Redruth Main Report
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Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey Historic characterisation for regeneration REDRUTH HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SERVICE Objective One is part-funded by the European Union Cornwall and Scilly Urban Survey Historic characterisation for regeneration REDRUTH Kate Newe ll June 2004 HES REPORT NO. 2004R037 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SERVICE Environment and Heritage Service, Planning Transportation and Estates, Cornwall County Council Kennall Building, Old County Hall, Station Road, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 3AY tel (01872) 323603 fax (01872) 323811 E-mail [email protected] Acknowledgements This report was produced as part of the Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey project (CSUS), funded by English Heritage, the Objective One Partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (European Regional Development Fund) and the South West Regional Development Agency (South West RDA). Peter Beacham (Head of Designation), Graham Fairclough (Head of Characterisation), Roger M Thomas (Head of Urban Archaeology), Jill Guthrie (Designation Team Leader, South West) and Ian Morrison (Ancient Monuments Inspector for Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly) liaised with the project team for English Heritage and provided valuable advice, guidance and support. Nick Cahill (The Cahill Partnership) acted as Conservation Advisor to the project, providing support with the characterisation methodology and advice on the interpretation of individual settlements. Georgina McLaren (Cornwall Enterprise) performed an equally significant advisory role on all aspects of economic regeneration. Additional help has been given by Andrew Richards (Conservation Officer, Kerrier District Council). Mike Horrocks (then Community Regeneration Officer Redruth Area, Tin Country Partnership, IAP) and John Dobson (then Camborne – Pool – Redruth Principal Regeneration Manager Objective 1, South West RDA) provided valuable information regarding regeneration proposals and initiatives. Sharron Schwartz has given valuable information regarding the history of Redruth and has provided a number of illustrations including the selection reproduced here of international house names seen throughout the town. The Urban Survey team, within Cornwall County Council Historic Environment Service, is: Kate Newell and Stephanie Russell (Urban Survey Officers), Dr Steve Mills (Archaeological GIS Mapper) and Graeme Kirkham (Project Manager). Bryn Perry-Tapper is the GIS/SMBR supervisor for the project and has played an important role in developing the GIS, SMR and internet components of CSUS. Jeanette Ratcliffe was the initial Project Co-ordinator, succeeded by Pete Herring from Spring 2003. This report builds on the work of the Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative (CISI), a project with the aim of providing an overview of the history, present character and significance of Cornwall’s industrial settlements. Redruth was studied for CISI by the Cahill Partnership for Cornwall Archaeological Unit in the winter of 2000/2001 (final report March 2002). The CSUS methodology seeks to explore the link between characterisation and identifying heritage-led regeneration opportunities in order to promote sustainable urban regeneration. Maps The maps in this publication are based on Ordnance Survey material with the permission of the Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution and/or civil proceedings. The map data, derived from Ordnance Survey mapping, included within this publication is provided by Cornwall County Council under licence from the Ordnance Survey in order to fulfil its public function to publicise local public services. Cornwall County Council Licence No. 100019590, 2004. Cover illustration Redruth town centre: the principal crossroads of Fore Street, West End, Penryn Street and Chapel Street with the railway viaduct sweeping over the town to the south, 2001. (CCC Historic Environment Section, ACS 5420). © Cornwall County Council 2004 No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher. Contents Summary 1 1 Introduction 4 Regeneration and the historic towns of Cornwall and Scilly 4 Characterisation and regeneration 4 Cornwall and Scilly Urban Survey 5 CSUS reports 5 Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative 6 Extent of the study area 6 2 Redruth: the context 7 The regeneration context 7 Landscape and setting 11 Physical topography of the urban area 11 Historic environment designations 12 3 Historic development 13 Early origins 13 ‘The greatest market in the west’ 13 ‘The heart of Cornish mining’ 15 Early 19th century expansion 16 Decline of Cornish mining 18 Late 19th century - civic rebuilding and expansion 19 The 20th century 21 Into the 21st century 22 4 Archaeological potential 23 Indicators of archaeological potential 24 5 Present settlement character 25 Understanding character 25 Overall settlement character 25 The character areas 29 6 Heritage-led regeneration and positive management of the historic environment 44 Character-based principles for regeneration 44 Regeneration and the historic environment: key themes and issues 45 Regeneration opportunities in the different character areas 49 Technical Appendix: GIS metadata information, definitions, explanations and suggestions for use 60 Sources 67 i Figures (bound at back of report) 1. Location and topography 2. Ordnance Survey 1:2500, 2nd edition (1907) 3. Historical development 4. Historic settlement topography 5a) and b) Surviving historic components 6. Urban archaeological potential 7. Character areas 8. Character area summary sheets 1 – 6 Abbreviations CAU Cornwall Archaeological Unit CCC Cornwall County Council CISI Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative CPR Camborne Pool Redruth area Cornish Mining WHS Cornish Mining World Heritage Site Bid CSUS Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey DCMS Department for Culture, Media and Sport DTLR Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions EH English Heritage ESRI Environmental Systems Research Institute GIS Geographical Information Systems HES Historic Environment Service HERS Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme HLC Historic Landscape Characterisation HLF Heritage Lottery Fund LOTS Living Over The Shop scheme KDC Kerrier District Council South West RDA South West of England Regional Development Agency SMBR Sites, monuments and buildings record UFP Urban Framework Plan URC Urban Regeneration Company ii Cornwall and Scilly Urban Survey Redruth factor in the town’s economy from at least Summary the 13th century, with the exploitation of the nearby valleys for tin streaming. With the technical advances of the industrial Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey revolution mining became more intensive and more profitable. By the first half of the The Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey is a 18th century the town was surrounded by pioneering initiative aimed at harnessing the extensive mining works. This activity, the quality and distinctive character of the associated processing works located within historic environment to successful and the town, and other industrial uses sustainable regeneration. The Survey is concentrated along the river valley boosted investigating 19 historic towns and creating the economy of the town and led to its rapid for each an information base and character expansion. During the 18th and 19th centuries assessment which will contribute positively the town became the administrative and to regeneration planning. The project is financial hub of the mining industry. Its based within Cornwall County Council’s commercial side continued to evolve creating Historic Environment Service and funded by a bustling main street with extensive English Heritage, Objective 1 and the South department stores. Although much of the West RDA. rapid expansion had been mass housing for Redruth the local industrial workforce, Redruth had a significant managerial, professional and Redruth is an important market and trading class as demonstrated in industrial town in west Cornwall. Together developments such as the better quality with the neighbouring settlements of houses of the Clinton and Albany Roads Camborne and Pool it forms the largest area. urban conurbation in Cornwall. The visible regeneration of the town has begun with the Historic settlement character successful completion of several major Redruth’s history and geographical location heritage-led projects led by Kerrier District has created a town with a strong, locally Council, including the rescue and conversion distinctive character. Major elements of this of a number of significant derelict historic include the following. buildings. An Urban Regeneration Company (URC) has been formed to cover this • Dramatic hillside location with steep conurbation and is set to have a dramatic gradients in many streets, extensive views effect on the area. Currently there are a of the townscape and surrounding area. number of major regeneration proposals targeting important sites within and close to • Settlement form retains much from the Redruth’s historic core, including a number medieval town including the principal of prioritised sites identified by the URC, a cross roads, elements of the burgage proposed Heritage Economic Regeneration strips, and echoes of the surrounding Scheme and a public realm based Town medieval strip field system seen within Centre Improvement Programme. The town the linear form of the 18th and 19th will