Coordinates: 50°15′40″N 5°17′17″W / 50.261°N 5.288°W / 50.261; -5.288

Portreath
Portreath harbour at low tide
Portreath  Portreath shown within Cornwall
Population	1,337 (2001)
OS grid reference	SW655455
Unitary authority	Cornwall
Ceremonial county	Cornwall
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	REDRUTH
Postcode district	TR16
Dialling code	01209
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Cornwall
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Falmouth and Camborne
List of places: UK • England • Cornwall

Portreath is a village, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, UK, about 5 km north of the town of Camborne. The village extends for about 1 km down the valley of the Red River, clinging to both slopes, towards the main centre around the harbour and parade of shops, about 300 metres from the seafront. Further up the valley are small clothing factory outlets. Today its sandy beach and surf are popular with holidaymakers.

[edit] History

The name Portreath (meaning "sandy cove") was first recorded in 1485. Tin streaming in the valley was recorded from 1602, and the first quay was built in 1713 near Amy's Point,^[1] though it was destroyed by the sea before 1749.^[2] The village also had a fishing fleet, mainly for pilchards.^[1]

In the late 1770s, during the American Revolutionary War, lieutenant-colonel of the North Devon militia, Francis Basset, commanded local miners to fortify the port, which helped counter a Franco-Spanish invasion fleet gathered as part of the European theatre of the war.^{[citation needed]}

In the 19th century, Portreath was, with Devoran on the south coast, one of the main ports for sending the copper ore mined in the Gwennap area to Swansea for smelting. The ships returned with welsh coal to fire the steam engines used on the mines. The two rectangular basins that today make up the harbour and the long breakwater just below the cliffs were all built for this trade. The peak of this enterprise was around 1840, when some 100,000 tons of copper ore were shipped out each year.^[3]

To the south of the harbour are the significant remains of the old cable-worked incline used by the Hayle Railway in the 19th and early 20th centuries to descend to the quayside. Today there is a 17.5 km public footpath and cycle track following the old mineral tramways from here across the county to Devoran on the south coast.^[3]

RRH Portreath, a radar station operated by the RAF, was built in 1940 on Nancekuke Common to the north of the village.

[edit] Gallery

The beach and Gull Rock at sunset

Portreath harbour mole

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Portreath Parish Tram Web Site
• http://www.trencrom.freeserve.co.uk/portreath.htm
• http://www.heartofcornwall.com/pages/portreath.htm
• 8 photographs of Portreath at WestCountryViews.co.uk
• A Brief history of Portreath
• Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Portreath
• Portreath School website
• Sustrans Mineral Tramways cycle route
• Postcards of Portreath

v • d • e Civil Parishes of the former Kerrier District Cornwall Breage • Budock • Camborne • Carharrack • Carn Brea • Constantine • Crowan • Cury • Germoe • Grade-Ruan • Gunwalloe • Gweek • Helston • Illogan • Landewednack • Lanner • Mabe • Manaccan • Mawgan-in-Meneage • Mawnan • Mullion • Porthleven • Portreath • Redruth •St Anthony-in-Meneage • St Day • St Gluvias • St Keverne •St Martin-in-Meneage • Sithney • Stithians • Wendron

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