Friday 31 January 2020

The Luxulyan Valley Cornwall

Luxulyan Valley Icicles, Cornwall

An interesting place to walk in Cornwall is the Luxulyan Valley, even if it can be a touch cold in winter - icicles above! It is considered to be somewhere of natural beauty.

Luxulyan Valley Viaduct and Aqueduct

One of it's attractions for me is the 100 feet high viaduct which is also an aqueduct. It has 10 arches made of Cornish granite and stretches for some 650 feet in length.

Aquaduct and Viaduct at Luxulayan Valley, Cornwall

We scrambled up the valley side to reach the top of the aqueduct. The 'roadway' across appears to have a surface of solid granite slabs but, as you walk across, there are gaps in the slabs and it can be seen that there is water running across the viaduct.

Aqueduct and Viaduct at Luxulyan Valley Cornwall

To give a little of the history of Luxulyan Valley it was once known for the production of granite and industrial minerals. This was during the 19th century.

Aqueduct and Viaduct, Cornwall

The impressive viaduct was dreamed up by the imagination of Joseph Treffry. Between the 1820s and his death in 1850 Treffry's buildings, tramways, viaduct and leats transformed the valley into an area of industrial activity.

Luxulyan Valley Cornwall

The valley became a centre for granite quarrying, copper and tin mining and also china clay and stone production.

Luxulyan Valley, Cornwall

Times have now moved on and we are left with a lovely area for walking.

Leat at Luxulyan Valley, Cornwall

Water seems to be flowing everywhere along leats. A leat being an artificial waterway or aqueduct made for supplying water to industry.

Luxulyan  Valley, Cornwall

In 2006 the valley's copper mining association led it to being inscribed as part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage.

Luxulyan Valley, Cornwall

All in all an interesting place to walk ...

Aquaduct and Viaduct at Luxulyan Valley, Cornwall

… a final look at the Luxulyan viaduct. 

For a good sized map of the valley by The Friends of Luxulyan Valley please click here.

Luxulyan Valley and Viaduct, Cornwall

For another valley walk with a viaduct and 33 photos go to: 33 Photos: A Circular Walk Based On Gover Valley, St.Austell, Cornwall

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful! Walking through here must be like walking through history.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Trish, thank you. An interesting place to walk, makes a change from beaches!

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  2. Impressive structure,great to be able to walk with views above the trees.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks David, It's one of the few viaducts we can walk across in Cornwall. In the 1880s it was used as a road across the valley and also for a small train. One of the leats keeps the small port at Charlestown topped up with water.

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