The St. Blazey Locomotive Depot has the only surviving semi-circular Roundhouse left in the country!
It also has a rare locomotive turntable still in situ as well as extensive red-brick engineering buildings on site.
The St. Blazey Locomotive Depot was built in 1874 by Sir Morton Petoe to be the centre-piece of the new railway system – The Cornwall Mineral Railway. This railway revamp replaced Joseph Thomas Treffry’s horse-drawn tramway system from the nearby Luxulyan Valley, which after Treffry’s death was considered to be rather out of date. The new railway bypassed the Carmears Incline and the Treffry Viaduct, but still benefited from the many trades present at Par Harbour.
Par harbour continued to be an important port and a major employer, with its many different businesses – smithies, ship repairers, a mill, timber yards, smelting works, and coal yards. However the decline of mining after the 1870s resulted in a change from tin and copper ore to china clay as its main export.
Both the Roundhouse and Turntable are Grade II* listed and on the Heritage at Risk Register, indicating that their deterioration is serious and that they should be conserved – pronto!
Now a days the site is occupied by various commercial concerns. No effort has yet been made to showcase the heritage on the site and there are cringe-worthy sights. Hideous modern fencing strewn around and modern signage carelessly affixed to the heritage assets etc etc. There is also an extensive litter problem and its certainly not a pleasant place to be. However, things could change. There are plans afoot at the nearby Par Harbour to create a modern marina. If this goes ahead then surely St. Blazey would benefit from a beautifully – heritage-led – business hub in the heart of their village!
There is a campaign building momentum to see the assets conserved – let’s hope they can go all the way!
St Blazey, Par, Cornwall PL24, UK
The St. Blazey Locomotive Depot has the only surviving semi-circular Roundhouse left in the country!
It also has a rare locomotive turntable still in situ as well as extensive red-brick engineering buildings on site.
The St. Blazey Locomotive Depot was built in 1874 by Sir Morton Petoe to be the centre-piece of the new railway system – The Cornwall Mineral Railway. This railway revamp replaced Joseph Thomas Treffry’s horse-drawn tramway system from the nearby Luxulyan Valley, which after Treffry’s death was considered to be rather out of date. The new railway bypassed the Carmears Incline and the Treffry Viaduct, but still benefited from the many trades present at Par Harbour.
Par harbour continued to be an important port and a major employer, with its many different businesses – smithies, ship repairers, a mill, timber yards, smelting works, and coal yards. However the decline of mining after the 1870s resulted in a change from tin and copper ore to china clay as its main export.
Both the Roundhouse and Turntable are Grade II* listed and on the Heritage at Risk Register, indicating that their deterioration is serious and that they should be conserved – pronto!
Now a days the site is occupied by various commercial concerns. No effort has yet been made to showcase the heritage on the site and there are cringe-worthy sights. Hideous modern fencing strewn around and modern signage carelessly affixed to the heritage assets etc etc. There is also an extensive litter problem and its certainly not a pleasant place to be. However, things could change. There are plans afoot at the nearby Par Harbour to create a modern marina. If this goes ahead then surely St. Blazey would benefit from a beautifully – heritage-led – business hub in the heart of their village!
There is a campaign building momentum to see the assets conserved – let’s hope they can go all the way!
St Blazey, Par, Cornwall PL24, UK
I would like to see the St Blazey roudhouse and turntable complex used as the centre of a GWR living steam railway, with use of the sidings for stock etc. and with a regular passenger service from St Blazey station to the Harbour and occasional passenger services from Par and/or St Blazey to all stations to Newquay. THIS would put St Blazey on the map, especially when the wagon works could be used for heavy engineering for the various locomotives and stock attracted to the site.