Liskeard & Caradon Hill Tour Thursday 4th September
Looe valley Line
One of the day trips out is to Liskeard and Caradon Hill on Thursday 4th September, starting with a journey up the Looe Valley on the scenic Looe Valley Line railway accompanied by Blue Badge Guide Mark Camp. He will tell the story of the valley from the earlier canel transporting gravel and lime from the kilns at Sandplace to the later railway that not only brought tourists to Looe, but transported copper ore, iron ore, tin and granite from the mines on Caradon Hill to be exported to the world from the port of Looe.
Stuart House
Visitors will be greeted in Liskeard by the Worshipful Mayor of Liskeard, Councillor Anne Purdon, her councillors and the town crier Frank Beer and escorted to the historic Stuart House, a 16th century town house in the centre of town, which has been restored by Stuart House Trust as an arts and heritage centre. The house is used for exhibitions and sales of arts and crafts, for charity sales, meetings/seminars and other, heritage, community and cultural events. In August 1644, when the Civil War was raging, King Charles stayed in Stuart House before going back to Devon.
Town Museum
A short walk away is the town museum when visitors will have a chance to see artifacts and records from the ancient stannary town of Liskeard, first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086. There will also be time for a walk around the town guided by local history experts and of course to explore the shops of the market town for souvenirs. Over a Cornish buffet lunch in the Public Hall, courtesy of Liskeard Town Council, guests will have a chance to view exhibitions about local engineers Joseph Thomas and Thomas Land and listen to the musical talents of Jonathan Delbridge who will play on the towns impressive grand piano.
Dissenters Chapel St Cleer
From Liskeard visitors will be taken to St. Cleer on the edge of Bodmin Moor to visit the Dissenters Chapel. The Chapel was built in 1864 for the use of Dissenters who were denied burial by the established church after a lifetime of nonconformity. The Parish Projects Group sought to restore the building and record as much of the burial records as possible on a recently launched website database.
www.thedissentersgeneralchapel.co.ukSt Cleer
St Cleer is a rural area with a history of settlement going back to the Bronze Age some 5000 years ago. In the early 19th Century the population was approximately 3000, but declined rapidly with the collapse of the mining industry. The main village area and the surrounding hamlets are in an Area of Great Landscape Value with the moorland areas being designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The area is also part of the World Heritage Site for Mining.
Minions & The Hurlers
From St Cleer the tour continues to Minions in the heart of the Caradon Hill World Heritage Site. Mining records show that over 650,000 tons of copper ore was mined within the district in little less than three decades. With so little pressure for redevelopment or re-use, sites within the Caradon Hill mining district have by and large, escaped clearance and demolition. Visitors can also stroll to the ancient Bronze Age stone temple known a The Hurlers, a group of standing stones. According to another legend, it is difficult to count the number of the Hurlers at Minions, but should you do so correctly, a misfortune will befall you! Experts will be accompanying the group to help unlock the stories and history.
Full day tour Departs Looe 9.17am Returns 4.30pm
£20 including lunch and train tickets
Weekly ticket holders free of charge
ITENERARY
9.17am Looe – Liskeard Looe Valley Railway Line
Accompanied by Mark Camp, Blue badge guide Mining history, Canel, Caradon Hill, Joseph Thomas
9.45am - Greeted by the Worshipful Mayor, Anne Purdon, town councillors and Town Crier Frank Beer on Platform 3 at Liskeard Station
10.10am - Coach pick up to Stuart House
10.20am - Arrive Stuart House Split into 2 groups, coach park up in Westborne car park
Group A Tour of gardens Group B Tour of house Repeat
Short talk and light refreshments, tea, coffee and biscuits
11.20am - Short walk to Liskeard Museum
Group A Guided heritage tour of Liskeard, Well Lane, Guildhall with Iain Rowe
Opportunities to visit shops
Group B Guided tour of town museum
Rotate groups
1.10pm - Walk from Museum to Public Hall, Cornish civic lunch provided by Liskeard Town Council, meet Councillors, musical accompaniment on grand piano by Jonathan Delbridge, Joseph Thomas and Thomas Lang exhibition
2.10pm - Pick up coach at Westborne car park St Cleer Dissenters Chapel
2.20pm - Arrive at St Cleer, tour of Chapel, burial ground and records.
2.50pm - Coach to Minions
3.00pm - Arrive in Minions, park in Station car park, weather permitting walk to Minions Heritage Centre option to walk to Hurlers or Cheesewring pub, post office and tea rooms
4.00pm - Return coach to Looe via Upton Cross and Liskeard Arrive back in Looe 4.30pm
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