Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative POLGOOTH
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Report No: 2004R094 Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative POLGOOTH (St Austell Area) 2004 CORNWALL INDUSTRIAL SETTLEMENTS INITIATIVE Conservation Area Partnership Name: Polgooth Study Area: St Austell Valley Council: Restormel Borough Council NGR: SW 99548 50464 (centre) Location: South-east Cornwall, 1 mile Existing No south-west of St Austell CA? Main period of Pre 1809; Main Tin, copper mining and elvan quarry industrial settlement 1809-41 industry: growth: Industrial history and significance Polgooth developed relatively early. Little survives from the early years of the mine in the 16th- 18th centuries when Polgooth was associated with some of the major county families and prominent engineers. This said, there is a good level of survival from the early nineteenth century in the form of workers cottages, the Inn, Count House and the intricate street patterns and leats developed in association with the mine. One of the most enduring legacies of the settlement’s industrial past, however, comes not from the mine but the quarry to the south of the settlement which provided the material for the majority of Polgooth’s buildings. Polgooth is a classic type of early industrial settlement, an uncoordinated scatter of smallholdings on the edge of common land divided between the two parishes of St Mewan and St Ewe (in fact three if the mine area outside the settlement within St Austell is included). Cottages were fitted in and amongst still-working or recently finished mines and processing sites, all set on the no-man’s land of waste, some distance from their respective churchtowns, in land shared by two or three large landowners, often in dispute over overall control of the area. Services, institutions and crafts that might have been expected to develop in the village were located elsewhere in less marginal (in the sense of being on the edge of territories of control) and disputed settlement centres. Other comments During the 1970s the village developed as a dormitory settlement (mainly for St Austell) and the scale of large, detached housing has resulted in a strong suburban character developing on the western approached of the village. However, despite a high degree of modernisation, alterations and infill the historic core of the settlement still survives. Recommendations Historic areas • Designate a Conservation Area • Prepare a full Conservation Area appraisal • Designation of Open Areas of Significance or similar designations together with management and enhancement proposals • Article 4 Direction to control alteration and partial demolition of walls in CA • Article 4 Direction to control PD on single dwelling houses and alteration and partial demolition of small buildings in CA Historic buildings • Revise Statutory List. 1 • Prepare list of locally significant buildings Policy and management • A full survey of archaeological potential • Proposals affecting areas of derelict land to be based on a thorough understanding of the unique historical and archaeological importance of the sites • Limit or restrict development in the outskirts • Recognise back-land areas and rear lanes as an important aspect of Polgooth’s character • Further develop interpretation of the village, and other promotional initiatives • Further study to promote Polgooth’s history. • Site-specific design guidance for the village • Full survey of existing trees and ornamental landscapes with appropriate protection measures • Restoration/enhancement schemes to enhance some of Polgooth’s important focal points 2 Conservation Area Partnership Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative POLGOOTH (St Austell Area) Bridget Gillard, Historic Environment Service and The Cahill Partnership 2004 Report No: 2004R094 3 Acknowledgements This report presents the results of an assessment carried out by Bridget Gillard (HES) advised by Nick Cahill of the Cahill Partnership following desktop research by Bryn Perry Tapper (HES). Assistance was also provided by Terry Clarke, Restormel Borough Council. The report text and map drafts were prepared by Bridget Gillard, advised by Nick Cahill and edited by Nick Cahill and Pete Herring (CISI Project Manager, HES). The report maps were produced by John Brinkhoff (CCC Planning Directorate Technical Services Section) from roughs prepared by Bridget Gillard. Front cover illustration: Polgooth from the air (HES – F13/P13) ©Cornwall County Council 2004 Historic Environment Service, Planning, Transportation and Estates, Cornwall County Council, Kennall Building, Old County Hall, Station Road, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3AY. All rights reserved. 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. 4 Contents Page 1 Introduction.........................................................................................................7 1.1 Background................................................................................................................................7 1.2 Project Aims ..............................................................................................................................7 1.3 Project methodology ................................................................................................................7 1.4 Date of Assessment..................................................................................................................7 2 Location and setting...........................................................................................8 2.1 Geographical location ..............................................................................................................8 2.2 Landscape setting......................................................................................................................8 3 History and physical development....................................................................8 3.1 Pre-1809 .....................................................................................................................................8 3.1.1 Economic activity.................................................................................................................8 3.1.2 Extent of settlement.............................................................................................................9 3.2 1809-1841.................................................................................................................................10 3.2.1 Economic activity...............................................................................................................10 3.2.2 Extent of settlement...........................................................................................................10 3.3 1841-1880.................................................................................................................................11 3.3.1 Economic activity...............................................................................................................11 3.3.2 Extent of settlement...........................................................................................................11 3.4 1880-1907.................................................................................................................................11 3.4.1 Economic activity...............................................................................................................11 3.4.2 Extent of settlement...........................................................................................................12 3.5 1907- 1947................................................................................................................................12 3.5.1 Economic activity...............................................................................................................12 3.5.2 Extent of settlement...........................................................................................................12 3.6 Post 1947..................................................................................................................................12 4 Current Character (Figs 3 & 4)..........................................................................13 4.1 General .....................................................................................................................................13 4.2 Streetscape................................................................................................................................13 4.3 Built environment ...................................................................................................................14 4.3.1 Public/ecclesiastical buildings ..........................................................................................14 4.3.2 Commercial buildings ........................................................................................................14 4.3.3 Housing................................................................................................................................14 4.3.4 Industrial remains...............................................................................................................15 4.3.5 Paving/street ephemera.....................................................................................................15 4.3.6 Materials and local details..................................................................................................15 4.4 Views, Vistas and Green