The Towans
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The Towans is a stretch of coastal dune land near the town of Hayle in Cornwall, UK. It comprises Mexico Towans, Upton Towans, and Gwithian Towans. Upton Towans was the site of an explosives factory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries giving it the alternate name Dynamite Towans. It is now a nature reserve.
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[edit] National Explosives Works
The National Explosives Works were established in 1888 to supply the needs of local mines for explosives. The company also manufactured explosives for the Royal Navy during World War I. Manufacturing of explosives ended in 1919, but the site was used to store explosives until the 1960s. The earthworks on the site became overgrown with vegetation and are still clearly visible.[1]
[edit] Nature reserve
Upton Towans forms part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Gwithian to Mexico Towans. The habitat of sand dune and grassland is suited to the pyramidal orchid, the glow worm, the silver-studded blue butterfly, and the skylark.[1]
[edit] Sources
- ^ a b Upton Towans Nature Reserve. The Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Retrieved on 2006-08-19.
[edit] External links
- Photographs taken at Gwithian Towans by Cornwall resident Ian Lewis - 2nd September 2007
- [http://www.andyhughes.net/ Andy Hughes has been unfolding and revealing the places known as ‘The Towans’. These are large sand-dune systems
extending across a number of coastal locations in Cornwall. Towan is a Cornish word for sand dunes, many are easily accessed by foot or by car. Gwithian Towans and Upton Towans, also known as Dynamite Towans, because it is the former site of the National Explosives Works.}
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