Luxulyan and District Old Cornwall Society - Spring 2020 Update
We made the decision to cancel our March Meting; although the lockdown had not started, we felt it was the wisest course of action. We had been due to hear Roger Smith talking on Tywardreath Priory, we hope that we will be able to hear Roger’s talk next year. We have also had to postpone our first AGM, hopefully this will take place in the Autumn.
However, the permitted exercise time has provided an excellent opportunity to walk around our beautiful area, admire the hedgerows and notice things that we might have driven past a hundred times without seeing them. Whilst out walking, Malcolm and I have spotted a “cast-off stone”; a stone placed against the hedge to protect the corner from damage by wagon wheels at Bodiggo. We also noticed an inscribed stone in the hedge at Atwell and the remains of a railway wagon used as a field shelter near Tredinnick Farm. We found the impressive Menhir just below Helman Tor and, returning via Roseney Mill, we passed under a huge apple tree covered in blossom and humming with bees. Perhaps when our Old Cornwall Society is able to meet again, we might spend a little time sharing anything of interest we have found during these strange times.
Research into the Nuclear Power Station Protest has continued, documents kindly provided by those involved have been scanned and more items have been unearthed and promised to us, including a full set of Luxulyan Against Nuclear Development (LAND) magazines. If you have memories, photographs and/or artefacts you would be happy to share with us, we would be most grateful.
Luxulyan and District Old Cornwall Society - January 2020
At our January meeting Graeme Kirkham gave us a very interesting talk entitled “Painting the past: exploring watercolours from the 1870s by Thomas Quiller Couch”. As local GP, Thomas travelled around the Luxulyan area and Graeme had found and researched some of the watercolours of local landmarks and scenery he had made of the local area whilst out on his rounds. Some of these landmarks no longer exist or have changed so the paintings, apart from being beautiful in their own right, form a very important record of our area in days gone by.
In February, Ian Thompson spoke to us on Cornish Milestones, Waymarks and Finger posts. We were particularly interested to hear about our very special milestones here in Luxulyan, one of only two parishes in Cornwall to provide their own. It was suggested that our society might take over caring for these six milestones, members might “adopt” one, regularly clearing it of vegetation and keeping a watchful eye for any damage or deterioration. This will be discussed at our AGM on 16 April; if you would like to volunteer, please come along.
Forty years ago, in February 1980 the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) proposed five sites for a new Nuclear Power Station, three of these sites were in Cornwall at Gwithian, Nancekuke and Luxulyan. To mark this anniversary, we held a “memory afternoon” at Gunwen Chapel on February 22nd when those involved came along to share and record their memories. Documents, artefacts and photographs were brought along for copying and will form an archive of this important period in Luxulyan history,
The proposed site at Luxulyan was chiefly high-grade farmland at the head of the Luxulyan Valley and in the lee of Helman Tor. This inland site would require the construction of pipelines to bring in cooling water and involve changing the drainage of the surrounding mid-Cornwall moors and valley system. In order to store the water on the site 4 – 6 cooling towers; the proposed power station would undoubtedly be the single largest building in Cornwall, totally out of keeping with its surroundings, its cooling towers would dwarf even the highest of the china clay tips by 85 feet.
In March 1981 the CEGB commenced a programme of drilling at the three sites In Cornwall in order to decide on the future placement of the nuclear power station. A decision was due to be announced in Spring 1982. Nancekuke was owned by the Ministry of Defence, the site of a former biological warfare research establishment and then an RAF radar base. Gwithian was a green field site with only a small residential population as the village has many holiday homes. Luxulyan was the third site. At all these sites the CEGB met opposition, but at Luxulyan this resistance was the strongest, possibly because the landowner had openly defied the CEGB. On May 13th a spontaneous action by Luxulyan Against Nuclear Development (LAND) developed into an occupation. As the drilling rig was about to enter a field at Lower Menadue Farm, members of LAND lay down in front of a rig and stopped the drilling abruptly. The group and many anti-nuclear supporters laid siege to the rig, a site manning rota was put into operation with groups from the Cornwall Anti-Nuclear Alliance (CANA) and others taking responsibility on a shift basis. There were ten posts which had to be guarded day and night at gates, road junctions etc so a large number of people were required at any one time. It was important to maintain the siege as, until the drilling programme had been completed, no announcement could reasonably be made on the siting of a power station.
The CEGB served Injunctions on 32 individuals in an attempt to stop the local people obstructing their work but as the first group left the captured rig other individuals from Cornwall and North Devon took over. The protestors built a good understanding with the local police; they proved that they were capable of policing their own actions, protests were peaceful, no alcohol, drugs or weapons of any kind were allowed on the site. Because the actions of the protestors were not against criminal law, the police were not anxious to harass them in any way and good relations were maintained throughout. Friendships also developed between the protestors and the CEGB contractors on site to carry out drilling operations. Eventually one of the drilling rigs was moved out of Cornwall while the other 'captured' rig was greased up and temporarily immobilised by the CEGB. At the end of October 1982, after a High Court ruling, the protestors left the site in a peaceful manner following a ceremony when extracts from “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibram were read. The CEGB finally abandoned its plans for a nuclear power plant at Luxulyan and focussed their attention on Hinkley Point, Somerset.
Throughout the process, Luxulyan Parish Council had supported LAND; a referendum was arranged when residents were asked “Do you agree that the Parish Council should do everything in its power to oppose the building of the Nuclear Power Station?” Out of 853 persons on the electoral roll, 722 had cast a vote; 666 (78.1%) had voted Yes and 56 (6.5%) No. The total cost of the referendum had been £35.95, £29.95 of which was for newspaper advertising.
On 21 October 1981 the Parish Council declared Luxulyan a Nuclear Free Zone and unanimously agreed to oppose any proposals for the construction of a Nuclear Power Station in the area. This council would also oppose the transport of nuclear weapons or waste through the area or their disposal in the area. However, a request from LAND for financial support for a sign to be erected beside the railway at Bridges to read “Parish of Luxulyan – Nuclear Free Zone” was not agreed.
If you would like to find out more, you are welcome to come along to our AGM at the Memorial Institute in Luxulyan on Thursday 16 April at 7 pm. We will hear more about the protest and we would also like to hear your opinions and suggestions for our future programme of meetings and events
