| Porthtowan | |
Porthtowan Cliffs seen from West Cliff by R. Spence |
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Porthtowan
Porthtowan shown within Cornwall |
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| OS grid reference | SW695475 |
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| Unitary authority | Cornwall |
| Ceremonial county | Cornwall |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | St Agnes |
| Postcode district | TR |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Cornwall |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Cornwall | |
Porthtowan is a small village in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom, and is a popular summer tourist destination which lies within the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape, a World Heritage Site. Porthtowan lies on Cornwall's north Atlantic coast about 2 km (1.2 mi) west of St Agnes, 4 km (2.5 mi) north of Redruth, 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Truro and 15 km (9.3 mi) south-west of Newquay. Newquay Cornwall Airport is nearby and private jets, charters and helicopters are served by Perranporth Airfield. Its name comes from the Cornish words 'porth' and 'tewynn' to mean Cove of Sand Dunes.
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Porthtowan's history is associated with mining and one of its most prominent buildings is a former engine house converted for residential use. It is also within walking distance by National Trust coastal walks to nearby Chapel Porth, Wheal Coates, Trevaunance Cove and St Agnes.
Porthtowan owes much of its present day character to its popularity as a local seaside resort in Victorian and Edwardian times when the local populace from Redruth and the surrounding areas went there, particularly on Bank Holidays. Overlooking Porthtowan are the remains of Wheal Towan, one of Cornwall's most prolific 18th century copper mines, which provided Ralph Allen Daniell of Trelissick with a fortune estimated at the time as a "guinea a minute" night and day.
Porthtowan has a Blue Flag beach consisting of wide soft white sands and dunes. However a Independent on Sunday report in 2009 suggested that more than half of the South-West's sewage related debris was found on the beach,[1] largely arising from nearby storm drains that could overflow with sewage after rainfall.
Porthtowan has more recently become well known as a surf resort and the surfclub building can be found directly on the Blue Flag beach. This is where the judges can be found for the annual SAS Rip Curl Cornish and Open Longboard Championship which is widely covered by the local radio station Atlantic FM. The beach is kept under the constant scrutiny of the St Agnes based charity Surfers Against Sewage.