Luxulyan Museum and Heritage Centre
For such a small place (pop. 1200), Luxulyan has a powerful
claim on the visitor. It lies in the path of the old Saints' Way between
Padstow and Fowey. Its church register goes back to 1593, its granite
quarries supplied the stone for Wellington's memorial, and all around
it is evidence of the earliest impact of the Industrial Revolution - most
strikingly, Treffry's famous viaduct over the great valley nearby.
Small wonder that, 20 years ago, villagers formed a local research group
whose work gained national visibility and focus with the conversion of
part of the old BridgesMethodist Chapel into a museum and heritage centre.
Here, where a centuries old agrarian economy met I the
new industrial age head-on, there is a fascinating social record of change
- spiced with reminders that, 4,000 years before the mines and trains
came, the first Luxulyanites had lived by I hunting. A huge stone axe-head,
found in the village, goes back at least to 2,000 BC.
Other displays - as of granite quarrying tools, remind the visitor that
some traditional local industries have survived through social and industrial
upheaval.
This is Cornwall in microcosm: an archive of centuries fostered by local
enthusiasts, constantly augmented and brought alive in winter by a programme
of lectures, and in summer by tutored walks through some of the most beautiful
and historic non-coastal scenery in Cornwall.
FACT FILE
DIRECTIONS
Follow the A390 from St Austell as far as St Blazey. Take the road signposted
to Luxulyan on the left. The village is approximately four miles along
this road. The Museum is in Bridges Methodist Chapel, which is on the
left when entering the village.
OPENING TIMES
The Museum is open on Tuesdays and Saturdays between 2pm and 5pm throughout
the School Summer Holidays only. Visits can be arranged at other times
by contacting the number below.
FACILITIES
Toilets are available, and there is some parking adjacent to the Chapel.
When full, visitors should park in the road opposite the School.
LUXULYAN MUSEUM & HERITAGE CENTRE
c/o 13 Pembroke Close,
The Mount,
PAR,
Cornwall
Tel: 01726 813522