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www.cornwall365.org.uk
LOCAIONS
uide to
Gedyans dhe dylleryow Poldark
Map inside
Follow the charactersand action, at themany filming
locations,within and around theCornish Mining WorldHeritage
Site
T e P o l d a r k s t o r i e s o f W i n s t o n G r a h a m r s t e n t h r a l l e d r e a d e r s i n t h e 1 9 4 0 s , b e f o r e b e i n g b r o u g h t t o a n e w a u d i e n c e b y m e a n s o f t h e v e r y p o p u l a r B B C t e l e v i s i o n d r a m a i n t h e 1 9 7 0 s .
I t i s t h e s t i r r i n g t a l e o f a B r i t i s h A r m y o ffi c e r , C a p t a i n R o s s P o l d a r k , r e t u r n i n g t o h i s C o r n i s h h o m e l a n d f r o m t h e A m e r i c a n W a r o f I n d e p e n d e n c e i n t h e 1 7 8 0 s . U p o n h i s a r r i v a l , R o s s n d s t h e l i f e h e k n e w c h a n g e d u t t e r l y , w i t h h i s h o m e i n r u i n s a n d h i s a n c é e , E l i z a b e t h C h y n o w e t h , n o w b e t r o t h e d t o h i s c o u s i n , F r a n c i s . I n o r d e r t o r e b u i l d h i s f o r t u n e s ,
h e n a m e o l d a r k h o l d s a s p e c i a l p l a c e i n t h e h e a r t s o f m a n y
or more information aboutPoldark and the orld eritageSite,
please follow the links below
Visit Cornwall, the offi cial tourist board, has aPoldark lm
location page at:
www.visitcornwall.com/about-cornwall/blogging-cornwall/poldark-lm-locations
Te National rust has inormation indicatingwhere its historic
landscapes were used during
theproduction:www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1355886329391/
Te community website or St Agnes has a pagededicated to Poldark
Country, highlighting therole o St Agnes in setting the scene or
the originalWinston Graham
novels:www.st-agnes.com/discover/st-agnes.com-discover-poldark
Tis was at a time when the local copper miningindustry was in
turmoil through the overwhelmingcompetition rom the Welsh Anglesey
mines. TePoldark stories owe much to Cornish history a ndheritage,
which orm the backdrop to the characters’eventul and ofen turbulent
lives. Today the metalmining landscapes of Cornwall and west
Devonhave World Heritage Site status. We are sure thatRoss
would have approved o the internationalrecognition o his
compatriot’s efforts to bringcopper and tin to the world!
Te original programme was to make internationalstars o its
principal leads Robin Ellis and AngharadRees, who portrayed the
brooding Ross Poldark
and the striking Demelza Carne. Te current serieseatures two
internationally prominent actors inthe orm o Aidan urner, who has
appeared in TeHobbit and the series Being Human, and
Eleanoromlinson, whose roles include the blockbusterJack the Giant
Slayer and the BBC drama Te WhiteQueen. Both are sure to
be a considerable hit withviewers.
oldark provides a windowinto the eighteenth century lives
and landscapes of Cornwall
R o s s t o i l s t o r e o p e n o n e o f h i s f a m i l y ’ s t i n m i n e s a n d t h e s c e n e i s s e t f o r m u c h d r a m a a s a l o n g r u n n i n g f e u d e n s u e s w i t h h i s a r c h - e n e m y , t h e b a n k e r G e o r g e
W a r l e g g a n .
L i k e i t s p r e d e c e s s o r , t h e c u r r e n t B B C a d a p t i o n u s e s m a n y s t u n n i n g l o c a t i o n s t h r o u g h o u t C o r n w a l l . T i s g u i d e i n c l u d e s k e y l o c a t i o n s a n d a l s o d e t a i l s o f v i s i t o r a t t r a c t i o n s i n C o r n w a l l a n d w e s t D e v o n w h e r e y o u c a n n d o u t m o r e a b o u t t h e r e a l h i s t o r y t h a t i n s p i r e d t h e s t o r y l i n e s .
o nd out more about the World Heritage Siteand how Cornish
Mining changed the world,please visit:
www.cornishmining.org.uk
Te inclusion o the lming locations shown in this map does not
imply that theseare publically accessible in every instance.
Poldark images reproduced by kind permission o Mike Hogan /
Mammoth /BBC, with urther photos by Ainsley Cocks and Barry
Gamble
May 2015 jn38380
o t a l l a c k M i n e , C r o w n s S e c t i o n , n e a r S t u s t ‘ r a m b l e r i n e ’
T e c u r r e n t B B C a d a p t i o n u s e s m a n y s t u n n i n g l o c a t i o n s t h r o u g h o u t C o r n w a l l
W e s t W h e a l O w l e s ( l e f t ) , w i t h W h e a l E d w a r d , n e a r S t J u s t ‘ W h e a l L e i s u r e ’
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Mevagissey
Tintagel
oscasstle
ooe
Calling o
A30
A30
odmin
Wadebridge
Liskeard
ltash
Launceston
t. v es
GodolphinHouse
Gwennap Pit
Geevor Tin Mine
St Agnes Museum
Wheal Martyn Museum
Cotehele House
MorwellhamQuay
St Breward and Bodmin Moor
Craddock Moor, Minions
Stepper Point
PorthcothnanBeach
St Agnes Head
Levant Mine
Botallack Mine
West Wheal Owles A1
A2
A3
A5
A6
A7
A8
A9 A10
A4
Porthgwarra
Pedn Vounder Beach Gunwalloe
Poldark Mine
Lizard Point
Charlestown
St Agnes Head (Penn Breanek): provides the sweeping
valleysetting for Ross Poldark’s family home, Nampara.
Botallack Mine, Crowns Section, near St Just
(BalBostalek): doubles as Grambler tin mine, with its
myriadstructures and buildings clinging to the rugged cliff
face.
Charlestown Harbour (Porthmeur): this perfectly
preservedeighteenth century copper and clay port stands in
forFalmouth Harbour in the heyday of sail.
Levant Mine, near St Just (Bal Levant): the
wonderfullyrestored steam winding engine in the care of the
Nationalrust was used as the setting of ressider’s Rolling
Mill.
Poldark Mine, Wendron, near Helston (Bal
Polldergh): theeighteenth century Wheal Roots tin mine at
Poldark had justthe right atmosphere for some crucial underground
scenes inthe ctional Wheal Leisure.
West Wheal Owles mine, near St Just (Hwel Als
West): thesetting for the ctional Wheal Leisure tin mine which
Ross nds in ruin on his return to Cornwall.
ocations withinthe ornish Miningorld Heritage Site
ocations outside the orld Heritage SiteStepper Point (Penn
Stuppert):the dramatic headland here marks the entrance to the
sweepingCamel Estuary and features prominently in the
openingepisodes.
Lizard Point, Lizard, near Helston (Penn
Lysardh): thisbeautiful but hazardous stretch of coastline has
had alighthouse since 1751 and the Man o’ War Rocks, just off
shore,are a reminder of what lies in wait for the unwary.
Pedn Vounder Beach, near Porthcurno (reth Pedn
anVownder): this wide and sandy cove has a ne level beach
belowthe imposing Logan Rock headland.
Poldark Mine, Wendron, near HelstonVenturing down into Wheal
Roots – the eighteenth century tinmine at Poldark – to learn about
Cornish mining history and ndout what conditions were actually like
for Cornish mineworkers.www.poldarkmine.org.uk
Gwennap Pit, near RedruthGwennap Pit, where John Wesley preached
between 1762 and1789; Wesley is known to have addressed many
thousands at thislocation, before the Pit’s capacity was reduced to
1,500 when the grassed tiers were introduced in
1806.www.gwennappit.co.uk
St Agnes Museum, St AgnesTis community-focused museum is a gem
and highlights all thatis special about St Agnes including its
amazing tin mining legacy,
stretching back to at least the seventeenth century. A
Cornishsaying recognises the quality of the tin produced here: ‘St
Agnes tinis the nest tin in Cornwall.’www.stagnesmuseum.org.uk
Morwellham Quay, near Tavistock (west Devon) Morwellham is
a perfectly preserved mineral quay on the Devonbank of the river
amar which retains all the facilities needed tomanage the shipment
of copper ore from the surrounding mines. Also go underground
at Morwellham’s George & Charlotte Mine toexperience the
atmosphere of an eighteenth century copper
mine.www.morwellham-quay.co.uk
Botallack, Levant, and Geevor mines, near St JustTe north
coastal fringe of the St Just area is dominated by miningfor copper
and tin, and Botallack, Levant and Geevor mines chartthis process
from the eighteenth through to the late
twentiethcenturies.www.nationaltrust.org.uk www.nationaltrust.org.uk/levant-minewww.geevor.com
Cotehele House and Quay, near Calstock Former home of the
Edgcumbes, who like many other land owning
families at the time, had nancial interests in mining and
relatedindustries. Tey developed the substantial industrial quays
here onthe river amar during the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries.www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele
Godolphin House, near HelstonGodolphin House was known as the
largest in Cornwall by the1640s and retains gardens which in part
date from the late MiddleAges. It was once home to one of
Cornwall’s most successfulmine owners and politicians, Sidney
Godolphin - the 1st Earl ofGodolphin - who became First Lord of the
reasury.www.nationaltrust.org.uk/godolphin
Porthcothnan, near Newquay (reth Porthkehodhon): this
distinctly triangular inlet was used to capture scenes ofNampara
Cove, nestling below Ross Poldark’s cottage.
Porthgwarra, Land’s
End (Porthgorwedhow): this particularly rugged cove
has a distinctive tunnel, thought tohave been dug by St Just miners
to al low farmers access forbeach sand. Also Ross’ favourite spot
for a swim!
St Breward and Bodmin Moor (S.Bruwerd & Goon
Brenn):used for exterior views of Nampara, the pistol duel
betweenFrancis Poldark and Andrew Blamey, and various
moorlandriding scenes.
Wheal Martyn Museum, near St AustellCornwall is also known for
its china clay, or ‘white gold’, discoveredat Breage (in the
regonning Area of the World Heritage Site), by1748, and Wheal
Martyn sets out the importance of this in a localand global
context. Many metal miners were to work in the clay
industry following the demise of the former and the two
industriesshared much technology and
terminology.www.wheal-martyn.com
I these locations inspire you to discover more aboutCornwall and
west Devon’s globally important mining
landscapes and culture, there are many more places
to visit. For more inor mation see the list o Corn ish
MiningAttractions Marketing Association members on ourwebsite.
www.cornish-mining.org.uk/areas-places-activities
elated mining heritage attractions
A1 St Just Mining District
A2 Te Port o Hayle
A3 regonning and GwinearMining Districts with rewavas
A4 Wendron Mining District
A5 Camborne and Redruth MiningDistrict with Wheal Peevor
andPortreath Harbour
A6 Gwennap Mining Districtwith Devoran and Perran
andKennall Vale
A7 St Agnes Mining District
A8 Te Luxulyan Valley andCharlestown
A9 Caradon Mining District
A10 amar Valley Mining District
with avistock
orld Heritage Site areas
Te attractions listed here have links to the Cornish
Miningindustry in the late eighteenth century – the period whenthe
Poldark stories are set – and will give a ascinating
insight into Cornish lie at the time.
Craddock Moor, Minions (Hal Reskaresek, Menyon):the crossroads
where Ross steps off the coach followinghis return from
America.
Gunwalloe Church Cove (Dollar Cove), near
Helston(Gwynnwalow): this famous cove and site of many a
shipwreck was, appropriately enough, used to stage thedramatic
night time shipwreck.
Poldark lminglocations
Related miningheritage attractions
