A new 10-part TV programme about Britain's "Seven Wonders Made by Man", which were nominated by the British public, has been made. Seven nominations had to be made for each region. For the South West, four of the seven were from Cornwall. Cornwall was once the world's biggest tin mining area.
--------------------------------------------------------
SEVEN WONDERS MADE BY MAN
02 August 2006
Four of the Man Made Wonders which were featured in a new national television programme on Thursday are located in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The BBC is producing a new 10-part series entitled Seven Man Made Wonders.
Earlier this year members of the public were invited to nominate their favourite wonder, which could be bricks and mortar, such as cathedrals, castles and bridges, or gardens and landmarks - the only requirement was it must have been built before 1900.
The first programme featured the South West with seven wonders nominated by viewers.
Among the list of seven were four from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - Royal Albert Bridge, Saltash; Bishop Rock Lighthouse; Treffry Viaduct, St Austell; and Botallack Mines in West Cornwall - a fact which has delighted Cllr Adam Paynter (Lib Dem), the county council's executive member for environment and heritage.
"It was exciting to see four of them featured in this prestigious programme," said Adam Paynter. "Two - the Treffry Viaduct and the Botallack Mines - form part of the World Heritage Site, so it is particularly pleasing that they have been chosen by the public as their favourite man made wonders."
Bishop Rock Lighthouse, Cornwall
Bishop Rock Lighthouse is the tallest tower lighthouse in Britain. Built on the edge of the lethal western rocks, this isolated lighthouse faces the full force of the Atlantic. The first lighthouse was built there from 1847-50 on metal stilts but was swept away completely by a violent storm in 1851. The replacement granite tower, finished in 1858, shook violently when hit by huge seas and despite strengthening with iron rods, Trinity House decided to strengthen and heighten the tower.
The Royal Albert Bridge in Saltash, Cornwall was built by the great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel
The Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash was built between 1857 and 1859, across the River Tamar. It is one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's most famous engineering works. This combined suspension and arched bridge carried the Cornwall Railway (later the Great Western Railway) from Plymouth to Cornwall. The bridge has granite piers and tubular arches with granite shafts.
Treffry Viaduct, Cornwall
The Treffry Viaduct spans the Luxulyan Valley in mid-Cornwall, and was built between 1839 and 1842 by J T Treffry as part of a scheme to connect the harbours of Newquay and Par by horse-drawn tramway and a canal.
The granite viaduct conveys water in a leat below the trackbed for the tramway. The bridge has 10 arches and rises to 90 feet above the Par river at the centre of its 660 feet length.
The tramway system fell into disuse after the construction of the Cornwall Minerals Railway in the early 1870s, but the viaduct has continued to carry water to serve a hydro-electric power station at Ponts Mill. The viaduct is now owned by the Cornwall Heritage Trust.
Botallack Mine and the Crowns in Cornwall are perched precariously on the edge of a cliff
Botallack Mine and the Crowns engine houses at Botallack, near St Just, are precariously sited just above the sea.
There is great technical interest in the inclined Boscawen Diagonal Shaft (sunk from 1858-62) that runs out under the ocean bed to a distance of 800m from the cliffs. Recent consolidation works on the cliffs above have now preserved the processing works, the mine offices (now the local HQ of the National Trust) as well as the best preserved arsenic works in Europe.
Other man-made wonders featured in the programme were:
Clovelly, Devon (one of the most beautiful places in the world)
Exeter Cathedral, Devon
Plymouth Breakwater, Devon, built in 1812 to keep out Napoleon.
thisiscornwall.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------
SEVEN WONDERS MADE BY MAN
02 August 2006
Four of the Man Made Wonders which were featured in a new national television programme on Thursday are located in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The BBC is producing a new 10-part series entitled Seven Man Made Wonders.
Earlier this year members of the public were invited to nominate their favourite wonder, which could be bricks and mortar, such as cathedrals, castles and bridges, or gardens and landmarks - the only requirement was it must have been built before 1900.
The first programme featured the South West with seven wonders nominated by viewers.
Among the list of seven were four from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - Royal Albert Bridge, Saltash; Bishop Rock Lighthouse; Treffry Viaduct, St Austell; and Botallack Mines in West Cornwall - a fact which has delighted Cllr Adam Paynter (Lib Dem), the county council's executive member for environment and heritage.
"It was exciting to see four of them featured in this prestigious programme," said Adam Paynter. "Two - the Treffry Viaduct and the Botallack Mines - form part of the World Heritage Site, so it is particularly pleasing that they have been chosen by the public as their favourite man made wonders."
Bishop Rock Lighthouse, Cornwall
Bishop Rock Lighthouse is the tallest tower lighthouse in Britain. Built on the edge of the lethal western rocks, this isolated lighthouse faces the full force of the Atlantic. The first lighthouse was built there from 1847-50 on metal stilts but was swept away completely by a violent storm in 1851. The replacement granite tower, finished in 1858, shook violently when hit by huge seas and despite strengthening with iron rods, Trinity House decided to strengthen and heighten the tower.
The Royal Albert Bridge in Saltash, Cornwall was built by the great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel
The Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash was built between 1857 and 1859, across the River Tamar. It is one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's most famous engineering works. This combined suspension and arched bridge carried the Cornwall Railway (later the Great Western Railway) from Plymouth to Cornwall. The bridge has granite piers and tubular arches with granite shafts.
Treffry Viaduct, Cornwall
The Treffry Viaduct spans the Luxulyan Valley in mid-Cornwall, and was built between 1839 and 1842 by J T Treffry as part of a scheme to connect the harbours of Newquay and Par by horse-drawn tramway and a canal.
The granite viaduct conveys water in a leat below the trackbed for the tramway. The bridge has 10 arches and rises to 90 feet above the Par river at the centre of its 660 feet length.
The tramway system fell into disuse after the construction of the Cornwall Minerals Railway in the early 1870s, but the viaduct has continued to carry water to serve a hydro-electric power station at Ponts Mill. The viaduct is now owned by the Cornwall Heritage Trust.
Botallack Mine and the Crowns in Cornwall are perched precariously on the edge of a cliff
Botallack Mine and the Crowns engine houses at Botallack, near St Just, are precariously sited just above the sea.
There is great technical interest in the inclined Boscawen Diagonal Shaft (sunk from 1858-62) that runs out under the ocean bed to a distance of 800m from the cliffs. Recent consolidation works on the cliffs above have now preserved the processing works, the mine offices (now the local HQ of the National Trust) as well as the best preserved arsenic works in Europe.
Other man-made wonders featured in the programme were:
Clovelly, Devon (one of the most beautiful places in the world)
Exeter Cathedral, Devon
Plymouth Breakwater, Devon, built in 1812 to keep out Napoleon.
thisiscornwall.co.uk
