Danescombe Quay

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Danescombe Quay
Danescombe Quay (1822-1890).jpg
Danescombe Quay from (1870-1890), berthed alongside is three masted top sail schooner
Native name
Sowenna
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
LocationCalstock, Cornwall
Coordinates50°29′54″N 4°13′07″W / 50.498470°N 4.218673°W / 50.498470; -4.218673Coordinates: 50°29′54″N 4°13′07″W / 50.498470°N 4.218673°W / 50.498470; -4.218673
Details
Opened1822
Closed1908
Operated by
Wharfs2
Rail gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)

Danescombe Quay was the largest and last quayside on the River Tamar to be used commercially, capable of berthing large steam steel cargo ships of up to 120 feet. It is located on the Cornish bank of the river, half a mile out of the town of Calstock and next to Cotehele House the ancient seat of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, now a National Trust property. The Quayside lies within the Tamar Valley AONB and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History[]

Operation[]

The quayside was first used commercially in the 17th century.[citation needed]

With the increase of mining in Cornwall, alongside the industrial revolution, increasing number of goods produced from the Calstock region had to be transported by boat. The demand for this grew rapidly over the 19th century, leading to the quayside being enlarged and a railway laid connecting Danescombe with the rest of the region. It was fortunate to have a railway connecting it with institutions more inland and from above the national tidal limit of the River Tamar creating a high demand for the quayside.[1]

The demand and profits made at Danescombe were so great that in 1890 the building of the jetty began. This allowed larger vessels to berth and granted access to steel boats, as they required deeper water and it was hazardous for them to ground in the same way as the wooden sailing vessels. [2]

Danescombe Quay exported goods from the following institutions.[citation needed]

  1. Kit Hill Quarry
  2. Hingston Down Quarry
  3. Prince of Wales Consols, Harrowbarrow
  4. Gunnislake Clitters Mine

The quayside was a large source of employment until the completion of the Calstock Viaduct in 1908, which changed the operation of exporting goods, making the quayside obsolete. Also when the bridge was completed in 1908 all of the railway on the Cornish bank was re-gauged to standard gauge, aligning the Cornish railway with England. Danescombe Quay and the Incline was not re-gauged and so was closed in 1908. The quayside was then abandoned.[citation needed]

Dereliction[]

After the closure of the quayside in 1908 the quay was left to decay. In 1940 after Dunkirk the Admiralty began making preparations for D-Day which required many amphibious assault troop carrying vessels.[3] Being so close to Devonport Royal Dockyard the River Tamar hosted many landing craft, principally for the United States Navy, which laid siege to Omaha and Utah Beach in Normandy.[4] The Royal Navy began looking at every quayside on the Tamar, judging whether it was capable for berthing landing craft. In 1940 Danescombe Jetty was considered so derelict that the Navy decided to diverted resources into building a jetty rather than repairing the one at Danescombe, this demonstrates how derelict the jetty was at this time.[citation needed]

A Tamar barge berthed alongside the quayside in the year 2000

Restoration[]

After the war the PD&SWJR sold the quayside and the adjoining land to a local man, whose family had previously been Harbour Master to the quayside on behalf of the commercial activity of the time.[5]

The jetty and quayside was then restored by its owner between 1986 and 1990.[citation needed] On the quayside now stands a house called Sowenna, deriving its name from the Cornish language.[6] The quayside and jetty is no longer operated commercially, but after the restoration the quayside remained able to berth full sized sailing ships.[citation needed]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Morwellham Quay history and guide. Morwellham Quay. 2017. p. 50.
  2. ^ Booker, Frank (1967). The Industrial Archaeology of The Tamar Valley. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 978-1-903356-57-9. Industrial Archaeology of The Tamar Valley
  3. ^ History of Calstock during the preparation for D-Day
  4. ^ D-Day Preparations in the South West of England
  5. ^ Land Registry
  6. ^ Sowenna House, Lower Kelly

External links[]

Retrieved from ""