Chacewater: Mining History and Trails

Chacewater lies in hilly countryside cut through by the Carnon River valley. The main settlement and the Chacewater Conservation Area are located in this valley. The landscape ranges from farmland in steep-sided valleys to rolling uplands, with heathland and woodland surrounding the fields. Two distinctive themes can help you find your bearings: the area’s mining history and its varied trails. The village itself also tells a story of the past, with ecclesiastical architecture and preserved 19th-century shopfronts.

Mining History and Landscape

The eastern complex of Wheal Busy is significant as a mining landscape. Shafts and pits illustrate historical mining, while reservoirs and water channels show how surface water resources were managed in the past. The remains are well preserved, particularly the Brunton calcinator. Together, these features show that the mining landscape includes not only the mining sites but also the former management of water.

Wheal Busy played a major part in the development of the village and the new parish of Chacewater. Wheal Busy Chapel is also part of the area’s mining history: this Grade II* listed building was constructed as a Bible Christian chapel during the region’s mining boom. An optional detour to the chapel is included on the mining heritage trail.

Churches and Historic Village Character

The Church of Saint Paul is a parish church. The parish was formed from Kenwyn in 1828; in 1892, the church was rebuilt to a design by Edmund Sedding of Plymouth, with the exception of the tower. The tower has four stages and battlements. It is the second-highest church tower in Cornwall. The lych gate is about 25 metres north of the church’s west end and is a Grade II listed building.

The built heritage also includes many preserved 19th-century shopfronts. Together with the church buildings, they create a village scene that reflects different aspects of local history: the development of the parish, the church’s architecture, and the older commercial buildings. Wheal Busy, in turn, links the village’s history with mining and the management of the land.

Walking Trails and the Former Railway Line

The network of trails around Chacewater includes approximately 17.5 miles of public rights of way; three walking routes are featured. The rights of way include footpaths, bridleways, restricted byways, and Byways Open to All Traffic. These categories are part of the local trail network and should not be treated as a single type of route.

The mining heritage trail around Chacewater and Wheal Busy is approximately 3.5 miles long and forms a circular route. An optional 1.5-mile detour is available. The trail starts at Wheal Busy, follows an old miners’ path through a mining-scarred valley, then crosses farmland to Chacewater. The chapel can be included by taking an optional detour. The route thus combines a journey through the landscape with a direct connection to mining and religious history.

The Redruth and Chacewater Railway Trail offers a different kind of route. It is 7.7 miles, or 12.4 kilometres, long, mostly flat, and runs off-road, though it occasionally crosses public roads. The railway embankment has been converted into a cycle trail, now offering an off-road coast-to-coast ride. The Redruth and Chacewater Railway officially opened in 1826 and was horse-operated until 1854. A larger section of the Coast-to-Coast Mineral Tramway also runs through the parish of Chacewater.

The main differences between the two trails are their length and character: at 12.4 kilometres, the Railway Trail is longer and mostly flat; the mining heritage trail is an approximately 3.5-mile circular route with an optional detour. You can therefore choose between a cycle route along the former railway line and a walk with a direct connection to mining history.

Discover more destinations: Saint Neot, St Keverne, Portreath, Callington, St Kew, Cardinham, Pensilva, Sancreed.

For the wider travel overview: Cornwall.