|
The Port of Pentewan near St
Austell was developed by Sir Charles Hawkins for shipping china clay
and ores from the nearby clay works and mines. The port was opened in
1826.
The Port of Pentewan was linked
to St. Austell by the narrow gauge freight only Pentewan Railway which
opened in 1829.
At first the line was operated by
horses, steam locomotion was introduced in 1872. By 1885 the port was
the fourth largest in terms of china clay shipped.
Unfortunately Pentewan lost its
battle with silt which had always been a serious problem. Much of this
material was brought down by the nearby White River from the china
clay district upstream.
The railway closed at the end of
WWI though road transport continued to bring clay to the port until
1929 when the last china clay carrying ship sailed.
However, part of the railway in
the area of the harbour was rebuilt and reopened to serve a sand
extraction and block making works. Sand and block shipments ended in
1940. Though the railway continued to serve sand and block works until
it closed in the 1960s.
Though the last ship to call at
Pentewan sailed in 1940 after which the harbour entrance channel
steadily silted up, water remains in the dock itself. The attractive
village retains a typical small Cornish sea port feel.
Had the entrance channel not
silted and the port closed it is probable that it would have become a
haven for small craft. However, the harbour and narrow gauge railway
remains make it a "must visit" location for both the maritime and
railway enthusiast.
The photographs on this page were
taken on the afternoon of February 16, 2005. |
