Pentewan Winter Storms 2014 by Robert E Evans / Map Barth [Pentewan OCS]
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The Sand and Block-works building which was built too near the foreshore and was washed away.
Photo circa 1920. R E Evans Collection.
During the storms of February 2014 there was some interesting exposure of foundations on the area of Pentewan sands which is known as Block-works Beach. The area of beach is the village end of Pentewan sands where from 1908 there was a building which housed the business of concrete block making. In 1900 because of the dwindling china clay trade through the port a new trade was beginning to develop using the sand on the beach. The Pentewan railway, still bringing china clay down the line from St Austell, was taking loads of sand back up the line for the local council and for builders around the St Austell area.
In 1907 the Pentewan Brick and Stone Company was formed and concrete blocks were starting to be made. Involved with this new venture with the then owners, the Johnstone family, was W T Lamb of London, a considerable supplier of building materials. So the name of the company was re-registered as Pentewan Development and Brick Company Limited.
Over the next few years the manufacture of concrete products grew and the company changed its name several times. Several buildings especially houses around the St Austell area were built of block from Pentewan. In 1910 a number of houses were built in South Street and Moorland Road, St Austell, and at Stenalees an Institute was constructed using all concrete products from Pentewan. The sand and block-works was a business which continued up until the Second World War. Although after 1945, production ceased of concrete blocks, but sand was still being used and was brought from across the beach by a narrow gauge railway system and then transported away by lorry. This continued until 1964.
Cornwall was battered by storms around February 14th 2014, and after the terrific seas which had been crashing all around the coastline, at Pentewan there were exposed some pieces of galvanised iron and what appear to be pillar like foundations of where the block-works building stood. With the sea moving the sand away and some of the low lying soil, also exposed were complete layers of soil, pebbles and a complete layer of china clay. The area was littered with debris, lots of concrete pieces and remains of old rail from the railway system which was on the harbour area. Also at this time, around the corner from the area where the remains of the old pier stands the beach known as Gamas, there was an extensive cliff fall.
Photographs were taken to record how the beach looked after the winter storms. Pentewan Sands Ltd., owners of the holiday camp and beach, re-covered the damaged area with sand so that visitors and holiday makers to the camp would have a pleasant area to enjoy their sunbathing.
Robert E Evans is a Bard of Gorsedh Kernow. Bardic Name: Map Barth
Originally published in Kernow Goth journal :
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