Sharptor

Before Sharptor, there was a lot of human activity in the area including a prehistoric hillfort and field systems on Stowe's Hill and Neolithic cairns, field systems and enclosures on Sharp Tor.[4][5]

There are several mine works and quarries close to Sharptor. Most of the properties in Sharptor were for workers, and most are orientated to face east so as to wake the occupants as the sun rose in the morning.. According to the 1871 census, there were 21 residents in Sharptor, most of the men (around 43%) working in the quarries and the remainder (35%) working in mining. It is interesting that Sharptor seemed to be a male enclave with only 4 women residents. The average age was around 36.[6]

Many of the houses are constructed from moorstone, a form of Cornish granite. The stone was formed into shape using a plug and feather method hence it is common to see the remnants of the hole drilled to split the rock (see image of fireplace below).

At the top of the Sharptor road are the remains of the Liskeard and Caradon Railway which opened in 1844 and closed in 1917. The track materials were removed to aid the war effort, but many of the stone sleepers remain. The railway can be easily walked to Minions.

Sharp Tor or West Sharptor Mine was held under a lease for 21 years, from 1849, granted by the Duke of Cornwall, who owns most of the mineral rights around Sharptor. The mine was first opened in 1850 and was worked for copper. The original company had 256 shares, with £62 paid for each, representing a capital of £15,872; the amount expended to 1855 was about £15,000. The mine was worked using a 60-horsepower steam engine installed by Willam West in 1850. The mine lies within the Phoenix United Mine district. Ore was shipped to Looe.[7]

Although the primary mineral was copper, there are other minerals that can be found in the mine tailings such as brochantite, cassiterite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, chamosite, connellite, langite, pyrite, quartz, copper(I) oxide (known locally as tile ore) and orthochamosite (daphnite).[8]

As the railway was built so the Cheesewring Quarry was developed. The fine silver Granite was in demand for engineering and architectural work. As the tin was sent to Looe, so was the granite where it was shipped to London and further afield. Nineteenth century structures built from the granite included Devonport Dockyard, as well as the docks at Birkenhead and Copenhagen. Other structures include the breakwaters at Alderney and Dover, the Spithead forts, Thames Embankment, Westminster Bridge, Tower Bridge and a lighthouse in Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon). The quarry, for most of its history, was owned and worked by John Freeman and Sons, who had over 80 quarries in Cornwall. At its peak, there were over a 100 men and boys working at the quarry. But after World War I, the decline in demand and also difficulty in extracting fine granite from under the Cheesewring (now an attraction) meant the quarry went into decline.[9]

Several of the houses in Sharptor and Henwood were extended, and one issue was the use of Mundic block (blocks made from mine waste) for construction between 1900 and 1960.[10]

In 1944, an American transport plane hit Sharp Tor and several fragments of the plane were found and removed.[11]

The maps highlight the location of Sharptor Mine in 1877 and 1907. Most of the buildings that were mapped in both years remain until today. The mine chimney has been removed but some of the structures remain and it is believed that one property was previously used as an engine house. Although the mine has been open for years, most of the engine house has now fallen into the shaft.

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  Map of Sharptor in 1877
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  Map of Sharptor in 1907
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  An artist's representation of the Cheesewring and Sharptor in 1856[12]
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  Column of Cornish granite at the 1851 Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in London in front of the Crystal Palace - Cheesewring Company
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  Poster (engraving) advertising excursions to Cornwall featuring the Cheesewring (slightly exaggerated), circa 1823/24
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  Moorstone fireplace in a house at Sharptor showing remnants of plug and feather method to split the rock

There have been some visitors over the years who have been struck by Sharp Tor and the views:

Thomas Bond, 1823—Sharpy-torry (Sharp-torr from its conical shape), the views brought to my mind the beautiful lines in Ovid:

Tum freta diffundi rapidisque tumescere ventis

Jussit, et ambitæ circumdare littora terræ.

Addidit et fontes, immensaque stagna lacusque.

Jussit et extendi campos, subsidere valles,

Fronde tegi silvas, lapidosos surgere montes.

Then he ordered the seas to be poured abroad, and to swell with furious winds, and to draw a shore quite round the inclosed earth. He Likewise added springs, and immense pools and lakes. He ordered likewise plains to be extended, and valleys to sink; the woods to be covered with green leaves, and the rocky mountains to rise.[13]

Cyrus Redding, 1842—Sharp Point Tor is directly south of Kilmarth, is equal to it in height, and on the south-east side has a curious assemblage of rocks.[14]

John Allen, 1856—Sharptor, a fine, pointed, granite hill.[15]

E. T. Crabb, 1876—Sharp Tor or Sharp Point Tor is a conical hill of granite boulders, whose vertex is 1200 feet above the sea. The panoramic scenery from its top is grand and interesting.[16]

E.C. Axford, 1975—The conical Sharp Tor overhangs it as Mount Sinai overhung the village of Morality in The Pilgrim's Progress.[17]

E V. Thompson,1975—Sharptor: from here one has a breathtaking view of the whole East Cornwall.[18]

Hurlers Stones, Minions

There are number of attractions nearby including the Cheesewring, a number of granite stones on Stowe's Hill; the Darley Oak, an ancient tree thought to be 1,000 years old; The Hurlers, a group of three ancient stone circles; Gold Diggings Quarry, a popular spot for swimming;[19] Daniel Gumb's cave, the home to a stonecutter and his family;.[20]

Lemur at Porfell Wildlife Park

Also, nearby is Siblyback Lake[21] a reservoir with a 3.2-mile (5.1 km) walk, various water sports and fishing (Rainbow trout and Blue trout[22]); Golitha Falls[23] a natural waterfall walk on the River Fowey; King Doniert's Stone, two pieces of decorated 9th-century cross believed to commemorate Dungarth, King of Cornwall and the nearby Rillaton Barrow, an ancient burial mound.

Carnglaze Caverns is close by and consists of three man-made caverns formed as part of a slate quarry in the Loveny Valley, near the village of St Neot. The caverns were used to store rum and also explosives produced at Trago Mills but is now a tourist attraction and music auditorium.

Porfell Wildlife Park and Sanctuary is between Sharptor and Looe. Porfell offers sanctuary to many different animals from around the world and allows visitors to get up close to lemurs, meerkats, monkeys, and other exotic animals.[24]

The main employment is varied as it has diversified from mining and quarrying. Farming is still a major contributor to the local economy. Wardbrook Farm, at the top of Sharptor, is a Dutchy tenancy hill farm with cattle, sheep and ponies that roam the moorland.

Wardbrook Farm

Statues at Trago Mills, Liskeard

Another local employer has been Trago Mills established by businessman Mike Robertson who bought the Liskeard site in the early 1960s after leaving a career in the RAF. Trago Mills brings a lot of visitors to shop and also visit the other amenities such as restaurants and other outlets connected to the site. The Liskeard site has a rather eclectic number of statues depicting various run-ins of the owner with local officials. Artwork around the location also depicts stories about the previous history of being an explosive powder mill and also the various characters that have interacted with the owners including sir Edward Heath. There is a selection of birds in cages as well as free-range peacocks. There is also a large number of attractive cockerels that roam the parking and outdoor section of the shop.

Upton Cross Academy provides primary education for nearby settlements, including Sharptor, from nursery to years 5&6.[29] Secondary education is provided by Liskeard School and Community College.[30]

The nearest primary medical care is provided by Oak Tree Surgery & Pensilva Health Centre (4.0 miles (6.4 km)).[31] The Care Quality Commission (CQC) last inspection was on 19 December 2018 with the report published on 17 January 2019.[32] The Latest review was on 5 April 2023. The CQC rated the Oak Tree Surgery & Pensilva Health Centre as "Good".[33] There are two facilities, the main being in Liskeard (Oak Tree Surgery) and a second in Pensilva (Pensilva Health Centre). Accident and emergency services are provided by Derriford Hospital in Plymouth (26.6 miles (42.8 km).[34] The last CQC inspection was on 28 September 2022 the report was published on the 8 March 2023 with hospital rated as "Requires Improvement".[35]

The nearest church is Saint Paul's Church Upton Cross which is part of the Callington Cluster and the Anglican Diocese of Truro. St Paul's was built in the 19th Century as a daughter Church to St Melor’s, Linkinhorne, to serve the mining community in Caradon Hill and the surrounding districts.

Sharptor offers some good walks and cycling, including routes to Sharp Tor and Stowe's Hill. There are several climbing and bouldering opportunities.[36] Sharptor gives direct access to Bodmin Moor on horseback, but the road is steep and vehicular access is restrictive.

Nearby, Lower Lake Shooting Ground offers instruction from total beginner to advanced Clay pigeon shooting.[37]

Although Sharptor itself does not have any outlets for food or drink, there are two nearby cafes in Minions. One cafe is also a post office and village shop.[38][39] There is also a village shop in Pensilva that is also an off-license, lottery outlet, PayPoint and has an ATM.[40]

Minions Shop and Tea Room

Cheesewring Hotel, Minions, August 2021 before the fire in December 2021

There has been a public house in Minions dating back to 1836. The current public house, The Cheesewring, suffered a fire that started on the morning of the 24th December 2021 which caused substantial damage.[41][42] Many of the residents of Sharptor would walk to The Cheesewring across the moor. Plans to rebuild the Cheesering were among the latest planning applications submitted to Cornwall Council in the week beginning May 29, 2023.[43]

There are a number of other public houses nearby including The Wheal Tor, which is also a hotel, restaurant and glamping site.[44] The Manor House at Rilla Mill which is a pub and restaurant and the Caradon Inn at Upton Cross which also has a small shop.[45][46] Slightly further afield is The Market Inn at St Cleer and The Racehorse in North Hill, which was formerly a school and named after the first owners fathers passion for horse racing, after a being a shop and between closing, reopened in 2022 as The Old School Inn.[47][48] The Victoria Inn at Pensilva has been closed for some time and it was thought that the land may be used for residential development and their website has now been taken down.[49] The Crows Nest at Darite re-opened on 20 March after a short period of closure.[50]

Kit Hill, Dartmoor, and the Cornish Cheese Company (farm) from Sharptor

Cornish Blue, a cheese made by the Cornish Cheese Company at Upton Cross, was the winning cheese at the World Food Awards in December 2010.[51] The farm can be seen from several of the cottages at Sharptor.

Sharptor Mine is mentioned in the Retallick Saga by E. V. Thompson.[55] E. V. Thompson was a resident of Sharptor and lived in Idle Cottage, one of the stone miners' cottages in lower Sharptor. One of Mr. Thompson's books, Chase the Wind, was voted the best historical novel of the year (1980).[56] He Said The storylines come from researching. In my very first book I was sitting on the doorstep of an old miner's cottage, wondering about the people who lived there before - most probably Idle Cottage.[57]

A nearby previous resident of Minions and his rather unusual bovine friend were featured in an award-winning short film "Tony & The Bull". Scrunch, a Highland bull, was found as a calf on the moor, and Tony house-trained him and lived in a former run-down pub close to Minions. Sadly both have passed away and were cremated and buried together.[58]

Also nearby, is the Sterts Theatre and Arts Centre which is a converted pig farm with an open-air amphitheater and arts center. The conversion was undertaken by the founders Ewart and Anne Sturrock in 1982. Sterts puts on high-quality live performances, from family-friendly musicals to comedy nights and other live events in an open-air atmosphere.[59]

Filming for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children took place in 2015 mainly around Minions but some scenes were filmed around Sharptor but did not make the final cut.[60]

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  Sharp Tor looking over from Stowe's Hill
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  The road up through Sharptor
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  Wind-blown tree on the moor above Sharptor
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  Old railway track on the moor above Sharptor
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  Mile post on old railway above Sharptor
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  Typical mineshaft above Sharptor
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  Entrance to Cheesewring Quarry above Sharptor
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  22° halo and snow on Stowe's Hill from Sharptor
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  Light snowfall in the lane up through Sharptor
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  Sharptor
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  Cow in the lane at Sharptor
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  Train pulling into Liskeard Station
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  Hurlers Stones Minions near Sharptor
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  Phoenix Mine from Stowe's Hill near Higher Stanbear as seen from Stowe's Hill
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  Sharptor from Stowe's Hill
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  Cornish hedge and sheep at Sharptor
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  Road above Sharptor
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  Cheesewring stones above Sharptor
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  Duchy sign at Cheesewring Quarry above Sharptor
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  Cheesewring quarry Stowe's Hill above Sharptor
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  Engine mounts at mine works on Stowe's Hill above Sharptor
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  Stowe's Hill above Sharptor