CISI Beacon report - Historic Cornwall

Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative 

BEACON 

(Camborne/Redruth Area) 

March 2002

CORNWALL INDUSTRIAL SETTLEMENTS INITIATIVE 

Conservation Area Partnership 

Name: BEACON Study Area: Camborne/Redruth 

Council: Kerrier District Council NGR: SW 6539 

Location: Mid-west Cornwall, one 

mile south-east of 

Camborne 

Existing CA? No 

Main period of 

industrial settlement 

growth: 

1850-1910 Main 

industry: 

4 

Mining 

Industrial history and significance 

Beacon’s mining history is closely linked to that of Camborne, yet it has always retained its 

identity as a separate settlement. The core of the village which, at the beginning of the study 

period, was already linked to small scale mining activity, underwent its first main period of 

expansion in the mid-19th century and its second with the re-opening of Great Condurrow 

Mine in the early 20th century. Its significance lies in its location on the Great Flat Lode and 

its development pattern reflects the rhythm of mining expansion and decline in this area. 

Other comments 

The settlement’s individual identity from Camborne should be protected with measures to 

limit the extension of built development between the settlements. 

This settlement will either form part of the proposed Cornish Mining World Heritage Site 

Bid, or will be considered an important part of the context for the Bid. 

Recommendations 

Historic areas 

• Designate conservation area 

• Prepare a full conservation area appraisal 

Historic buildings 

• Review Statutory List. 

• Prepare list of locally significant buildings 

Policy and management 

• Article 4 Direction to control permitted development on single dwelling houses and 

alteration and partial demolition of small buildings and walls in conservation area 

• Limiting development on the settlement outskirts, particularly between Beacon and 

Camborne 

• Further study of adjoining areas outside the existing CISI programme, especially Tolcarne 

and Knave-Go-By

Conservation Area Partnership 

Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative 

BEACON 

(Camborne/Redruth Area) 

The Cahill Partnership 

and 

Cornwall Archaeological Unit 

March 2002 

7

Acknowledgements 

This report presents the results of an assessment carried out by The Cahill Partnership following desktop research 

by Cornwall Archaeological Unit (Bryn Perry Tapper). Assistance was also provided by Andrew Richards, Kerrier 

District Council. The report text was prepared by Mary Cahill, with additional material by Nick Cahill and edited by 

Jeanette Ratcliffe (CAU Senior Archaeologist and CISI Project Manager). The report maps were produced by John 

Brinkhoff (CCC Planning Directorate Technical Services Section) from roughs prepared by The Cahill Partnership. 

Front cover illustration 

Beacon – overhead view (1996 CCC Vertical AP 1:10,000 96 11 188) 

©Cornwall County Council 2002 

Cornwall Archaeological Unit, (Historic Environment Section), Planning, Transportation and Estates, Cornwall 

County Council, Kennall Building, Old County Hall, Station Road, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3AY. All rights reserved. 

No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any 

means without the prior permission of the publisher. 

8

Contents 

Page 

1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 11 

1.1 Background ..................................................................................................................................11 

1.2 Project Aims.................................................................................................................................11 

1.3 Project methodology...................................................................................................................11 

1.4 Date of Assessment.....................................................................................................................11 

2 Location and setting .................................................................................................. 12 

2.1 Geographical location.................................................................................................................12 

2.2 Landscape setting ........................................................................................................................12 

3 History and physical development (Fig 2).................................................................. 12 

3.1 1809 ...............................................................................................................................................12 

3.1.1 Mining and related developments....................................................................................12 

3.1.2 Extent of settlement...........................................................................................................12 

3.1.3 Settlement function and characteristics...........................................................................12 

3.2 1809-41..........................................................................................................................................13 

3.2.1 Mining ..................................................................................................................................13 



3.3 1841-1877 .....................................................................................................................................13 

3.3.1 Mining ..................................................................................................................................13 



3.4 1877-1906 .....................................................................................................................................14 

3.4.1 Mining ..................................................................................................................................14 



3.5 1906-46..........................................................................................................................................14 

3.5.1 Mining ..................................................................................................................................14 



3.6 Post 1946 ......................................................................................................................................15 

4 Surviving historical components (Fig 3)..................................................................... 15 

4.1 Pre-1809........................................................................................................................................15 

4.2 1809-41..........................................................................................................................................15 

4.3 1841-77..........................................................................................................................................15 

4.4 1877-1908 .....................................................................................................................................16 

4.5 1908-46..........................................................................................................................................16 

5 Character .................................................................................................................... 16 

5.1 Buildings (Fig 4)...........................................................................................................................16 

5.1.1 Beacon Square.....................................................................................................................16 

5.1.2 Pendarves Street .................................................................................................................17 

5.1.3 Tolcarne Road.....................................................................................................................18 

5.1.4 Cadogan Road.....................................................................................................................18 

5.1.5 Fore Street ...........................................................................................................................18 

5.1.6 Condurrow Road................................................................................................................18 

5.2 Materials and details ....................................................................................................................19 

5.3 Spaces views and panoramas .....................................................................................................19 

5.4 Landscape .....................................................................................................................................20 

6 Designations ..............................................................................................................20 

6.1 Scheduled monuments................................................................................................................20 

9

6.2 Listed Buildings (Fig 4)...............................................................................................................20 

6.3 Conservation Areas .....................................................................................................................20 

6.4 Other designations ......................................................................................................................20 

7 Current uses and forces for change............................................................................20 

8 Industrial significance................................................................................................20 

9 Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 21 

9.1 Historic areas................................................................................................................................21 

9.2 Historic buildings.........................................................................................................................21 

9.3 Policy and management..............................................................................................................21 

10 References ..................................................................................................................22 

10.1 Primary Sources ...........................................................................................................................22 

10.2 Publications ..................................................................................................................................22 

Appendix: Gazetteer of archaeological sites and historic structures 

List of figures 

1. Location map 

2. Historical development 

3. Surviving historical components 

4. Gazetteer sites, existing designations and recommendations 

5. The farmstead at the core of Beacon 

6. Fore Street - the approach to Beacon Square 

7. Pendarves Street - mid 19th century expansion 

8. Condurrow Road, looking to Woolf’s Shaft 

Abbreviations in main text 

AGHV Area of Great Historic Value 

AGSV Area of Great Scientific Value 

AONB Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty 

CA Conservation Area 

CAU Cornwall Archaeological Unit 

CCC Cornwall County Council 

CISI Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative 

GPDO General Permitted Development Order 

HES Historic Environment Section, Cornwall County Council 

HERS Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme (English Heritage) 

HLF Heritage Lottery Fund (ing) 

LB Listed Building 

OALS Open Areas of Local Significance to Settlement Character 

OS Ordnance Survey 

PD Permitted Development 

SPG Supplementary Planning Guidance 

THI Townscape Heritage Initiative (Heritage Lottery Fund) 

[1] Site number on Figure 4 and in the gazetteer (Appendix) 

10

1 Introduction 

1.1 Background 

Cornwall’s industrial settlements are the subject of a Conservation Area Partnership under the 

heading Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative (CISI). This partnership between English 

Heritage (with the Heritage Lottery Fund), Cornwall County Council, and the District Councils 

is intended to assess the character and significance of the County’s 112 industrial settlements. 

These include villages, ports and towns associated with Cornwall’s 19th century industrial 

revolution, based on metalliferous mining, slate and granite quarrying, and china clay extraction. 

The historic importance and distinctive character of such settlements has previously been 

undervalued, and their existing status does not adequately represent the industrial history of the 

county. CISI is aimed at redressing this imbalance. 

1.2 Project Aims 

The aim of CISI is to produce a settlement by settlement analysis in order to obtain an overview 

of the history, present character and importance of Cornwall’s industrial settlements. This will 

help determine where, for example, new Conservation Areas should be designated (and existing 

ones revised), and could provide the basis for Conservation Area Statements (to be drawn up 

subsequently by District Conservation Officers). 

A bid is being prepared for submission to UNESCO by February 2004 (for inscription in June 

2005). The bid areas will include the full range of 18th-20th century mining landscape 

components, including the settlements that were created or rapidly expanded as a result of 

mining and its associated industries. All mining settlements are of significance to the World 

Heritage Site Bid – those that fall within the final Bid areas will be covered by the WHS 

Management Plan, while those that fall outside these areas will form part of the context for the 

World Heritage Site and will need to be sensitively managed in the light of this. 

1.3 Project methodology 

The methodology involved historical research, followed by a site visit(s). For the historical 

research, a date range of 1750 to 1945 was chosen, as this represented the period of industrial 

growth and decline in Cornwall. Archaeological and historical sources housed at CCC (see 

Section 11.1) were consulted, together with Listed Building data supplied by the District 

Councils. Using this information, Ordnance Survey base maps were hand coloured to show: the 

different phases of historical development; surviving historic components from each 

development phase; archaeological sites, key historic buildings, and statutory designations. These 

maps (which formed the basis for Figures 2-4), together with copies of the primary sources 

consulted, were bound into a folder for each settlement, for use during site visits. 

The focus of the site visits was to assess settlement character and consider ways in which this 

could be protected and enhanced in the future. This was achieved using a checklist drawn from 

Conservation Area Practice: English Heritage’s guidance on the management of Conservation Areas (1995) and 

Conservation Area Management - A Practical Guide (published by the English Towns Forum, 1998). 

The maps compiled during the historical phase were enhanced during the site visits, particularly 

with information relating to the survival and significance of historic buildings, and a general 

photographic record (colour prints) was made of each settlement. Meetings on site were 

arranged with the District Conservation Officers in order to discuss current initiatives and 

recommendations for future management. 

1.4 Date of Assessment 

Beacon was assessed as part of CISI during September 2000 

11

2 Location and setting 

2.1 Geographical location 

Beacon is located in mid-west Cornwall on elevated ground half a mile to the south-east of 

Camborne and a mile north-west of Troon. It lies within Camborne Parish in Kerrier District; 

see Figure 1. 

2.2 Landscape setting 

The study area is located on the edge of high moor dominated by Carn Brea and Carn Marth 

with magnificent views across the rich agricultural land of the Pendarves Estate to the south and 

west. The moor is characterised by typical upland small fields and areas of impenetrable scrub. 

This is the land of the Great Flat Lode and consequently it is rich in mining remains with the 

chimneys of the Condurrow Mines forming a backdrop to the village. 

3 History and physical development (Fig 2) 

This section should be read in conjunction with the mapped historical development in Figure 2. 

3.1 1809 

3.1.1 Mining and related developments 

Tin streaming took place in the area on a relatively small scale from at least the Middle Ages and 

there is a record of mining activity in Tolcarne in 1580. In the late 17th century, though, this all 

changed with the advent of copper mining which, due to the depth of the ore, necessitated the 

sinking of deep shafts and adits, requiring investment in both water-driven and steam-driven 

machinery, while a far greater number of people was needed to raise and process the equivalent 

volume of copper than tin. Very soon, copper mining was undertaken at a much larger scale than 

tin extraction had ever been in this area. In 1727 the Bassets’ Heart’s Ease Mine, on the site of 

what was to become Carn Camborne, was recorded as already an old copper-producing mine. 

The group of small mines that eventually merged to become Carn Camborne remained the main 

producers throughout this period, recorded in the 1750s as amongst the larger copper mines in 

the area. Although there were a number of other small tin and copper mines locally, they 

employed few and produced relatively little, and details of their histories remain largely 

unrecorded. The ancient pattern of mixed agriculture and part-time streaming and mining 

probably remained the most important economic activity in the area at this period. 

However, on Christmas Eve 1801 the first road locomotive, designed by Richard Trevithick, was 

given its trial run up Camborne Hill towards Beacon heralding the transformations that were to 

take place in both Camborne and Beacon in the 19th century. 

3.1.2 Extent of settlement 

The 1809 OS Survey drawings illustrate Beacon’s origins as a farming hamlet concentrated on a 

townplace that was to become Beacon Square, with some small-scale settlement along what is 

now Pendarves Street. The surrounding area comprised many such small settlements (Tolcarne, 

Trewoon, Chynmouth, Knave-Go-By) which were a mix of agricultural smallholdings and 

cottages. With Heart’s Ease so close by, the limit of development in that direction had already 

been set. 

3.1.3 Settlement function and characteristics 

In this early period Beacon was nothing more than a hamlet on the edge of the Pendarves 

Estate, possibly with an inn on the main road. 

12

3.2 1809-41 

3.2.1 Mining 

The copper boom experienced by the whole Camborne area in the 1820s and 1830s stimulated 

the exploration of several old and newly subdivided setts in the Beacon area; most remained 

small, employing just a handful of people. However, the old mine on Carn Camborne remained 

productive, and two new mines at Condurrow (from 1815) and Wheal Harriet (employing 33 

people in 1838) were worked on a relatively larger scale. There was clearly much exploration and 

working of lodes in and around the settlement of Beacon; for instance the 1841 Tithe Map 

shows a dump-line extending over part of what is now the cricket ground and shafts along 

Pendarves Street. 


By the 1830s the cluster of buildings around Beacon Square had consolidated, changing in nature 

with, in addition to the farm sites, short rows of miners’ cottages. The 1841 OS survey shows a 

second farm about 100 metres to the east along what is now Pendarves Street, which is also on 

the line of a lode and may have been a miner’s smallholding. The presence of shafts and dumps 

in the village at this time explains Beacon’s piecemeal growth, constrained by the mines and their 

waste within as well as outside the village. 


Beacon was now establishing itself with a significant growth in the local working population and 

in 1839 a Wesleyan chapel was built on the site of the present day Sunday School, indicative of a 

growing and more stable population. 

3.3 1841-1877 

3.3.1 Mining 

Although sharing in the confusing series of booms and busts that characterised this period, there 

was generally a greater scale of activity in most of the local mines, as many of the old, small 

enterprises combined into more successful groupings. The opening up of the Great Flat Lode in 

the 1860s, enabling the transition from the failing copper lodes to deep and productive tin lodes, 

saw an increasing scale of investment and size of operation. Great Condurrow, only half a mile 

from Beacon’s centre, opened for copper in 1844, prospering in both the 1840s and 1850s 

before the collapse of 1863. Carn Camborne continued, with some interruptions, to produce 

copper with some tin production later in its life, but like all the mines it suffered in the early 

1870s and closed for six years in 1874. After a temporary closure in the 1860s Camborne Vean 

re-opened in the early 1870s. West Condurrow was opened in the 1850s and in 1870 employed 

100 people. Between 1853 and 1866 Wheal Harriet was worked for copper with some tin but the 

site was abandoned in the latter year (although the sett was still worked with Pendarves United 

Mine). Wheal Grenville, originally a copper mine, made its first sales of tin in 1863 and in 1870 is 

recorded as employing 150 men. In 1866 Pendarves United was formed from Tolcarne, Wheal 

Harriet, Tryphena and Condurrow. In 1867-8 this conglomerate was the third largest tin 

producer in Cornwall, employing 521 men in 1870. However, it was managed badly and only 

the Tryphena section was working by 1872. 


As the early boom years and expansion of the mines took hold the rows on either side of 

Pendarves Street and the south side of Fore Street were built and work started on the row in 

Tolcarne Road. There was also some small-scale development in Condurrow Road, most 

probably associated with Wheal Harriet. Settlement was still constrained to some extent by 

working mines (Carn Camborne Mine to the north) and recently abandoned workings (such as 

on the south side of Pendarves Street) 

13


It was during this period that Beacon underwent significant expansion, much of it showing clear 

signs of a planned layout with some road-straightening (Pendarves Road); the settlement 

remained exclusively a workers’ settlement, with only the inn and a few small shops, and trades 

were limited to such crafts as boot-making or tool-making supplying the local mining 

population. The increased size of Beacon generated the building of a new large chapel in Beacon 

Square and possibly the rebuilding/refronting of the Pendarves Arms. It remained distinct from 

Camborne, the two settlements separated by mine workings. 

3.4 1877-1906 

3.4.1 Mining 

Wheal Grenville slowed down in production but survived, turned to tin in 1880, and in 1897 was 

one of only 4 tin mines left in the area (with Tin Croft/Carn Brea, Dolcoath and Basset). Carn 

Camborne was re-opened in 1880, and worked for a few years, eventually to be absorbed with 

Camborne Vean and Wheal Harriet by Dolcoath (1897). South Condurrow continued 

successfully and was the third richest tin mine in Cornwall in 1882. However, by 1894 it was 

struggling due to technical problems and stopped production in 1895 with 100 jobs affected 

(part of the sett was re-established in 1896 as the Camborne School of Mines training mine, 

renamed King Edward Mine in 1901). Both the Dolcoath group and Condurrow were worked 

again around 1900, although not to the same scale as in the 1880s. 


During this period both sides of Fore Street were further developed up to Carn Camborne Mine. 

For the first time Condurrow Road was developed on both sides and there was also expansion 

along Pendarves Street and Tolcarne Road. These events can be connected to the success of 

both mines in the early 1880s. 


There was a shift from the small scale style of the rows in Pendarves Street and Tolcarne Road 

to the development of larger housing to accommodate the growing numbers of mining agents 

and captains from the local mines, and some of the professional classes from Camborne - the 

only private residents of note were the Bennets family of Bella Vista, the most successful of this 

class in the village. The centre of Beacon reflected this increased status with the impressive 

Sunday School building in 1895 and the school in 1890 in Tolcarne Road, while trade directories 

reveal an increasing range of shops in the village, including a post office. 

3.5 1906-46 

3.5.1 Mining 

The Beacon mines shared in the major reinvestment in tin mining in Cornwall around 1906; 

Condurrow United was one the larger new ventures of this period; there was much outlay with 

hopes of using cheap electricity and developing a large scale operation, although with little gain 

from the investment. In 1906 Neame’s (formerly Woolf’s) shaft was re-opened at Great 

Condurrow with hopes that earlier fortunes would be revived. However, due to problems with 

the crooked nature of the shaft itself, the venture did not last long and the mine closed again in 

1913. Wheal Grenville, the only other large conglomerate in the area (close to Troon) finally 

closed in 1921. Mining in Beacon was effectively at an end. There had never been any other 

industry or major employer in the settlement. 


The re-opening of the Great Condurrow Mine in 1906 is almost certainly related to the rows 

being developed along the Great Condurrow Road and the terrace to the south-west along 

14

Cadogan Road. This reflected in miniature the problems that nearly all the expanding mines in 

the early 20 th century experienced in finding skilled workers in Cornwall, and nearly all built new 

terraces of housing to attract potential employees. 


The Cadogan Road terrace is particularly interesting as an example of early twentieth century 

workers’ housing related to mining. At this time the cricket pitch was established and this 

suggests a strong sense of identity and community participation in local events. 

3.6 Post 1946 

Beacon is now regarded administratively as part of Camborne, and since the closure of the local 

mines (before World War Two) has had little independent economic activity. However, despite 

the development of housing on the Carn Camborne mine site, it retained a clearly separate 

physical setting and character, with its own shops, public house, chapel, school, sports facilities 

and burial ground (shared with Troon). With the continuing use of the Camborne School of 

Mines training centre at the King Edward Mine, a working mining presence, at least of surface 

works, was maintained in the post war period. 

4 Surviving historical components (Fig 3) 

4.1 Pre-1809 

At its heart Beacon retains at least part of its pre-industrial core with the small farmhouse on the 

north side of Beacon Square. Some of the original field boundary walls are evident throughout 

the village. 

Beacon Square retains its original function as a crossing point to and from the high moor and 

the valleys of the Pendarves Estate and Camborne below. 

4.2 1809-41 

This period is marked by the survival of disused shafts on the south side of Pendarves Street and 

the unsurfaced lane and farm complex opposite; these are all connected to other disused shafts 

outside the study area along the underlying lodes, and the shaft currently in use by the Camborne 

School of Mines. Links to early mining are also evident in the survival of part of the waste dump 

to the north of the cricket pitch together with the cottages in front. Few buildings from this 

period survive, since the improvements of the mid 19th century appear to have swept most away. 

A pair of cottages adjacent to the post office is probably from this time, as is a pair of cottages 

adjacent to the disused shaft on the south side of Pendarves Street. 

4.3 1841-77 

The evidence of Beacon’s expansion from the mid-late 19th century has survived largely intact 

with the one major exception of the Methodist Chapel in Beacon Square of which no trace 

remains other than its yard walls. In Beacon Square the surviving historical components 

comprise the row of cottages, Beacon Inn and associated buildings. Across the square the 

Sunday School and the adjacent shop and cottages also survive. In Pendarves Street the main 

feature from this period is the long row on the north side with back lane and remnants of 

outbuildings. On the south side the extension of the original row with four cottages and then a 

further three adjacent to the disused mine shaft all survive. Further to the east in Newton Road 

five cottages survive from what appears to be a smallholding. West along Fore Street the south 

side of the road has a group of four and one outlying cottages that survive from this period. 

15

4.4 1877-1908 

Along Fore Street the mix of cottages and villas on the south side facing the site of Carn 

Camborne Mine remains largely unaltered, as does the row of some eight houses with plots on 

the north side and the large villa (Bella Vista) on the site of the original Heart’s Ease Mine. 

Nothing survives of Carn Camborne mine itself other than its boundary wall which has been 

pierced to allow for later bungalow development. The Carn Camborne chimney, for so long a 

landmark in the area with its distinctive square castellated design, was dynamited in 1972. 

The other rows developed in Beacon at this time also survive more-or-less unaltered, including 

those on both sides of Condurrow Road, Pendarves Street and the two pairs of cottages in 

Newton Road. The site of the old shaft on the south side of Pendarves Street, marked as disused 

on the 1877 map, was being developed for housing at the time of writing. 

4.5 1908-46 

Late 19th century rows stand adjacent to the early 19th century farmhouse in Fore Street, and a 

pair of dwellings tacked on to the central core on the south side of Pendarves Street. In Cadogan 

Road the terrace of fourteen houses complete with plots and back lane survives intact. The 

cricket pitch also dates from this period and overlies part of a waste dump. On the north side of 

Fore Street an early bungalow in the far west of the Carn Camborne site is shown on the 1946 

aerial photograph, while, on the south side of Condurrow Road is a range of semi-detached and 

detached early 20th century dwellings. 

5 Character 

Beacon’s character is that of an essentially 19th century industrial village, with some intrusion by 

modern development, set against the backdrop of the high moors and their engine houses and 

the wide ranging views across the countryside to the sea. 

5.1 Buildings (Fig 4) 

5.1.1 Beacon Square 

Beacon Square has remained the heart of the village, dominated by the 1895 Wesleyan Sunday 

School [47]. This impressive building has acted as a focal point since the demolition of the 

Chapel [60] opposite. The Sunday School is an eye-catcher when approached from Fore Street 

with its lofty Gothic windows picked out in render against the solidity of the granite walls. Its 

chimneys, now lost, could only have added to its impressive feeling of height, but the expanse of 

slate roof remains and is a reminder of its dominating presence wherever it is glimpsed around 

the village. 

Across the road the original farmhouse [12], now two cottages and attached outbuilding [13] 

forms a contrast to the Sunday School. This is an important group in the townscape in that it 

illustrates the change in scale from the ‘pre-industrial’ smallholding to the raised aspirations of 

Victorian industrial housing and public buildings. The granite boundary wall creates a strong 

sense of enclosure both to the square and to the cottages themselves and, together with the set 

back of the buildings themselves, establishes a feeling of seclusion that is an interesting and 

attractive contrast to the site’s location at the heart of the village. The dwellings are two storey 

with slate roof and stacks at either end, and the outbuilding is single storey with roof space with 

sheet roofing; its gable end window, while in a state of some decay is nonetheless an important 

part of its character in terms of scale and materials. 

The third corner of the square comprises Beacon Inn [19] and associated buildings that have 

now been converted into shops with accommodation above. The public house has lost some of 

its historic character since it has been renamed from The Pendarves Arms, which had been a 

16

eminder of the village’s historical economic and physical links with the Pendarves Estate. It has 

also suffered in a more physical way, most notably by the single storey porch which contrives 

not only to be out of character with the simple elegance of the east front but also manages to 

crash into the existing door frame, with the result that the original lofty pediment now only 

peeps out over a flat roof. Nevertheless, the inn remains an important feature of the street scene 

with its shallow hipped slate roof and four paned sliding sash windows, especially when viewed 

from the Pendarves Street side. 

Enclosing the square is the small row of cottages [20], a mix of single and two window wide 

cottages with shallow slate roofs and original short chimney stack. Set back from the street 

frontage and enclosed behind low granite walls and front gardens, these form an important part 

of their setting. They date from the 1840s when the road may have been changed, sweeping 

away earlier buildings. 

5.1.2 Pendarves Street 

Pendarves Street has an impressive row of cottages on its north side [46] that dates from the 

1850s and is typical of the homogenous yet piecemeal development of such rows at this time in 

Cornwall. Some of the row used to have shop-fronts but these have been removed some time 

ago and all are now two storey dwelling houses of mixed widths. The arc of the back lane is 

peppered with outbuildings which, while many have been rebuilt, nevertheless contribute to the 

small scale and intimate nature of the rear of the cottages that are glimpsed down long narrow 

gardens. Despite some two storey extensions inappropriate to the historical scale and detailing of 

the group, it still retains considerable historical and visual value and the roofs are particularly 

important for the rhythm they create to both front and rear. 

Southeast of this, the later 19th century row [41] is also visible from the rear and the view from 

Bekelege Drive reveals the survival of original sash windows often hard up against the eaves line 

and smaller rear gardens. Stepping up the hill and set behind granite walls and front gardens 

which are without exception intact, this is a good group which has suffered only from 

unsympathetic window replacement and the sporadic sprouting of single storey lean-to front 

additions and satellite dishes. Again, the mix of outbuildings of varying quality adds texture to 

the streetscape here. 

The south side of Pendarves Street, when approached from the south from Troon at first sight 

has the same homogeneity. However, on closer inspection the mix of houses here lacks the 

coherence presented by the two rows on the opposite side of the road. Coming down the hill, 

the first row [36] is late 19th century as might be expected from its location. It is very much a 

mixed bag of roof heights and angles and with one rendered house on the end. It is this rather 

jumbled look that gives this first five buildings their character as a group, together with the 

binding factors of materials(slate and granite), the set back behind the wide grassy verge that 

borders Pendarves Street at this point, and their rough granite walls and front gardens. 

Further down the hill the earlier houses and their plots [33, 34, 35] are constrained by the 

presence of the disused shaft [32]. At the time of writing this historical feature, so closely linked 

to the development of Beacon as an historical settlement, was being built over. A sense of 

enclosure onto the street will hopefully be maintained. 

Towards the centre of the village the south side of Pendarves Street has undergone 

redevelopment from the early 19th century with the result that again it is an attractively mixed 

row of sizes and proportions [29, 30, 31] leading down to the post office [28], a late 19th century 

building modernised in a way that has little regard for its historic character, and that serves only 

adequately as punctuation to the corner of Pendarves Street and Tolcarne Road. 

17

5.1.3 Tolcarne Road 

The row on the east side of Tolcarne Road [27], other than replacement windows and the odd 

encroachment of cars into front gardens, has changed little from late 19th century photographs, 

which show it as a backdrop to the Board School [25]. The front walls play an important role to 

the character of the street and form a contrast to the Cornish hedge opposite that forms the 

boundary to the children’s play area and the cricket pitch [24]. The houses themselves are part 

of the mid 19th century expansion years and are a mix of single and double fronted houses faced 

in granite and with slate roofs. 

The school, now home to the Beacon Playgroup, marks the end of expansion south towards 

Tolcarne. Built in 1890 it is a modest and well-defined building bounded by its original granite 

boundary walls, although with gates of a modern design. It forms a fitting end stop to the 

industrial settlement. 

5.1.4 Cadogan Road 

The terrace that dominates Cadogan Road is a good example of the new type of development 

associated with the early 20th century re-opening of Cornish mines and forms an interesting 

contrast to the mixed character of the rows elsewhere in Beacon. Set on elevated ground it also 

reflects expectations of a new affluence at that time, which unfortunately was to be short-lived. 

5.1.5 Fore Street 

The character of Fore Street can be split into three parts but these are linked by the topography 

of the street that forms an entrance to the village. Near to Beacon Square the late 19th century 

and early 20th century rows on the north side of the street [10, 11] reflect those in Pendarves 

Street, being set back from the pavement edge behind and between the neat granite walls that 

give enclosure to the street and create a rhythm that reflects the scale of the houses themselves. 

The south side, in contrast, consists of a mix of buildings from the early to mid 19th century [14 

- 19], all of which are positioned hard up against the back of pavement with smaller rear gardens 

and, as such, give rise to a much more constricted townscape than elsewhere in Beacon. 

However, north-west towards Camborne the character changes yet again with the late 19th 

century development of larger houses on raised gardens on the south side of the road facing 

what was, at the time of their construction, a disused Carn Camborne Mine. The further away 

from Beacon centre, the larger the front garden and the corresponding size of dwelling with the 

result that the last building of this group [5] is a grand semi-detached pair with double height 

canted bay windows and gently sloping front lawns. Of particular interest is a pair half way down 

Fore Street [7] which is gable end onto the road, and as such at odds with other buildings in the 

street. These are directly opposite the former entrance to Carn Camborne Mine and it may be 

that their form is indicative of being intended as eye catchers in this location. 

5.1.6 Condurrow Road 

Condurrow Road’s character can be related almost entirely to the re-opening of Woolf’s shaft at 

the end of the road itself, since all the houses date from the end of the 19th century and later. 

On both sides of the street there are tightly packed rows [58, 59] of miners’ houses with short 

front gardens set behind granite walls and with long gardens to the rear. The gardens on the 

north side are, however, constricted by the former Wheal Harriet Mine. Of particular note is no. 

12 Condurrow Road, the only row house in the street to have retained its original four-pane 

timber sashes and timber panelled door. 

Further up the road the early 20th century bungalows [52] are of interest in their own right and, 

together with the houses play an important role in enclosing the street when viewed from the 

Beacon Square end and form a foreground to the imposing South Condurrow engine house on 

the horizon beyond. 

18

5.2 Materials and details 

Granite is the almost universal building material in Beacon, sometimes mixed with local country 

stone and some mineralised blocks produced from the local mines. Almost always roughly 

coursed, better dressed stone is used for the principal buildings (the Inn and the chapel, which 

uses stucco detail set against the granite walling to great effect). Machine cut, rock-faced granite 

is typical of the houses and terraces of about 1900 (Fore Street and Cadogan Road). 

Well-preserved low granite rubble walls to front yards and walls are a particular feature of 

Beacon. Render and painting has been applied to some 19th century buildings, but for the most 

part is confined to rear elevations (where it has been used to help blend in modern block-built 

and rendered extensions). It was used on some early 20th century buildings, for instance in 

Condurrow Road, but it has been used sensitively there to provide architectural enrichment and 

decoration. 

Roofing was traditionally slate, and remains the predominant roofing material, although much 

has been cement-slurried, and there is some replacement. The roofscape remains a surprisingly 

important and relatively unchanged element in the appearance of the village. 

This traditional pattern is in great contrast to the white rendered bungalows with artificial 

pantiled roofs which have been built in the back lanes of Beacon, and which bear no relationship 

to the historic use of materials (or scale and detailing of buildings) in the village. 

5.3 Spaces views and panoramas 

It is the interesting mix of intimate and open spaces in Beacon that creates interest in the 

townscape. Approaching the village from Troon the road is wide and bounded by grass verges 

that add important green wedges to the setting of the buildings. Pendarves Street then narrows 

into a classic funnel shape possibly indicative of a droving route down from the moors. 

At the end of this approach, Beacon Square opens out into what has always been a significant 

space reflecting its importance as a crossroads between moor and valley. While boundary walls 

create a strong sense of enclosure there is an attractively open and loose feel to the space of 

Beacon Square itself that reflects the semi-informal village environment and distinguishes 

Beacon from its larger neighbour Camborne. 

From the leafy climb up Camborne Hill the entrance to Beacon is defined by the long run down 

towards the Wesleyan Sunday School, which becomes tighter nearer to the centre of Beacon. 

The sense of growing enclosure is not as pronounced as from the Troon direction but 

nevertheless informs a sense of arrival. 

The physical relationship between the late 19th century row in Tolcarne Road and the early 20th 

century terrace in Cadogan Road is an important one although they are some distance apart; this 

is because of the nature and quality of the space between them, which includes the cricket pitch, 

that plays an essential role in providing the setting and relationship of both streets, as well as 

providing the foreground to the village itself. 

Examples of closer spaces are provided in the numerous back lanes around the village. For 

example, the arc of the back lane behind Pendarves Street is of particular value for its feeling of 

small-scale intimacy. 

There are views both in and out of Beacon from long distances, particularly to the west, where 

St Ives and Carbis Bay can clearly be seen as well as the granite moors of West Penwith. Because 

the views are so extensive there is constantly a sense of how Beacon fits into a surrounding 

landscape that is both natural and industrial. 

19

5.4 Landscape 

Beacon’s separate identity has to date been retained by virtue of being on the top and the other 

side of Camborne Hill which has formed a natural barrier to the spread of Camborne from 

below. As its name suggests Beacon sits in a prominent position on the edge of the moor 

leading to the magnificent views outlined above. The landscape setting is, though, 

predominantly industrial and the presence of mines such as Carn Camborne and Wheal Harriet 

have had the effect of both constricting as well as generating development. 

6 Designations 

6.1 Scheduled monuments 

There are no scheduled monuments in Beacon. 

6.2 Listed Buildings (Fig 4) 

There are no listed buildings in Beacon 

6.3 Conservation Areas 

There are no conservation areas. 

6.4 Other designations 

Policies have been taken from various sources, particularly the Cornwall Structure Plan (SP) and the relevant 

District Local Plan (LP); only those policies or allocations directly relevant to the preservation and enhancement of 

the historic environment or character of the settlement have been selected. 

• Open Area of Local Significance (OALS) proposed to the south and east. 

• Strategic housing site (R652) proposed to the east of Carn Camborne (part of the site of 

Wheal Harriet). 

• Derelict land (D253 & D254) proposed designation to the east on Condurrow Road. 

• A large part of the village is within a designated area of Great Historic Value (SP) 

7 Current uses and forces for change 

Beacon has retained a level of vitality by becoming a dormitory settlement to Camborne. It is 

almost entirely residential in use, with only the post office, Beacon Inn and a couple of general 

shops to serve local needs. With the closure of the mines and no other industry in the village or 

its immediate area, the residential function has both saved and threatened Beacon’s integral 

character as the demand for suburban type development has impacted on the setting of its 

townscape as an industrial village. 

The proposal for strategic housing on adjacent sites can only exacerbate this situation. If the 

character and appearance of the historic settlement and its setting are to be preserved and 

enhanced, such developments should be related to the identified historic character with regard to 

materials, type of housing, layout, boundary treatment and landscaping. 

8 Industrial significance 

Beacon’s industrial significance lies in its location on the Great Flat Lode; its townscape reflects 

the tides of fortune of the mining industry, having developed from a townplace with a 

farming/small scale mining mix to become a modest mid-19th century mining village and then 

to expand again with the expectations raised with the re-opening of Neame’s shaft and other 

mines in the area. 

20

9 Recommendations 

9.1 Historic areas 

The designation of a conservation area is recommended that encompasses the area of 

architectural and historic significance as summarised in Section 5 above and shown on Figure 4. 

9.2 Historic buildings 

Nos. 49 & 51 Fore Street together with the attached outbuilding [12 &13] and curtilage are of 

historic interest as the core of the original village and should be considered for listing. Beacon 

Inn (former Pendarves Arms)[19] is also of note and should be considered. 

A list of locally significant structures which contribute substantially to the character of the 

settlement should include all the items referred to in the gazetteer. 

9.3 Policy and management 

1. Article 4 Directions to control the demolition of walls for the creation of hard standings 

and alterations to individual houses. 

Reason: To protect the character of Beacon against inappropriate incremental alterations 

and demolition. 

2. Limiting development on outskirts, particularly between Beacon and Camborne. 

Reason: To retain both the discrete identity of Beacon and the historic interest of its 

mining remains. 

3. Further study of adjoining areas outside the existing CISI programme, especially 

Tolcarne and Knave-Go-By. 

Reason: To ensure a full and accurate record of, and understanding of, the industrial 

settlements in this area and Cornwall as a whole. 

10 References 

10.1 Primary Sources 

1809 OS drawings 

1841 Tithe Map 

1877 OS 25 inch map 

1908 OS 25 inch map 

1946 RAF air photographs 

Cornwall Sites and Monuments Record (computerised database of archaeological sites 

maintained by HES) 

10.2 Publications 

Cornwall Structure Plan, Cornwall County Council, 1997 

Kerrier Local Plan Deposit Draft, Kerrier District Council, 1999 

Barton, D.B, 1978 edn, A history of Copper Mining in Cornwall and Devon, D. Bradford Barton 

Barton, D.B, 1989 edn, Tin Mining and Smelting in Cornwall, D. Bradford Barton 

Hamilton-Jenkin, A K, 1964. Mines and Miners of Cornwall Vol. 10. Truro Bookshop 

21

Appendix: Gazetteer of archaeological sites and key historic buildings 

Codes: PRN : Primary Record Number in Cornwall Sites & Monuments Record. NGR : National Grid Reference. LB : Listed Building. SM : 

Scheduled Monument. Date: PA = palaeolithic, ME = mesolithic, NE = neolithic, BA = bronze age, IA = iron age, RB = romano-british, EM = 

early medieval, MD = medieval, PM = post-medieval, PX = prehistoric undated, HX = historic undated, UX = unknown, C = century, c = 

approximately. 

Ref Street no. Name Street Site type Period Status SM or LB No PRN 

1 11 Fore Street House (bungalow) 1908-46 

2 Carn Camborne Mine 

(boundary wall) 

Fore Street Wall 1908-46 

3 21 Bella Vista Fore Street House 1877-1908 

4 6, 20-24, 

30-50 

(even) 

Fore Street House 1877-1908 

5 2 & 4 Fore Street House 1877-1908 

6 8-18 Goon Terrace Fore Street Terrace 1877-1908 

7 26 & 28 Fore Street House 1877-1908 

8 52 Fore Street House 1841-77 

9 25-51 

(odd) 

10 25-39 

(odd) 

11 41-47 

(odd) 

Cadogan Road Terrace 1908-46 

Fore Street Terrace 1877-1908 


12 49 & 51 Fore Street House (now cottages) Pre-1809 

23


13 Outbuilding attached to no. 

51 

Fore Street Outbuilding Pre-1809 

14 54 & 54a Fore Street House (incl. former shop) 1877-1908 

15 56-60 

(even) 


16 62 Fore Street House 

17 64 & 66 Fore Street Half-house 1841-77 

18 70&72 Fore Street House & shop 1841-77 

19 76-80 Including Beacon Inn 

(formerly Pendarves Arms) 

20 82-92 

(even) 

21 Carn Camborne Mine (site 

of) 

Fore Street Public House & shop 1841-77 

Fore Street Row 1841-77 

Carn Camborne Mine (site of) 1814-70’s 

22 R/o nos. 70 & 72 Fore Street Dump 1809-41 

23 Heartsease Mine (site of) Carn Camborne Mine (site of) Pre-1809 

24 Tolcarne Road Cricket Pitch 1908-46 

25 Tolcarne Road Hall (Old School) 1877-1908 

26 11 & 13 Tolcarne Road House 1877-1908 

27 1 – 9 Tolcarne Road Row 1841-77 

28 2 & 4 Pendarves Street House & Post Office 1877-1908 

29 6 & 8 Pendarves Street Row 1809-41 

24


30 10 – 16 

(even) 

Pendarves Street Row 1841-77 

31 18 &18a Pendarves Street House 1908-46 

32 R/o no. 28 Pendarves Street Mine shafts (disused) 1809-41 

33 28 & 30 Pendarves Street House 1809-41 

34 32 Pendarves Street House 1841-77 

35 34 – 38 

(even) 

36 40 – 52 

(even) 

37 Boundary stone in front of 

no.62 

38 2-12 

(even) 



Pendarves Street Boundary stone inscribed 

NT and ST 

25 

mid-C19 

Newton Road House 1841-77 

39 14-20 Newton Road House 1877-1908 

40 Outbuilding (ruin) r/o no. 53 Pendarves Street Outbuilding (ruin) 1908-46 

41 39-53 

(odd) 


42 Lane to no. 37 Pendarves Street Lane 1809-41 

43 37 Pendarves Street House 1809-41 

44 Carnmouth Cottage Pendarves Street Farm building (now house) 1841-77 

45 Camborne School of Mines Mine buildings 1908-46


46 1-35 

(odd) 


47 Beacon Methodist Church Beacon Square Sunday school (now 

Methodist Church) 

48 2-4 

(even) 

26 

1895 

Condurrow Road Shop & houses 1841-77 

49 Gutter in front of chapel Beacon Square Paving 1877-1908 

50 Junction plate r/o chapel Beacon Square Junction plate 1877-1908 

51 Junction plate adj. to no. 25 Fore Street Junction plate 1877-1908 

52 6 & 8 Condurrow Road House 1841-77 

53 10-34 

(even) 

54 36-42 

(even) 

55 48-58 

(even) 

56 29-35 

(odd) 

Condurrow Road Row 1877-1908 

Condurrow Road House 1908-46 

Condurrow Road House (bungalows) 1908-46 


57 Wheal Harriet Mine (site of) Condurrow Road Mine (site of) 1809-41 

58 1-11 

(odd) 

59 13-27 

(odd) 


Condurrow Road Row 1877- c.1910


60 Beacon Chapel Beacon Square Wall to former chapel yard 1841-77 

61 K6 Telephone Kiosk Beacon Square K6 Telephone Kiosk 1908-46 

62 Front garden wall to nos. 49 

& 51 

Fore Street Wall mid C19 

63 Stile Beacon Square Stile mid C19 

64 Stone Beacon Square Stone mid C19 

27

Figure 5 The original farmstead facing Beacon Square around which Beacon developed – 

49/51 Fore Street [12] and attached outbuildings [13]. 

Figure 6 Fore Street – late 19 th century workers’ housing [10][11], with early 19 th century 

houses and shops on the right [[17][18]; looking into the chapel/Sunday school 

in Beacon Square [47].

Figure 7 Pendarves Street. Early-mid 19 th century housing [33-36] spreading along the hill 

towards Troon – separated from the older core by disused shafts (end right [32]). Beacon is high 

up on former moorland - roofscapes and distant views play important roles. 

Figure 8 Condurrow Road. Rows of substantial late 19 th century miners’ houses [59][53] 

focussing on the stacks of Great Condurrow (Woolf’s Shaft). The last in the 

sequence are typical single-storey houses of the early 20 th century [55]. An 

archetypal ensemble of houses, small walled front yards, large rear gardens and 

outbuildings.

CISI Beacon report - Historic Cornwall

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