Ertach Kernow - Beautiful Luxulyan Valley  and an interesting parish

Beneath the imposing Treffry Viaduct

A recent visit to the Luxulyan Valley and the village of Luxulyan is the topic of this article. The Valley is a favourite of mine and a lovely place to visit especially in the summer when you want to get away from the madness of the Cornish tourist season. Walking through the wooded valley beneath the historic Treffry Viaduct you are constantly reminded that this was during Cornwall’s industrial mining age a busy place. Remnants of rail tracks still lying along the woodland trails with leats for water running along the side.

The Cornwall Heritage Trust maintains the Treffry Viaduct, which has undergone some recent maintenance work preserving the legacy and a lasting memorial to J T Treffry who built it between 1839 and 1842. This was at the time the most ambitious industrial engineering project undertaken in Cornwall, providing water to the mines along purpose-built leat’s, including across the viaduct as well as carrying a tram track line. The viaduct is 670 feet long and 90 feet high and is a most impressive structure standing amongst the trees in the beautiful, wooded Luxulyan Valley.

The pathways through the valley reveal at times the remains of tram tracks and its hard now to imagine the industry which took place here over 150 years ago. The remains of other small buildings remain along with some of the remnants of industrialisation. One of these which has just undergone major maintenance work is the small crib hut which was much overgrown during a previous visit. Crib is a Cornish dialect word surviving from mining days and carried abroad by miners during the 19th century, which is still well-known and used in Australia and New Zealand. Crib means food taken at breaktime and this small hut would have been used for that purpose by workers during their breaks. I’ve mentioned scrub bashing in articles many times and it’s an important activity for a number of groups throughout Cornwall who carryout clearance work on archaeological sites. The roots of invasive plants burrow into archaeological sites breaking apart any building work over a period of time and this is what was taking place to this mid-19th century crib hut. In this small hut used by the tramway workers there are the remains of a window and fireplace. Removing the plants and repairing the remaining structure has been done, the walls have been topped with turf to help protect them. It’s only a small structure, but important to help maintain the history of the wider Luxulyan Valley site as a whole.

Carmears wheelpit which in 1841 contained a waterwheel
Treffry Valley the Crib Hut following maintenance

As always click the images for larger view

Luxulyan Church

On leaving the Luxulyan Valley and stopping off in the village of Luxulyan which lies close by one is drawn to visit the Grade I listed church dedicated to St Cyriacus and St Julitta. Built in the 15th century it has undergone internal changes over five centuries. The removal of the chancel rood screen took place in 1825 but like in many churches the entrance to the stairway can still be seen. The singing gallery was removed in 1863 and a harmonium introduced, which in turn was replaced by a highly considered organ in 1911. Roof timbers in the nave were removed in 1880 although those of the aisles remain. The church also has a stained-glass window in the chancel from 1903, which is a memorial to Silvanus Trevail, the earlier late medieval glass was reused in the west window of the tower.

The tower of the church has a crenelated top with a small, unusual turret said to have housed the historic Stannary records. The records were removed to Lostwithiel for safety, but sadly destroyed in the English Civil War. The peal of six bells in the tower began with two from the reign of Charles II with a further two added in the 1760’s. In 1902 these bells were recast with two larger bells added, funded by Silvanus Trevail who was born in the parish, in memory of his parents John and Jane Trevail.

The churchyard contains a Grade II listed medieval wheelhead cross which has been on its travels. Originally a wayside cross and said to have been located at Three Stiles on the Bodmin road, from there it was removed by the Reverend Richard Gerveys Grylls during his 40 years as vicar of Luxulyan to the vicarage garden. It was later removed and placed within a large boulder base of Luxulyanite by the west entrance and where it was recorded in 1896 by the historian Arthur Langdon.

Also in the churchyard is a fine cross which is worthy of closer inspection. The inscriptions on its base are in order Jane Trevail 1821-1902, John Trevail of Carne 1820-1902 and on the side Silvanus Trevail of Truro 1851-1903. Silvanus is of course well-known as being one of the foremost Cornish architects of the late 19th century. A former mayor of Truro and president of the of the United Kingdom Society of Architects Silvanus Trevail will be far better remembered for the construction of some of Cornwall’s most impressive hotels such as the Headland in Newquay. Many of his other buildings including libraries, schools and other hotels still remain throughout Cornwall. Silvanus had ordered the cross to be erected following the death of his parents with arrangements for his own inscription on the side. His father John was a yeoman farmer and much respected and well-known throughout Cornwall. His burial service was one of the largest ever recorded at Luxulyan Church. Sadly, the grave site is now somewhat overgrown and in need of some care and attention. It should perhaps be far better maintained for these two generations of Trevail’s who in their lifetimes contributed so much to Cornwall and from whose work so many still benefit today.

Wheelhead Cross in Luxulyan Churchyard
Silvanus Trevail memorial at Luxulyan shared with his parents
St Cyor's Holy Well at Luxulyan (by Phil Olsen)

As you enter the village there is a holy well housed in a 15th century well house. This was restored by the local Old Cornwall Society in 1945. Sadly, this well is now dry and the owner saying that this took place following nearby work by the Great Western Railway. That the well house is obviously cared for is very good news, showing that this small piece of Cornish heritage is valued.

Although there wasn’t time to visit more sites in the area there are other places worth a mention which have interesting connections. Although the village lies within the china clay district of Cornwall this is also an area of granite. China clay or Kaolin was after all created through the decomposition of granites felspar content. So besides the extraction of the Kaolin there has been a large amount of quarrying and it was from these local quarries that the stone for the Treffry Viaduct was taken. Luxulyan has also given its name to Luxullianite a rare type of porphyritic granite. This stone has a pinkish hue and is made up from a mixture of quartz, tourmaline, alkali feldspar, brown mica, and cassiterite. The Tregarden Quarry at Luxulyan a sizable pit on the outskirts of the village now largely flooded has been designated a site of special scientific interest, stone extraction ceasing at the turn of this century. Stone from this quarry has been used in many  buildings throughout the past centuries here in Cornwall and also in London. Perhaps one the most famous uses of Luxullianite, although not particularly well-known, was in the creation of the sarcophagus as part of the tomb for the Duke of Wellington. This lies along with that of Admiral Lord Nelson in the crypt beneath St Pauls Cathedral in London, an indication of how this stone was valued at that time for its attractive qualities and hardness. Men worked for two years carving and polishing a seventy-ton slab of Luxullianite using a specially erected steam engine and designed tools to complete the job on the site. The cost of this was £1,100 and was completed in 1858 nearly six years after the huge state funeral for the Duke in November 1852.

Part of the now flooded Luxulyan Quarry a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Tomb of Duke of Wellington with its rich tones of Luxulyanite
Prideaux House, Luxulyan

Besides the church there are two other buildings of note in the area Prideaux House, smaller and less imposing than Prideaux Place in Padstow, but still interesting. Originally part of the Prideaux estate from the time of the Norman Conquest and held by the family for many generations it was sold to Charles Rashleigh in 1806. Although the old manor house still stands, later when held by Charles Rashleigh’s nephew Sir John Colman Rashleigh he built the current grander house around 1810. There is also Methrose farmhouse which began existence in the 14th century on land originally owned by the de Metherose family. There are additions to the property from the 15th century onwards with many of these in the 16th and 17th centuries, with the house now divided into two separate residences. Interestingly John Wesley the famous Methodist preacher stayed at the house on five or six occasions on his visits to Cornwall.

There are also some ancient remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages including a multivallate earthen structure at Prideaux Castle. This was obviously an important site as it has three complete ramparts and a partial fourth. The site has deteriorated from the late 19th century and hopefully there will be interest from local groups to carry out scrub bashing to help preserve this piece of ancient Cornish heritage. Luxulyan is still a relatively underpopulated parish with a population of just under 1500 people, hopefully with sufficient interest to preserve its rich heritage of which this article just scratches the surface.

Entrance to Prideaux Castle (Hill Fort) near Luxulyan
Beautiful Luxulyan Valley and an interesting parish
Beautiful Luxulyan Valley and an interesting parish
Ertach Kernow Heritage Column - 16 October 2024 - St Mawgan History Group, Newquay Conservation Area, Truro College
Ertach Kernow shared in VOICE, Cornish Times, Cornish & Devon Post newspapers
Ertach Kernow shared in VOICE, Cornish Times, Cornish & Devon Post newspapers