The Towans

Typical dunes scenery near Upton Towans

Looking north from Phillack Towans towards Godrevy

Power lines near Upton Towans

Sketchmap showing The Towans in relation to St Ives Bay

Towan (from Cornish: Tewyn,^[1] meaning "sand dune") is found in many placenames in Cornwall, England (Porthtowan for example).^[2] However, The Towans usually refers to the three-mile (5 km) stretch of coastal dunes which extends north-east from the estuary of the River Hayle (at 50°11′33″N 5°25′52″W / 50.19256°N 5.43111°W / 50.19256; -5.43111) to Gwithian beach (at 50°13′48″N 5°23′29″W / 50.22991°N 5.39145°W / 50.22991; -5.39145) with a midpoint near Upton (at 50°12′38″N 5°24′28″W / 50.21053°N 5.40768°W / 50.21053; -5.40768Coordinates: 50°12′38″N 5°24′28″W / 50.21053°N 5.40768°W / 50.21053; -5.40768).^[3]

Although 'The Towans' refers to the whole stretch, individual areas of the dunes have their own identities. Those named by Ordnance Survey on its mapping are (from southwest to northeast) Hayle Towans, Riviere Towans, Mexico Towans, Common Towans, Phillack Towans, Upton Towans and Gwithian Towans.^[4]

The Towans are bounded to the south-east by Phillack village and the B3301 Hayle to Portreath road; to the north-west, the dunes face St Ives Bay across an intertidal beach. Substantial areas of The Towans rise more than 50 metres (160 ft) above sea level, the highest point being 72 metres (236 ft) at Phillack Towans.^[4] The southern half of The Towans is in Hayle civil parish and the northern half in Gwinear-Gwithian civil parish.^[5] The southern half was in Phillack parish until 1935 when Phillack was absorbed in to the parish of Hayle.^[6]

Gwithian to Mexico Towans SSSI

Much of the area falls within the Gwithian to Mexico Towans SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), noted for both its geological and biological interest.^[7][8] Two areas of the site are also Local Nature Reserves. Upton Towans is owned by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. It is a habitat of sand dune and grassland is suited to a variety of wildlife and plants including the pyramidal orchid, glow worm, silver-studded blue butterfly, and skylark.^[9][10][11] Species in Gwithian Towans Local Nature Reserve include skylarks and adders.^[12][13]

Archaeology

Gwithian Towans cover the site of a Bronze Age farm which has been excavated although no remains are visible.

History

Upton Town was previously known as Great Towan, which contained an arable farm known as Upton Barton, and included a large area of towan grazing. At an uncertain date, sometime after 1650 the farmhouse was buried overnight with sand, following the frontal collapse of a high sand dune; the occupants escaped through the upper windows. The remains have not been since the winter of 1808–09. The evidence for Upton Barton was lost with the bombing of the Ordnance Survey, in Southampton during World War II.^[14]

In 1879 the Reverend F Hockin, rector of Phillack, enclosed approximately 9 acres for tillage giving employment to a large number unemployed men. A large area of the Towans was already grazed.^[15]

National Explosives Works

Upton Towans is the site of the National Explosives Works which was established in 1888 to supply explosives to the local mines. The dunes were flattened and small enclosures made to house individual buildings for the manufacture of the explosives. The enclosures were built to avoid chain reactions when an explosion occurred and although overgrown with vegetation, are still clearly seen today as is the network of single–track railways. On one occasion an explosion occurred in a nitroglycerine plant which broke windows in St Ives and, it was said, was heard on Dartmoor. During the First World War 1800 people were employed and the works supplied cordite to the Royal Navy. The company went into voluntary liquidation in 1919 and closed in 1920 but the storage of explosives continued until the 1960s. The site is now part of the Upton Towans Nature Reserve.^[9][16]

Electricity transmission lines

In 1910, a coal-fired power station was built on the northern flank of Hayle Towans beside the mouth of the River Hayle. The station was in use from 1910 until it closed in 1973.^[17] The buildings were demolished soon after closure but the station's legacy can still be seen in the overhead transmission lines which cross the dunes, particularly at the southern section of The Towans (see photo).

Folklore

It is said that in a gale the turrets of a castle belonging to Theodoric can be seen. Once king of Cornwall he is notorious for beheading an Irish saint who came to Cornwall in the 5th-century.^[18]

References

Ceremonial county of Cornwall Cornwall Portal Unitary authorities Cornwall Council Isles of Scilly Major settlements Bodmin Bude Callington Camborne Camelford Falmouth Fowey Hayle Helston Launceston Liskeard Looe Lostwithiel Marazion Newlyn Newquay Padstow Penryn Penzance Porthleven Redruth Saltash St Austell St Blazey St Columb Major St Ives St Just in Penwith St Mawes Stratton Torpoint Truro Wadebridge See also: List of civil parishes in Cornwall Rivers Allen Camel Cober De Lank Fal Fowey Gannel Gover Hayle Helford Inny Kensey Looe Lynher Menalhyl Ottery Par Pont Pill Port Navas Red Seaton St Austell Tamar Tiddy Truro Valency Topics History Status debate Flag Culture Economy Places Demography Notable people The Duchy Diocese Politics Schools Hundreds/shires Places of interest full list... Penwith North Cornwall