Village Trail
A short walk around the Village of Illogan. It allows you to explore its history, its architectural variations.
You start and finish in the centre of the village, known as Paynters Lane End.
Thanks to Gill Meteyard who originated the idea, Michael Tangye, local historian and Paddy Bradley for the use of his photographs and the support of Illogan Parish Council.
How to find Illogan
The Village of Illogan is situated north of the conurbation of Camborne, Pool & Redruth. The village can be approached from the A30 using the A3047 and secondary roads; or from the North Coast Road, B3301 which runs between Hayle & Portreath.
Ordinance Survey Map ref. SW673 434
From the A30 (Truro/Bodmin or Penzance)
Take the exit signed for Redruth. Follow signs to Camborne & Pool (A3047). Staying on the A3047, pass the Camborne Redruth Hospital on your left, after a garage on your right, take the second right: 'Chariot Road'. Continue until you reach the five cross-roads at Paynters Lane End.
This is Point 1 of the Village Trail.
From the North Cliffs Road & Portreath B3301
At the top of Tregea Hill, Portreath, turn following signs to'lllogan'. Continue to follow signs to 'lllogan'. When you reach the East Lodge gates, turn left into Alexandra Road.
1 The Platt and Paynters Lane End
2 Illogan Parish Church
3 Illogan Churchtown
4 Parsonage Well
5 Marys Well
6 Alexandra Road
How to obtain more information
1 The Platt and Paynters Lane End
Starting at the area becoming known locally as The Platt, there is the beginning of the drive to the old Rectory, with the adjoining community woodland, Maningham Wood. This woodland was previously part of an ornamental garden for the Rectory.
To the south is the Plymouth Limestone and granite faced Paynters Lane Methodist Church built in 1890 at a cost of £1086.
The stone was obtained from an old mine building. The Bain Memorial, in memory of David Wise Bain who owned Portreath Harbour, was built in 1901 as almshouses for decayed (invalid) miners.
Opposite is the Robartes Arms . Note the Coat of Arms of the Robartes family of Lanhydrock and the houses of Robartes Terrace, called New Row in 1851. At the end of the 19th century, Billy Beale who had a smithy and hired out horses and carriages, occupied No 3 No 4 was a Fish and Chip Shop. Between, what is now No 5 & No 6 there was a well. No 10, which has been enlarged, was a butchers shop. On the opposite side of the road further down there was a cobbler's hut - Mr Phillips being both local postman and cobbler lived opposite!
The shop was a barber shop for 50 years. Opposite the Post Office is the Rectory built in 1958 and down Ventonraze there was probably a holy well. This road originally continued across from Ventonraze to the church, but the road now bears round passed the cemetery to Churchtown.
2 Illogan Parish Church
Mr James P St Aubyn built the Parish Church in 1846 from designs. The houses opposite were built in 1950.Oxland Road named after Parson Harry Oxland, Rector here for 50 years. The Ecclesiastical Parish of St Illogan extends beyond Cam Brea and includes long stretches of the North Cliffs - from Reskajeage Downs to Cambrose. This is larger than the civil parish, which has a population of 5000 people, while the ecclesiastical parish has a population of 12,500 people.
The old church stood for many centuries where the Tower can be seen, this having been left when the old church was pulled down - being too small, as Trinity House had scheduled it as a landmark on Navigational charts. Traces of the 5th-7th Century Lan - an oval enclosure round the original church can be seen. Within the Tower
are 6 bells in two tiers cast in 1889. In 2001 due to the uncertainty of the safety of the tower if the bells were rung in the traditional way, an electronic radio controlled system to strike the bells was installed The clock was given in 1836 by Mrs Basset, the clock hammer strikes the tenor bell.
The churchyard is nearly 6 acres and overseen by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. The graves include victims of the plague of 1591, an area set aside for the 52 War Graves, and the grave of Thomas Merritt, whose carols are sung by Cornishmen world wide and who was commissioned to write the Coronation March of 1902. for Edward V11.
3 Illogan Churchtown
Walking towards Churchtown there can be seen a mounting block or Uppingstock placed there in 1807 near the entrance to the old church. Here the road widening took place in 1967, gravestones were placed against the wall and bodies buried elsewhere in the graveyard. The Square was at one time dominated by a Wheelwright and carpenters business owned by Penberthy, where the house called Roseland is situated. One member of the family invented the anti-phthisis mining drill. Adjoining is the "Boys School" converted into flats in 1973. Beyond this cottage, once thatched and used as Almshouse was built in 1685 from a bequest of £20 from William Lanyon. The photographer Edward Bragg lived here around 1903. It also served as an Institute the next row of cottages once held the Post Office. Beyond them there is an opening, which is the church way to Bridge.
Returning to the square, notice on the left the house with granite porch. Bearing around to the right there was once a public house named Farmers Arms built in the 19th Century. now, known as Hendra House. Here lived Jack Morrish remembered for delivering milk in his pony and trap. Several of the cottages opposite were shops. Round to the left is the North Gate entrance to the church. The gates and railings were made mid 19th Century and are listed, as is the Basset Monument (above the vault in the old church) and the Ancient cross -this cross can be found just off a path leading to the site of the old church. Outside the gates is the coach house built to house the Basset coach when they came to church from Tehidy, whilst horses were stabled in the building on the west side, this building later became a mortuary housing the parish bier and known as the Dead House since 1868
Carrying on along Parsonage Lane, pass Illogan School built in 1973, there are bungalows built on the tennis courts of the old rectory. now, called Llangwedh.
Next door is the old rectory now called Maningham that was built of bath stone in 1783 for the Rev John Basset, brother of Lord De Dunstanville whose monument is seen on Cam Brea. It is to here that the drive to the Platt leads.
Return past the North gates and bear round to the left, pass the Village Hall, originally the girls board school built in 1881. On the opposite side - now the Well-being Centre- is the old school house and the building that was Lady Basset's girls' school, the cornerstone being laid in 1884. Straight ahead is Nance farm-mainly a Georgian building. The site of a medieval chapel lies to the Northeast and over looking Portreath are the remains of an Iron Age circular camp.
4 Parsonage Well
Turn down the road to the left- Well Lane- this leads to the entrance of Feadon or Illogan Woods through which a path leads to Portreath. The water from the pond on the right was used to feed a leat to drive a water wheel, through a system of rods and chains, a threshing machine in a barn at Nance. This was still in position in 1960.
Here are two wells Parsonage Well and one with a pump. Aviary Cott [now Court] built in the 19th Century and was used as a home for the Curates of the Parish-in 1838 the Revd Charles Grylls lived here. James Tangye was one of five brother who trained many young men in engineering and had an observatory. He was responsible for the water supply to Marys Well.
5 Marys Well
Carry on past Barnyard, originally Glebe farm and possibly the original rectory prior to Maningham, bear to the right onto Parsonage Lane where we meet a part of the Portreath Tram road that was part of the Hayle railway of 1832-1932. The granite gateposts still exist where the gates to stop the traffic hung. This ran from the mines at Carn Brea to the incline at Portreath, down to load the ore into ships, and coal to off load to be transported to the mines. We now enter Merrose Lane.
At the cross roads, is Mary's Well 1888, which was named after the wife of Gustavus Lambert Basset whose family for hundreds of years owned Tehidy House and much surrounding land and mines around the area.
6 Alexandra Road
If one were to carry on straight on we would come to Travellers Rest, where Kiddly Cottage was once a hostelry, but turn left here, this road is known as Alexandra Road. To the right the road leads to Tehidy Country Park.
Around 1779 this road was created on almost a straight line from East Lodge to Harris Mill and North Country, thereby by passing Redruth. The builder was paid £59. Further on, you pass Alexandra House, supposed to have been built from stone taken from Maningham when the top storey was removed as it overlooked Tehidy. The house was built to house the Parish Curates
On the right is a pasty shop. The Smale family as a butchers shop first opened this shop with slaughterhouse facilities. In 1920 the Post Office moved from Churchtown to the house next door, having a door in the side now a window. The Post Office then moved to its present position in 1953.
One returns to the cross roads where we began. On the road to the left we can see the Methodist Sunday School built in 1858, 30 years before the Chapel.
If you wish to know obtain more information on the history of Illogan there are a number of books on the subject available at local shops or visit:
• The Cornish Studies Library, Redruth
• Illogan Parish Church Web site www.saint-illogan.org.uk