appreciated by Sir Colman such a call will be We beg to direct the by his excellent Rashleigh, with heartily responded attention of our neighbours, who on respect to the to, and it will be readers to a report this occasion all presentations of a s o m e s l i g h t in another column of appeared to vie public testimonial acknowledgement the interesting with each other in to Mr. Treffry, of public regard proceedings at the praising the hon. will be fully car- and esteem to a laying of the founda- G e n t l e m a n ' s ried out. It is gentleman who has tion stone of the unceasing perse- quite evident, conferred the Treffry viaduct. We verance in works of from the feeling most lasting and are happy to see that a beneficial ten- manifested by the valuable benefits the public-spirited dency; and we hope meeting when the on his native county. 3/2 A History Mystery - a structured research activity - who built it, how when and why? How the History Mystery works. On the next two sheets are 30 pieces of information about the Treffry Viaduct that may or may not help students to an- swer the questions, who built it, how when and why? The students work in pairs. They are given the pieces of information as small cards in an envelope (they’ll need to be printed out and cut up). They are given 12 minutes to sort these in any ways they want. They need to decided which pieces of information are useful and which are not, so they could simply make two piles. Or they could categorise the information (people/places/dates/reasons), or any other ways they feel might help. After twelve minutes they need to be able to share with the rest of the class their theories about Who built it When it was built Why is was built How it was built 3/3 The viaduct is 650ft long and It consists of ten 40ft span The tramway used horse A viaduct is a bridge that 98ft high at its highest point. arches. drawn wagons carries a road or railway over a valley Across the top, a granite slab Beneath this an aqueduct At the end of the tramway a Built between 1839 and 1842 carried the railway. carried the water supply to mile of canal took the wagons this viaduct is 89 feet high operate the waterwheel at from Ponts Mill to Par. and 650 feet long. the nearby Carmears incline, The first large granite It carried a standard gauge viaduct built in Cornwall. wagon track across the Luxulyan valley On the incline (hill) empty wagons were pulled using water power from a waterwheel It was part of a transport The transport system was The viaduct is also an The viaduct also carries system to carry china clay to design by Joseph T. Treffry. aqueduct water across the valley to the port of Par. power a waterwheel 3/4 Joseph Thomas Treffry lived The viaduct is a protected historic Coal was brought into the area Minerals like clay, tin and copper from 1782 until 1850, building. along the tramway. It was needed ore were bought on wagons along to fuel the pumping engines in the the tramway and loaded on to mines. barges and Ponts Mill Treffry intended to build a horse Treffry later built a railway from The viaduct always leaks a bit of . It was built of stone from the drawn tramway from Ponts Mill to the port of Par over the clay water. Sometimes it has to be Carbeans and Colcerrow quarries Newquay country to Newquay. This runs in repaired inside using clay the valley and the viaduct goes over it The viaduct has the Treffry Joseph Treffry died of pneumonia The railway was completed in family shield on one side, but a in 1850. 1844. blank space on the other At some places you can still see The water it carried turned 13 traces of the rails that the wag- water wheels ons ran along 3/5 Basic facts about the viaduct • Built between 1839 and 1842 • The viaduct is 89 feet high and 650 feet long. • The viaduct's ten arches, which are 90 feet high, each have a span of 40 feet. • It is 98 feet high and contains 200,000 cubic feet of granite. • It was constructed to carry horse drawn wagons and water across the Luxulyan valley. • The viaduct was also part of a local transport system designed to carry china clay to the port of Par. • Its builder, Joseph Treffry become known as the 'King of Mid Cornwall' for his remarkable achievement. • The viaduct was way ahead of its time and was the first large granite viaduct to be built in Cornwall. 3/6 What’s changed? Here is a picture of the viaduct from about the time it was built. Around the picture in the starbursts, write in the differences between this picture and the scene today. Add an arrow to show where the changes are 3/7 What’s changed? Here is a picture of the waterwheel from about the time it was built. Around the picture in the starbursts, write in the differences between this picture and the scene today. Add an arrow to show where the changes are 3/8 Build your own Joseph Thomas Treffry Timeline –1 Use the event blocks on the next sheets to complete this timeline that tells the story of the construction of the Treffry Viaduct. You may need to enlarge this sheet to make all of the pieces fit. 1780 1790 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 3/9 Build your own Joseph Thomas Treffry Timeline –2 In the early 1800s he By 1829 Treffry had In 1833 the first Par Harbour trained in civil built a twelve thousand shipments of left Par engineering, foot breakwater on the harbour. Fowey in the notorious Spit Reef at late C19th Fowey Consols Engine House today Par. In the 1830s he built a Treffry Viaduct was Joseph Treffry died of The railway from Ponts canal from Ponts Mill and built between 1839 and pneumonia in 1850. Mill to Bugle was Fowey Consols mine to 1842. completed in 1844. the new harbour at Par. Place at Fowey, home of the Treffry family Trenance Viaduct in Newquay After the death of his By 1822 of the mines he His first building job was During the 1820s he mother’s brother took full control. Fowey in the 1816 when he built then began to look for at William Esco Treffry in Consuls became the most a new quay in Fowey to the best way of moving 1808, he inherited the productive mine in take larger vessels. ore out of his mines. family estate of Place, Cornwall and employed Fowey and changed his 1,680 workers. surname to Treffry by deed poll. By 1835 up to fifty Records show that In about 1834 Treffry vessels of two hundred Treffry lost three ships opened another large tons could fit in Par wrecked while carrying mine Par Consuls on the harbour. Larger vessels stone to build Par Mount behind Par and anchored in the bay and harbour. built a double incline goods were taken in by Fowey Harbour in the late C19th tramway to link it to Par barge harbour. 3/10 Build your own Joseph Thomas Treffry Timeline –3 In 1828 he drew up plans for a In the 1820s the town of Work began in 1837 on the In about 1818 he got new safe harbour at Par. Fowey was jammed-up. Narrow Ponts Mill to Bugle section. involved with mining as a streets made it hard to move This included building the partner at Crinnis near Par his large quantities of material viaduct at Luxulyan in and out of the town. The Treffry Viaduct The railway extended eventu- In the mid-1830s he bought In the 1820s he thought that ally stretched from the Par, Newquay harbour. He planned a new harbour at Par would let over the clay country and on to build a horse drawn larger ships use the harbour to Newquay where he built tramway from Ponts Mill to and also serve the mines, so another viaduct at Trenance Newquay. Fowey would be quieter Fowey in the mid-C19th The Treffry Viaduct Joseph Treffry was born in In 1820 he became a partner Par Harbour is still a busy Stone for building Par harbour Plymouth in 1782 as Joseph Fowey Consols mine at working port today. It was came from his own quarries Thomas Austin. Tywardreath and bought from Treffry Estates near Pentewan. manager of Lanscroft mine. by English China Clay in 1964. 3/11 Design plaque for the blank space on the viaduct On the north side of the viaduct is the Treffry Family shield. For some reason, on the southern side the space is ready for a design but none has been put in place.