Herb Riddle's photos with the keyword: Cornwall

Time for a hot brew, chat and sit down outside the harbour office here in St Ives, Cornwall. When the tide comes in, water rushes below these arches underneath the harbour wall leading to the old lighthouse at the other end. Enjoy full screen.

To accompany the preceding photo here is somebody who makes full use of those waves.

As I say a temporary goodbye to Cornwall today, I show you a capture of one of its many Atlantic breakers. This taken at Porth Chapel as the tide was rushing in. The PiP taken from the same place just moments afterwards. Yes, this is not far from England's surfing capital: Newquay. Enjoy full size.

Taken from the slopes of St Agnes Beacon. Looking towards the headland on the left, you can just about see the lighthouse Island of Godrevy and beyond that Carbis Bay and St Ives. The buildings are the top ones of Wheal Coates Tin Mine. This was built in 1872 and drove 32 heads of stamps as well as winding from Towanroath shaft below. The engine stopped working in 1887, although it was modified during the 1910-1914 reworking. It was consolidated in 1986. Of course a great sky for the lover of such things too. The type of view I will never get closer to home. Essential full screen.

Walking the ‘South west Coast’ path around Godrevy Point is most rewarding. Not only do you have great views of an Island rock lighthouse but there are numerous Grey Seals about too. (There were some just down in this rocky cove.) This short bit of fence though, not to be taken too lightly, the drop on the other side was dizzying. Enjoy full size. Have a great weekend. Herb

Walking over St Agnes head, we start to descend to Trevellas Cove and civilisation. As we see here, millions of years of being pounded by the Atlantic Ocean has its effect as seen in these caves and rock formations. Now that it is late autumn, the bright colours of the heathers shown here have somewhat receded. Essential full screen.

Looking east from the Blue Hills towards Bawden Rocks. This cove is also known as St Agnes cove and we see here the cliffs to the sea that were once part of the old harbour. Only some old steps and ramps along with a few tunnels give any clues that once many winches helped manhandle heavy ore from the top cliffs quarries and tunnels down to the ships. From the harbour at Trevaunance Cove ships took copper ore to be smelted in Swansea, returning with coal. St Agnes remained a busy port until the collapse of the harbour wall in a storm in 1915. Since the 17th century there had been many attempts to create a harbour for St Agnes. Three attempts were made in total, the first being washed away in 1705.The second harbour built in 1710 was wrecked in 1730 by the crashing Atlantic Ocean waves. A third harbour was constructed in 1798 and also supported a pilchard and mackeral fishing industry, reaching its peak in 1830 before its final demise in 1915-17. The rock Islands (there are two rocks) are called Bawden Rocks. Essential full screen.

We will miss you here in Ipernity Andy, and the Cornish coastline has also lost a dear friend. RIP ******************************************************************************************************** The earth below Cornwall is full of natural metals, especially near the coast. Here we see my favourite old Tin Mine, revisited after 35 years. The paths you see here are part of the ‘South West Coast Path’ and are a delight to follow through natural and man-made history. “Earliest records indicate a mine at the site since 1692.The present mine opened in 1802 and was closed in 1889 when the price of tin fell. It came into full production in 1815. Flooding and bringing ore to the surface were the main problems of the mine until steam-driven equipment was available, as the mine's underground operations extended for some distance under the sea. The mine was sold in 1844 and thereafter allowed to flood. A new owner reopened the mine in 1872 but work was sporadic until its 1889 closure. For some years, the yield was 20lb of tin per ton of ore. In 1906, new ownership hoped to work the mine for both tin and copper. Wheal Coates had produced a small amount of copper ore, more than a century earlier.At the height of its production, 140 people were employed at the site to mine a seam of tin just below sea level but this and a subsequent period of operation from 1911-1913 were not very successful because tin production was sporadic. The mine was closed for good in 1914. Wheal Coates is now part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site.” (WiKi) See adjacent photo for alternative and historical views. Enjoy full screen.

A chance to compare the same scene taken almost 35 years apart. The left photo is my original slide conversion as seen on our dear old Panoramio, posted in 2008 but taken c 1986. The right hand side was taken last week, ie October 2021. Looking at the composition and viewpoint of these, it looks to me that my skills have waned over the years :) but the scene has not. See next photo for a more modern look and historic description. This is especially for our Ipernity friend Andy Rodker who knows this Cornish St Agnes Head coast and mine intimately. It is my wish that he will one day soon, walk these paths again after his recent illness. Essential full screen.

As the wind and rain drives like a fast train towards me, the bright sun here just moments ago lights up the sky and sea with rainbows. The spot is a high headland above the Cornish cove of Chapel Porth. HBM. Enjoy full screen and have a good week.