Trewoon
Coordinates: 50°20′25″N 4°49′04″W / 50.3403°N 4.8178°W
Trewoon (Cornish: Trewoon)[1] is a village in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is on the western outskirts of St Austell on the A3058 road, about one mile from the town centre.
Trewoon is mentioned in the Domesday Book (as Tregoin: held by Hamelin from the count of Mortain) and is part of the St Mewan Parish and had its own manor known as Hembal Manor.
It is a linear settlement, with various housing estates, a village hall, park and playing fields.
The village has many amenities and local businesses: a garage (mechanical operations only), a post office, a busy local convenience store, hairdressers, "The White Pyramid" pub, a social club and a Methodist church (Trinity Methodist Church).
China clay has played a big part in the village's history following its discovery by William Cookworthy.
The A3058 is the main road through the village and is a very popular commuter and tourist road that links St Austell and Newquay.
Transport
Railway lines
The Cornish Main Line and a line that links to St Dennis, pass through the village. The Cornish Main Line directly serves most major towns and cities in Cornwall and forms the backbone for rail services in Cornwall, as well as providing a direct line to London. It is the southernmost railway line in the United Kingdom, and the westernmost in England.
The line that links St Dennis to the Cornish Main Line is now relatively unused in its prime time was a major transport route for Imeries trains transporting china clay mined in the local area to the local ports of ((Fowey)) and ((Par Docks)).
For a short while Trewoon had its own train station which was situated by the railway bridge crossing the A3058 accessible only by foot the station was very small and often not used by trains leading to its closure. In the redevelopment of St Austell for the St Austell Clay Country Eco-town the plans include a new train station in the village creating better transport links to the town.
Roads
The A3058 a very popular commuter and tourist road that links St Austell and Newquay and is thought to be one of the most dangerous roads in Cornwall with a lot of serious and some fatal accidents every year although only a few happen in the village every year. The A3058 also crosses the A30 (the major trunk road of Cornwall) and provides a link to the A30 from St Austell through the village.
The A3058 has seen many changes in its history including the widening of the road to cope with demand. To do this properties along the road in the village were demolished to make way for it.
Buses
Being on the main road between St Austell and Newquay the village benefits from good bus services mainly provided by Western Greyhound and can be as frequent as every 30 minutes at times. The village also benefits from services put on by First Western National but are not as regular.
Climate
The location of the village means that it can be susceptible to disruption due to bad weather. During heavy rain is a common sight to see the A3058 flooded where Westbridge Road and Cooperage Road slope down to meet each other under the railway bridge.
The elevations of the village and various hills in the village makes many roads in the village unpassable during heavy snow.
China clay
Trewoon also has a major part to play in the china clay industry in Cornwall being the home to the Blackpool Clay Pits and Dryers. The pits are the largest employer in the area which looks certain to come to an end with the announcement in 2006 to close Blackpool Pit at the end of 2007. The end came on 30 November 2007 and confirmed that Imerys was moving its operation to Brazil. It is estimated that the closure will take £12m a year out of the local economy. A total of 500 people were made redundant.[2]
Planned development
There are plans to build an extra 2500 houses in Trewoon in the Blackpool Dryers, Refinery and Pit.as part of the St Austell Clay Country Eco-town. The plan was given outline government approval in July 2009.[3]
Public events
Flora Dance
In the West Briton newspaper in 1959 Ashley Rowe noted that "on Coronation day 1838 Trewoon held its Flora Dance and at Truro the Mayor led the dance, which lasted till the small hours."
Carnival
Trewoon has a history of carnivals every year but following changes in the law regarding insurance for motorised floats the Carnival like many others across Cornwall was no longer attracting enough observers and was forced to end. The carnival has now returned to the village and happens once a year in the month of August along with fun events, concerts and games that happen all week at various sites in the village.
Pantomime
Trewoon is also where the Trewoon Pantomime Group was founded and performed in the local village hall until moving due to requirements to the St Austell Church Hall where they still perform once a year. The pantomime group also hit national headlines in 2006 when they were banned from using a real bed for their annual bed push and had to use a wheelchair for health and safety reasons reported on the BBC.[4]
Historic buildings and organisations
Trewoon Chapel and Sunday School
In 1821 a ‘Bethel’ was built near where the railway arch is now. With the building of the first bridge, a ‘new’ chapel was needed. In 1871, a Mr John Gaved pioneered the project and a Mrs Hennah of Hembal Manor gave a plot of land where the Chapel now stands. Wesley had reputedly preached where The Green is now situated and so the new Chapel was ‘Wesleyan’ Methodist. The new building held 200 worshippers when the total population of Trewoon was only 280! It opened on Boxing Day 1871 and cost ‘no more than £400’.
London 2012 Olympics
The Olympic torch passed through the village on its tour of the UK before arriving in London for the start of the 2012 Olympics.
References
- ↑ Place-names in the Standard Written Form (SWF) : List of place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel. Cornish Language Partnership.
- ↑ Report from the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7122108.stm)
- ↑ "Blackpool Dryers, Refinery and Pit". ECO-BOS. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ↑ "Panto group banned from bed push". BBC. 17 August 2006. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
External links
Media related to Trewoon at Wikimedia Commons
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