Camborne

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Camborne
Statistics
Population:	20,010 (Civil Parish, 2001)
Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference:	SW645400
Administration
Parish:	Camborne
District:	Kerrier
Shire county:	Cornwall
Region:	South West England
Constituent country:	England
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county:	Cornwall
Historic county:	Cornwall
Services
Police force:	Devon and Cornwall Constabulary
Fire and rescue:	{{{Fire}}}
Ambulance:	South Western
Post office and telephone
Post town:	CAMBORNE
Postal district:	TR14
Dialling code:	01209
Politics
UK Parliament:	Falmouth and Camborne
European Parliament:	South West England

Not to be confused with Cambourne in Cambridgeshire.

Camborne (Cornish: Kammbronn, 'Crooked Hill') was once one of the richest mining areas in the world and is located in the far west of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, forming the western end of the greater Camborne, Pool and Redruth conurbation. It is now an ex-industrial town with a population when included with Redruth, Pool and 'satellite' villages is 39,937, making it the largest urban build-up in Cornwall.

Contents 1 Mining 2 Mining related 3 Camborne School of Mines 4 World's first "car" journey 5 Roman site 6 Rugby 7 Regeneration 8 Politics 9 Literature 10 See also 11 External links

[edit] Mining

Camborne is best known as a centre for the former Cornish tin and copper mining industry, having its working heyday during the later 18th and early 19th centuries. Camborne was just a village until transformed by the mining boom which began in the late eighteenth century and saw the Camborne and Redruth district become the richest mining area in the world. Although a considerable number of ruinous stacks and engine houses remain, they cannot begin to convey the scenes of 150 years ago when scores of mines transfigured the landscape.

Dolcoath, (Cornish: Old Ground), the 'Queen of Cornish Mines' was, at a depth of 3500 feet (1067 m), for many years the deepest mine in the world, not to mention one of the oldest before its closure in 1921. Indeed, the last tin mine in Europe, South Crofty, was to be found in Camborne until its closure in 1998.

[edit] Mining related

Apart from the mines themselves, Camborne was also home to many important related industries, including the once world-renowned foundry of Holmans (CompAir). Holmans, a family business founded in 1801, was for generations, Camborne's, and indeed Cornwall's largest manufacturer of industrial equipment, even making the famous Sten submachine gun for a stint during the second world war. The Holman Projector was used by the Royal Navy. At its height Holmans was spread over three sites within Camborne, employing some three and half thousand men. Despite Britain's industrial decline, Compair Holmans Camborne factory finally closed in (i think it was) 2001.

A modest quantity of South Crofty tin was purchased by a local enterprise and this gradually dwindling stock is used to make specialist tin jewellery, branded as the South Crofty Collection.

[edit] Camborne School of Mines

Because of the importance of metal mining to the Cornish economy, the Camborne School of Mines (CSM) developed as the only specialist hard rock education establishment in the United Kingdom, until the Royal School of Mines was established in 1851. Its beginnings can be traced to 1829 when plans for the school were first laid out and leading to the current school in 1888. It now forms part of the University of Exeter, and relocated to the University's Tremough campus in 2004. CSM graduates are to be found working in the mining industry all over the world. It has a very fine collection of minerals in its museum of geology.

[edit] World's first "car" journey

On Christmas Eve 1801, a steam-powered road locomotive built by Camborne engineer Richard Trevithick made its way up Camborne Hill in Cornwall. It was the world's first self-propelled passenger carrying vehicle and so is considered to be the forerunner to the motor car.

Trevithick, a miner's son, was born in Illogan, Cornwall, in 1771 and was educated at Camborne School. Trevithick went to work with his father at Wheal Treasury mine and soon revealed an aptitude for engineering. After making improvements to the Bull Steam Engine, he was promoted to engineer of the Ding Dong mine at Penzance. While at the Ding Dong mine he developed a successful high-pressure engine that was soon in great demand in Cornwall and South Wales for raising the ore and refuse from mines.

This interest in high pressure steam boilers led to one of the worlds first locomotive engines. His 'Puffing Devil' road locomotive, was first tested in Camborne in 1801, and is still remembered in the popular Cornish folk song, 'Going up Camborne Hill'. (Camborne Hill is now known as Tehidy Road).

In February 1804, Trevithick produced the world's first steam engine to run successfully on rails. The Penydarren locomotive managed to haul ten tons of iron, seventy passengers and five wagons from the ironworks at Penydarren to the Merthyr-Cardiff Canal. During the nine mile journey the Penydarren locomotive reached speeds of nearly five miles an hour.

However, despite his many achievements and innovations, he died a poor man, much of his work forgotten by the world at large. His statue can be found standing outside Camborne public library, and his achievements (not to mention steam power, mining, and Cornish culture as a whole) are celebrated every last Saturday of April as the town's 'Trevithick Day'.

[edit] Roman site

In 1921 the ruins of a Roman Villa were found at Magor Farm, Illogan, near Camborne. The only Roman site of any size to be present in the whole of Cornwall.

[edit] Rugby

Camborne rugby club was established in 1878 and is one of the most famous clubs in Cornwall, having produced numerous Cornwall players over the years. In 1987 Camborne were the highest placed Cornish club in the newly formed National leagues when they entered at Courage National Division 4 South level, (equivalent to National Division 3 South today). Camborne is one of the grounds used by the Cornish rugby team and has hosted many notable international sides including the New Zealand 'All Blacks' in 1905, 1924 and 1953, Australia in 1908, 1947 and 1967, South Africa 1960, United States 1977 and numerous other touring sides such as the South African Barbarians and Canterbury (NZ).

[edit] Regeneration

Despite a poor reputation as a depressed region throughout much of Cornwall, Camborne, Pool and Redruth are at the centre of a £150 million redevelopment scheme which hopes to reverse decades of social-economic decline in this former industrial heartland of Cornwall. 'CPR Regeneration', one of the government's 19 'URCs' or Urban Regeneration Companies, oversee one of the largest urban renewal projects in the country, driving the regeneration of up to 1.5 square kilometres of land with the aim of creating more than 4,000 jobs and increasing wages in the area by 15%. So far they have not achieved this.

However CPR has come under pressure from local MPs due to its refusal to co-operate with the owners of South Crofty Tin Mine in Pool, Baseresult Holdings. They have refsued to allow the mine to re-start operations and threatened to make a compulsory purchase order of the area. The CPR have gone as far as illegally filling in areas of the mine with concrete without council permission although the council did not press charges against CPR. CPR have gven all major contracts to date to Midas Homes, and this is viewed as suspicious by many local people, especially considering the presence of the Midas Construction Chairman on the CPR Regeneration Board.

Local MPs have criticized the organisation for interefering in the private sector, and said there maybe ulterior motives. Andrew George, MP for West Cornwall, said, "The RDA’s antics are at odds with the claims made to me by the Minister in Parliament and in a letter that the RDA ‘will be informed by the outcome of public consultation. I am astounded that a public body can be acting in such a predatory manner. The RDA seems to want to jump in where it is not wanted and yet it doesn’t intervene where it is. There are places like the Union Hotel in Penzance where the owner and local applicants would be grateful if the RDA were able to step in and purchase but the RDA says that it must be market tested first. Yet when they are faced with a Mine where the owners want to do something constructive, the RDA seem keen to intervene. The public sector has a role in supporting the private sector when projects are not able to be self sustaining. Public money and resources should not be used to undermine the efforts of the private sector".

[edit] Politics

Since the United Kingdom general election, 2005, Camborne now has a Liberal Democrat MP, Julia Goldsworthy, who is in favour of more self-governance in Cornwall. Pro-Cornish party Mebyon Kernow, who favour a Cornish Assembly, has a large following in the area and recently became the largest political group on Camborne town council after a by-election. The party now has four councillors on Kerrier District Council and six councillors on the town council out of a total of 17 seats. Of the remaining 11 seats, the Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party both have five, and the Conservatives one.

[edit] Literature

Camborne has gained literary notoriety with the publication of Alan M Kent's 2005 novel Proper job, Charlie Curnow ! set in and around the Trelawney Estate.

[edit] See also

The town name inspired the name of Camborne, New Zealand, a seaside suburb of Porirua City developed by an investment company headed by a Arthur Cornish. Most of its street names are of Cornish origin.

• List of topics related to Cornwall

[edit] External links

• Photographs of Camborne from Views Of Cornwall
• CPR Regeneration - An introduction and outlining of CPR and its aims.
• South Crofty Mine - The official South Crofty mine owners website.
• Trevithick Day - Trevithick Day - Camborne
• Richard Trevithick
• World's First 'Car' Journey
• Trevithick Day Images
• The Mines of Camborne
• Famous Camborne Mines
• Camborne Town Council - Information on the town
• Camborne Rugby Club
• Camborne Hill
• Camborne Rugby Songs
• Camborne School of Mines
• Camborne MP - Julia Goldsworthy
• Cornwall College, Camborne
• Camborne Music Festival
• Camborne Town Band
• South Crofty Collection
• Troon Cricket Club
• Troon and Beacon Exiles
• Beacon Cricket Club
• Camborne Old Cornwall Society

Civil Parishes of Kerrier District
United Kingdom |  England | Cornwall
Breage | Budock | Camborne | Carharrack | Carn Brea | Constantine | Crowan | Cury | Germoe | Grade-Ruan | Gunwalloe | Gweek | Helston | Illogan | Landewednack | Lanner | Mabe | Manaccan | Mawgan-in-Meneage | Mawnan | Mullion | Porthleven | Portreath | Redruth | St Anthony-in-Meneage | St Day | St Gluvias | St Keverne | St Martin-in-Meneage | Sithney | Stithians | Wendron