Chyandour: East of Penzance (A History) www.paulmason.info/Chyandour

"Has anyone got any information and/or images of Chyandour to share?"
- Paul Mason at buryanpaul@yahoo.com

Gateway to Penzance and beyond

Visitors to Penzance arriving from 'upcountry' almost invariably enter town on the eastern side, either by the A30 road or by train, where they get a brief glimpse of Chyandour, a little village on the outskirts of town.

In 1404 Penzance was granted a market charter to enable it to be a 'market-town', meaning it was entitled to hold a weekly market. Later, in 1614, the town gained the status of a Municipal Borough, essentially meaning Penzance could be self-governing, the borough being a circle of land with a radius of roughly 1/2 mile centred on the Market Cross at Greenmarket and bounded by four boundary stones at the points of the compass, the northern one being at St Clare, the western one being in Alverton, the southern in Wherrytown, and the eastern one at Chyandour Cliff, a stone, inscribed on three faces, the one closest to town having the letter 'P' (short for Penzance), the facet facing out showing '16', and the third side showing '87' (thus signifying the year as 1687).

Today the eastern boundary stone stands on the pavement in front of number 8 Chyandour Cliff, next door to Royale Court (formerly Hotel Royale), though in 1687 it most likely stood on the corner of the lane next to 20 Chyandour Cliff, where, according to Dawson's Parish Map, the boundary then was. Interestingly, this demarcation line placed Lescudjack, put the ancient fortress on the brow of Chyandour Cliff, and also the village of Chyandour, outside the borough limits.

The name Chyandour (or Chyandower) is Cornish and means 'House by the Stream' - with 'chy' meaning 'house', 'an' meaning 'the', and both 'dower' and 'dour' meaning 'stream or water'.

Chyandour is an old established village that sits beside the Chyandour Brook, a stream which runs down the picturesque Chyandour Coombe from Madron and Treneere.

Though the village is nowadays predominantly residential, a century or so ago Chyandour was a thriving industrial area and profitable too, with one family in particular benefitting - the Bolithos - who moved to the Penzance area in about 1760.

'MOUNT'S BAY COMMERCIAL BANK established at Chyandour in 1807 by Thomas Bolitho (The Coombe) and William Bolitho (Gulval), merchants.
Renamed BOLITHO, SONS & CO. 1810;'
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Messrs._Bolitho

Officially, Chyandour lay beyond the boundary with Penzance and was therefore not subject to local taxes and duties. Chyandour was close enough to have a clear view of Penzance but sufficiently far away to have an identity of its own.

According to the Pigot Directory of Cornwall of 1823, there were but two businesses being carried out in Chyandour:

'TAVERNS AND PUBLIC HOUSES. Copper Tin & Fish, Wm. Weymouth, Chyandour., Three Tuns, Thos. Smith, Chyandour'

But that would be to overlook the Bolitho family, who lived and worked in Chyandour, and are also listed as having multiple business interests:

'BANKERS. Bolitho, Sons & Co.
MERCHANTS. Bolitho Thos & Sons,
SHIP OWNERS. Bolitho Thos. & Wm
TANNERS. Bolitho & Co.
TIN SMELTERS. Bolitho & Co.'

Unfortunately though, it seems the local workers in Chyandour lived in poor conditions back then.

'In 1825, and for many years after, the houses at Chyandour were very small and dilapidated. The two large houses now occupied by Mrs. Trevithick and Mr. Milton were built about this time; the granite house next to Mrs. Trevithick’s was for many years one of the best lodging houses in this neighbourhood. On the other side of the road opposite the granite house was a good-sized garden [locally, in those days, the word 'garden' more often than not meant 'allotment'], now taken away to make room for the railway. Between these houses and Penzance were on the right hand fields, and on the left a hedge; seaward of the hedge the ground sloped down to the beach.'
http://west-penwith.org.uk/pz1.htm

Chyandour - main square, corner shop and Rowe's 3 Tuns Hotel, c1860
(a 'tun' is an old-fashioned term for a barrel)

(photograph)

Contained in the Coulson's Directory of 1862 is a listing of local residents and their trades:

'Chyandour Cliff.
Edwin Sherman Polkinghorne, Esq., Francis Trevithick, Esq., John Berryman, Coachman., Mrs. Thornton., Jacob Corin., Barzillai Beckerleg, Mastermariner., Mrs. Griffen., Richard Hall, Labourer., Mrs. Trounson., Charles Ladner, Shoemaker., William Hitchens, Labourer., John Perry, W. C. R. [West Cornwall Railway], James Kingston Stevens, Basket-maker., Miss Barnicoat., George Brewer, Labourer., Thomas Hall, Tin-smelter., Richard Roliston, Butler., John Harris, Engineman W. C. R., Mrs. Penrose., Miss Mann, Needlewoman., Samuel Hocking, Labourer., James Bennetts, Guard W. C. R., Michael Perryman, Shopkeeper., Mrs. Eathorne., John Allan, Labourer., John Richards, Guard W. C. R., William Gilbert, Shopkeeper., John Escott, Guard W. C. R., John Tucker, Labourer., William Pengelly, Basket-maker., William Uren, Labourer., Mrs. Hicks., William Oliver, Labourer., Richard Martins, Labourer., Mrs. Rogers., William Rowe, Labourer., Miss Baragwaneth., James Couch, Shoemaker., Richard Hall, Labourer., John Lovell, Tanner., William Matthews, Labourer., Richard Denithorne, Tanner., James Trewern, Tanner., James Denithorne, Labourer., Samuel Ridgeman, Labourer., Richard Denithorne, Labourer.

Chyandour.
James Denithorne, Tanner., Peter Ley, Tanner., William Rundle King, Innkeeper., Mrs. Friggens, Shopkeeper., George Pellew, Labourer., Mrs. Jeffery., John Bridgeman, Labourer., Charles Rowe, Labourer., William Bridgeman, Labourer., John Edwards, Labourer., James Trewhella, Labourer., Richard Mildrum, Labourer., Frederick William West, Sergeant C. C. C. [Cornwall County Constabulary], James Lovell, Tin-smelter., William Matthews, Tanner., Richard Hocking, Tanner., Edward Hocking, Tanner., William Jenkin, Tin-smelter., Richard Mann, Tin-smelter., William Tredrea, Innkeeper., William Barnicoat, Tanner., Thomas Matthews, Tin-smelter., David Eddy, Labourer., James Ferrell, Hind [servant]., John Squance, Coachman., Richard Marrack, Accountant.

Chyandour Terrace.
1. William Bottrell, Carrier., 2. James Curtis, Coachman., 3. James Rowe, Tin-smelter., 4. Nicholas White, Blacksmith.'
http://west-penwith.org.uk/coulson2.htm#C

The Coombe, Chyandour
(Google Streetview April 2026)

Nestled to the western side of Chyandour Coombe, stands The Coombe, once the residence of the Bolitho family.

In fact The Coombe is not one house but three houses conjoined, the right part appearing to be the oldest, the middle part dating back to the 18th century, and the left side (with a walled lawned garden ranging from the side of house) being early 19th century. After The Coombe ceased to be the Bolitho family home it is said that the property was eventually converted into flats.

Across the lane is a fast running freshwater stream that flows down Chyandour Coombe to the sea. Almost immediately opposite the old stables is a building known as the Tannery Barn.

Tanning Barn, Chyandour Coombe
(Google Streetview July 2023)

Chyandour Brook passes directly under the Tanning Barn, which until a century or so ago was an important part of a large local tanning operation.

The tanning operation at Chyandour was mentioned in a report from The Cornishman newspaper, No. 442. 30th December 1886, page 4:
'The tanning pits in the tanning yard and tens of thousands of pounds' worth of cured hides were removed in 1886. The yard was made into a "shrubbery".'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chyandour

It is likely that the tanning process had contaminated the ground with chemicals, so the decision not to develop the site sounds a good one.

After the tanyard ceased operation, Chyandour Brook continued to serve local industry in the form of the large tin smelting works closeby.

Tin Smelting in Chyandour

Back in around 1660 John Tremenheere (1628-1685), Mayor of Penzance in 1655 and 1665, set up a tin smelting works at Chyandour.

A few words are needed to explain what tin smelting is:

'Tin mines do not produce tin metal, they mine ore and process it into tin concentrate which then has to be smelted to produce the tin metal. The smelters set up their works around the coinage towns for convenience and for the efficient regulation and taxation of the trade.'
https://www.penwithlocalhistorygroup.co.uk/on-this-day/?id=201

Up until 1663 the ore from the Penwith area was taken to Helston, a distance of over 14 miles (an inconvenient and costly journey), then Penzance became a 'coinage' town, that is to say:

'Coinage was essentially a tax on tin. The mechanism for gathering the tax involved sampling, or coining, smelted blocks of tin, the samples were assayed, the block weighed and the dues calculated. Once the dues had been paid the block was stamped with the Duchy seal and only after this could the tin be sold. In order to run an efficient tax collection system the coinage operation was centralised, all tin had to be taken to a coinage town to be coined and the town where it was taxed became the place where it was also sold. These blocks of tin weighed about 300 pounds (136 kilos) so transporting them around the county was not a very viable option.'

https://www.penwithlocalhistorygroup.co.uk/on-this-day/?id=201

So, shortly after Tremenheere started his tin smelting operation, Penzance became a 'Stannary Town'.

'All tin that had been mined and made into blocks was taken to a Stannary Town where it was weighed and the coinage tax was paid. This happened four times a year, at Lady Day (25th March) midsummer, Michaelmas (29th September) and Christmas. On the coinage day, officials would weigh the tin and test its quality by taking a corner from each block. This process was called ‘coining’, and is where we get the word coinage. If the tin was of good quality it would be stamped with the Duchy of Cornwall’s official stamp.'
https://www.cornwallforever.co.uk/history/cornish-stannaries

When John Tremenheere died in 1685 he not only willed his many properties and possessions but also 'the lease of Chyandour blowing house and a house'* and 'shares in tin works'*.
* 'Penzance: The Biography' by Michael Sagar-Fenton, Amberley Stroud 2015

By 1760 the tin smelting operation at Chyandour was being run by the Praed family, however when tanner Thomas Bolitho (1740–1807) arrived from Penryn he soon involved himself in the smelting business too.

'Tin smelting in Cornwall was, on the whole, a more capital-intensive and lucrative business than mining and was controlled by a ‘ring’ or cartel of a few families.'
'The principal Cornish families engaged in tin smelting were the Daubuzes [Truro], the Williams [Redruth], the Harveys [Hayle] and the Bolithos [Chyandour].'
https://www.cornishmining.org.uk/about/mining-in-cornwall-and-west-devon/infrastructure-to-support-mining/associated-industries

'In 1850, the freehold of the Chyandour Smelting Works was bought by the [Bolitho] family and, in 1877, they acquired a joint use in the Trade Mark of “Lamb & Flag” for marking blocks, bars and ingots of tin.'

https://bolithoestates.co.uk/history-2/

Ingots of tin were produced at Chyandour and stamped with the company logo, the image of a Lamb & Flag

Workers at the Chyandour Tin Smelting Works
(photographer unknown)

'In 1883 the smelting works was the largest of nine in Cornwall covering 4 acres (1.6 ha) to 5 acres (2.0 ha). It consisted of a number of long, one storey, slated buildings with several chimneys belching smoke and flames. There were four furnaces which were built of brick 18 inches (460 mm) thick and clamped with iron bands. Each lasted five to six weeks, when it required rebuilding. Fifteen men worked twelve hour shifts, with nights every other week, for 19 shillings a week. The tin ore was stored between large wooden barriers (known as hutches) with each compartment storing differing qualities. The ore came straight from the mines, or from "valuable" Australian stream ore (containing 75% tin), or low quality ore from the "Red River". The ore was heated and the tin flowed into cast iron crucibles where it was re-heated to remove impurities. It was then ladled into bars, blocks, ingots, etc., which weighed from one pound to a hundredweight or more. A small iron slab with Messrs Bolitho's trade mark was laid on the molten tin to leave an impression and the tin was shipped within this country or exported to Russia, America, etc.
Anthracite was brought in by sea, the ships landing on the beach near the mouth of the Chyandour Brook, which was outside the boundary of Penzance and hence they did not have to pay harbour dues. The cargo was carried through the three tunnels under the railway line and hauled up the slipway to the smelting works.'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chyandour

Consolidated Tin Smeltling Co Ltd - Chyandour
Consolidated Tin Smelting Co. Limited, Chyandour
(photographer unknown)

Penzance & the arrival of the railway

With the successful expansion of rail networks to Cornwall, plans were made to extend the broad gauge tracks to Truro and Penzance.

'Opening of the West Cornwall Railway - The Penzance Station'
- view from the direction of Chyandour -
(The Illustrated London News September 4th, 1852 - hand-tinted)

'On August 26th 1852, the West Cornwall Railway opened its line between Penzance and Truro – and with it a station at Penzance, where the travelling public would reach the seafront terminus. The town was fully decorated for the occasion, with arches over the main thoroughfares and houses, and shops decked out with greenery. Mayor Richard Pearce and various other VIPs had made an early start for Truro – and by midday the town was ready for their ceremonial return.

The railway had actually been operating out of the station building since March, providing passenger and goods trains as far as Redruth, but the official celebration was put off until the line through to Truro was completed. Everyone who lived within the Borough could now board within 20 minutes’ walk of their homes, and arrive in Truro less than two hours later. But more important was the speedy carriage of perishable produce – and quicker communication by means of letter post and newspapers. The passenger traffic was just a welcome extra. Hence the importance of the site – adjacent to Albert Pier, where cargoes could be transferred from ship to shore to railway train.'
https://www.penwithlocalhistorygroup.co.uk/the-penwith-papers/?article=All+Change%21&id=49

In late 1852, a combination of events conspired to wreak havoc with the railway line close by to Chyandour.

West Cornwall Railway viaduct damaged in gale 1852

'The viaduct of the Penzance Railway, in part destroyed by the late gale'
(The Illustrated London News January 8th 1853)

'DESTRUCTIVE STORM AT PENZANCE
The terrific gale of last week reached Penzance and Mount's Bay, from S.S.W., or S.W., about ten o'clock on Sunday night, and continued till about three next morning.
Unfortunately it was the period of spring tides ; hence the destruction of property was very great. During the gale the whole of the scaffolding and wood-word erected for the works for extending the southern arm of Penzance pier, were wholly swept away ; and the scaffolding was drifted by the heavy sea with tremendous force against the wooden viaduct of the West Cornwall Railway, on the Eastern Green, just at the entrance of the town, and a considerable portion was destroyed (See the Illustration). On that part of the line still nearer to the town, a considerable portion of the sea wall which there protected the railway was thrown down, and about 180 feet of the viaduct was swept away, or so far mutilated as to require replacing. Such was the force of the waves that large blocks of granite of some thirty-two cubic feet, and weighing perhaps two tons, were lifted across the line, a distance of about a dozen feet.
After the accident, the trains arrived only as far as the Marazion station, and the usual ominbuses conveyed passengers to and from that station instead of Penzance.
Fortunately, there were not at the time of the gale a dozen vessels in the harbour, or the loss of property must have been very great. About half-past two o'clock, when the gale was at its height, the Sophia (Bosustow, master) parted all her fastenings and drove out of the pier ; she lay for an hour and a half between the old and new pier-head; and afterwards drifted out towards the Eastern Green, and went ashore between eight and nine o'clock. She had on board a cargo of guano, with which she arrived at Penzance about a fortnight ago from Patagonia. Other vessels lying in the old pier sustained damage. Such was the force with which the sea beat over into the pier, that massive pieces of granite lying there (not portions of the wall), weighing from two to four cwt., were washed off into the basin of the pier.
On the Western Green, also, the sea swept over upon the road, flooding a few houses on the right. Further on, portions of the wall which protected the road were destroyed.'
- The Illustrated London News January 8th 1853 p20

NB the guano mentioned in the The Illustrated London News report was likely destined for the tannery at Chyandour, as guano (dung of birds and bats) was in those days used in the leather-softening process.
It is stated* that The Times of December 30th 1852 reported the Sophia had been driven ashore, and that The Daily News of January 17th 1853 reported she had been refloated on January 13th 1853, which suggests the Sophia was moored up near Chyandour for about a fortnight.
So perhaps the gale had provided an opportunity for the cargo of guano to be taken directly ashore at Chyandour, potentially enabling the recipient to avoid local transportation costs and municipal taxes for delivery of the noxious toxic shipment.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shipwrecks_in_December_1852

Despite the vulnerability of the wooden viaduct, the rail link with Penzance proved a great success and it was but a matter of time before improvements were made to the speed of the service.

'Through trains from London Paddington to Penzance began running on 1 March 1867 and included fast services such as the 10:15 Cornishman and 11:45 Flying Dutchman, but these still took nine hours or more for the journey.'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_Riviera_Express

After suffering further storm damage to the railway track at Mount's Bay in 1867 and 1868, the structure of the viaduct was rebuilt using granite blocks.

But weather wasn't the only concern, there was still the lingering fear of foreign invasion, for historically Mount's Bay had been the target of the devastating 'Spanish Attack' of August 1595, a raid brought about because of religious differences between Roman Catholic Spain and Protestant England.

Spanish attack on Penzance 1595
(engraving credited to James Grant, author of British Battles on Land and Sea, 1873)

'Penzance was also bombarded by the Spanish galleys; 400 houses were destroyed and three ships "laden with wine and other goods" were sunk. Godolphin attempted to rally his men but they fled once again. The Spanish then entered Penzance with no further resistance and the village was sacked except for St Mary's church which was saved as Burley having guided the Spanish pleaded for it to be spared having told Amesquita that the church once held Mass.
At the end of the raid a traditional Catholic mass led by Brother Domingo Martinez was held in an open air field altar on the Western Hill outside of Penzance. The Spanish commander promised to build a Catholic church on this site within two years, once England had been conquered. Amesquita observed the growing number of Cornish militia having assembled before Marazion and St Michael's Mount. Bullets and arrows were fired which forced them away from the shore which discouraged a further attack there. In two days however the Spanish had taken what they needed, having burned Penzance and the villages of Mousehole, Paul, and Newlyn. On re-embarking soon afterwards on 4 August, Amesquita then released all his prisoners ashore and the Spanish sailed off unmolested.'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Mount%27s_Bay

And in 1625 it was North African pirates - known as 'Turks' and also referred to as Barbary Corsairs - who sailed from the ports of Algiers, Tunis & Tripoli, and captured 60 local men, women and children into slavery. Other raids followed.

So it is hardly surprising that a battery of cannons was established on Chyandour Cliff, permanently trained on Mount's Bay.

The Battery at the Barracks on Chyandour Cliff c1870
- cannons pointed out to Mount's Bay -
(photographer unknown)

But when W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan created 'The Pirates of Penzance' they omitted all mention of the abductions and the selling of dozens of innocent folk into slavery, and created a comic opera, which, ironically, has led to a situation where people actually celebrate this association between the words pirates and Penzance!

Railway modernisation

When the railway line to Penzance was first established, the use of broad gauge track had been adopted, but as more and more companies preferred the use of standard gauge track, eventually, in 1870, a compromise was reached resulting in an extra rail being laid so that both gauges of conveyances could run to Penzance.

A 3rd rail is added to the broad gauge railway track, Penzance 1870

Penzance Station viewed from Chyandour Cliff, 1870
with a 3rd rail laid so both broad gauge and standard gauge trains had access to the station
- an early form of signalling known as 'disc and crossbar' was then in use -
(photographer unknown)

'The early fixed signals were soon superceded by “disc and crossbar” signals which were introduced in 1841. They were one of the first signals in the country to have positive indications for both “all clear” and “stop”. These signals were on posts between 40 and 60 feet (12.3m – 18.5m) tall and consisted of a 3ft or 4ft diameter disk mounted over an 8ft x 1ft 3in horizontal bar set a right angles to the disk. Both disk and crossbar where made of metal and were perforated to reduce wind resistance. “All clear” was signalled by turning the disc to face the train, and “stop” indicated by turning the post a quarter turn so the bar faced oncoming traffic. While semaphore signals gradually replaced disk and crossbar signals from 1865 onwards, a few disc and crossbar signals survived until the 1900s.'
https://richardjnz.wordpress.com/welcome/non-fiction-booklets/a-short-history-of-britains-broad-gauge-railways/signalling/

'Achilles' 0-6-0 broad gauge tank at Chyandour engine shed

Chyandour engine shed, Penzance
broad gauge 0-6-0 tank engine 'Achilles' 2165, built in 1873
(postcard)

OS map of Chyandour c1875

Ponsandane Lodge, Chyandour

Ponsandane Lodge, Chyandour
- to the left, the 3 Tuns Hotel, & to the right, the snaking driveway up to Ponsandane, the home of R F Bolitho -
(photograph Gibson, Penzance)

Corner shop and 3 Tuns Hotel, Chyandour

- to the right of the picture, through the hedge is Ponsandane Lodge-
(photographer unknown)

God's Wonderful Railway continues to develop

Penzance Station c1880
broad gauge engine and carriages
- note the turntable in foreground -
(photographer unknown)

Facilities were in place for the refuelling of coal, and the replenishing of water of steam engines, and it was also essential for there to be a turntable at the terminus too, so that any steam locomotive which brought a train of coaches to Penzance could be turned 180 degrees in order that it would be facing in the right direction when it came to pull the train back up the track again.

For over twenty years the G.W.R. (Great Western Railway, aka 'God's Wonderful Railway') had been running trains to Penzance on both broad gauge (on 7 foot 1/4 inch wide track) and standard gauge (on 4 foot 8 1/2 inch wide track), but by 1892 a decision was made to standardise, resulting in broad gauge being discontinued.

Last broad gauge train from Penzance May 20th 1892

Penzance Station May 20th 1892
last broad gauge train from Penzance
(photographer unknown)

'The last broad gauge train had left Penzance at 9.45 pm on Friday 20 May. There was another special stopping train from Penzance at 10.00 pm reaching Exeter at 5 am. It was carrying Inspector Scantlebury who was distributing certificates and instructions to those along the route supervising the work of removing the broad rolling stock and track over the weekend.'
https://isambardkbrunel.weebly.com/broad-guage.html

Conversion was done astonishingly swiftly considering the massive length of track that had to be altered, with several thousand workmen being deployed to the region, and normal rail services resumed on Monday May 23rd 1892, with the now defunct broad gauge engines all making their last journeys to Swindon to be scrapped.

'The last broad gauge trains ran on Friday 20th May, and all GWR owned broad gauge locomotives and rolling stock were moved back to Swindon.
Then following advanced preparations - starting at daybreak - over the weekend of Sat 21st and Sun 22nd May 1892,177 miles of track between Exeter and Truro (and all branches) were narrowed from 7ft 0¼ins to 4ft 8½ins.
This involved some 4,700 men, platelayers and gangers, and the work was completed on time, allowing the Sunday 'Night Mail' from Paddington to run right through to Penzance.
Men were issued with an 'oatmeal drink' - as no alcohol was allowed during the entire gauge changeover.'
https://www.broadgauge.org.uk/history/pops/bg_pic_gauge_conversion.htm

Steam locomotive outside Chyandour engine shed
Engine Driver and Fireman standing on the footplate of the cab
- note the huge heap of coal visible to right of photo -
(photographer unknown)

Another development was the placement of a turntable near the engine shed at Chyandour.

Steam locomotive on turntable at Chyandour, c1902
- G.W.R. Duke class 4-4-0 'Armorel' 3273, built in 1896 -
(photographer unknown)

OS map of Chyandour c1899
GWR engine shed, water tower and turntable adjacent to Chyandour
- also of note: P.O. = Post office, marked at 18 Chyandour Cliff, & W.T. = Water Tap, marked in Chyandour Place -

'A new express service with limited stops was promoted by the GWR, commencing on 1 July 1904. It left London at 10:10 and was timed to reach Penzance at 17:10 running to Plymouth in 4 hours 25 minutes, a cut of 28 minutes on the previous fastest service. It conveyed six carriages to Penzance, including a dining car, and one more carriage for Falmouth that was detached at Truro then added to a branch train to complete its journey. Other stops were made at Plymouth North Road, Gwinear Road (for the Helston branch), and St Erth (for the St Ives branch).'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_Riviera_Express

G.W.R. advertisement for Cornish Riviera, 1906

G.W.R. advertisement for the 'Cornish Riviera', 1906

The Cornishman express train passing Chyandour

The Cornishman Express passing through Chyandour & Ponsandane
- a G.W.R. steam locomotive pulling an up train from Penzance to Exeter -
(photographer unknown)
(an artistic colour interpretation of this image was later reproduced in 'The Boy's Own Paper')
Cornishman Express steam train

Engine shed adjacent to Chyandour Cliff
view of semaphore signals, shed, coaling stage, watertower and steam locomotives
(photographer unknown)

View of Chyandour from Ponsandane, looking west to Penzance
- note the engine shed, engine, watertower and signal box to left,
and to right, the Police Station, the flagstaff, Bolitho Estate Office, the corner shop, 3 Tuns Hotel & Ponsandane Lodge (out of shot) -
(photographer unknown)

Ponsandane Lodge, Chyandour
- note the ornate gates and railings, granite gateposts & hedging that replaced the former ironwork -
(RRPC, Real Photo Postcard)

Chyandour Cliff

To the west of Chyandour Square is Chyandour Cliff, and according to various maps, including Tithe and Ordnance Survey, there were once properties on the southern side of the Penzance road opposite Chyandour Cliff, but it is believed these were demolished to allow more space for railway operations. On the northern side of the road is a row of terraced houses, one of which used to be the local Post Office (probably 18 Chyandour Cliff).

Between numbers 20 & 21 Chyandour Cliff is a lane, which gives direct acess to the site of the former tannery, and in the distant past the lane would probably have been used by local people to walk straight to Lescudjack Castle, an ancient 'round' at the top of the cliff. In more recent times that lane up Chyandour Cliff was used to access the local battery and barracks.

Another generation of Bolithos

In 1830 Thomas Bolitho's son, Edward Bolitho (1804-1890) had married Mary Stephens (1802-1887) and they had both gone to live at Trewidden, near Buryas Bridge. In 1835 Mary gave birth to Thomas Bedford Bolitho (5 January 1835 – 22 May 1915), who became a banker and industrialist, then distinguished himself as a Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament for St Ives from 1887 to 1900.

'In 1867, Thomas Simon Bolitho, brother of Edward Bolitho of Trewidden, bought the Trengwainton Estate and the house there (near Madron). Having created the now world-famous gardens, his grandson Lieutenant Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho gave them to the National Trust in 1961. The house, which is not open to the public, is currently occupied by his grandson Colonel Edward Bolitho OBE.'
https://bolithoestates.co.uk/history-2/

William Bolitho (1815-1894), another of Thomas Bolitho's sons, married Mary Hichens Yonge on 28th May 1851 , and they had many children, Mary Hitchens, William Johns, Cecilia Maria, Catherine Johns, Nora, Elizabeth Maud, Loveday Wilhelmina, and William Edward Thomas Bolitho (1862-1919).The family lived for some time at Alverton Manor in Alverton whilst building works and landscaping were being progressed at nearby Polwithen House, until it was completed in 1870.
further information: https://paulmason.info/Alverton/history.htm

Pendrea and Ponsandane

Closeby to Coombe House, a little way up the Gulval road, lay two estates, the first being Ponsandane, belonging to William Bolitho (1773-1856), and the second, called Pendrea, occupied by the St Aubyn family.

Ponsandane is a Cornish name meaning, 'The man's bridge' - 'pons' meaning 'bridge', 'an' meaning 'the', and 'dan' meaning 'man'.

It is said that after the passing of William Bolitho (1773-1856), Ponsandane House was built (in 1857) and his only son, Richard Foster Bolitho (1799 - 1882), took up residence there.

Richard Foster Bolitho (1799 - 1882), had married to Amelia Sage Ley (b 1800 , d 1886) in 1829 and together they had been blessed with three children; namely, William Bolitho (1830-1894), Sage Ley Bolitho (b. 22 Sep 1838; d.20th December 1916) and Richard Foster Bolitho (b. 15 Sep 1840 d 20th January 1932) who all lived at Ponsandane.

Since none of the children married, the Ponsandane branch of the Bolitho family gradually met its demise.

On Saturday 1st December 1894 William Bolitho (the son of R F Bolitho) breathed his last, and several days later The Cornishman newspaper posted his obituary:

'William Bolitho: Your Final Day
You may not know it, Mr William Bolitho of Ponsandane. More comfortable for all concerned, indeed, if we assume that you do not. But today is your final day.
The Cornishman, in its next issue, will help us to conjure you: a man of “robust appearance and active habits of mind of body”. True, the medical men have been in attendance for some time. And the surgeon George Millett has of late been invited along on your annual “six weeks' Continental trip”– partly for company, yes, but always ready to step into his professional role and forestall any attack of your old trouble. You’ve left him £500 in your will, along with other worthy bequests: £500 to the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, with which you have a long-standing connection; another £500 to the Library in Morrab Gardens to spend on books costing at least £2 10 shillings apiece; the same amount again for a “memorial window or silver or brass tablet” to be placed in Gulval church. And the exterior of the church? A handsome £1,000 for its “maintenance and beautifying”, along with the upkeep of your new Bolitho Memorial Chapel. Generous, yes: but it will hardly leave a dent in the £188,283 value of your estate.
But all this talk of bequests is surely premature. There has been no cause for alarm; no fear of the “fateful termination”. You have been attending to your work, both public and private, as is your custom. And today, after feeling a little seedy earlier in the week – a little below par - you seem “better than for some time”. You’ve paid a visit – at your “usual hour” – to the Consolidated Bank of Cornwall, of which you are the “active general manager”. At the Bank you’re the man to go to now that your brother, Robert [Richard] Foster, has grown so deaf. It has fallen to you to manage the investment of five million pounds.
In fact, you’ve been out and about most of the day. But the “insidious and weakening disease” has been working its will inside you, and will claim you before the winter dawn breaks over the Bay.
What are your thoughts as you bid goodnight to your brother and sister Robert [Richard] and Sage, and the household staff? As you retire to the land of sweet repose? Are you looking forward to taking your place at Gulval Church in the morning, head of the Ponsandane branch of the family? Are you confident - serene? Or are there any qualms – any foreshadowings? Impossible to know.
And tomorrow? Advent Sunday? The church service will go on. The restoration in which you took such an interest , the newly-built Bolitho chapel with its “chaste adornment” will provide eloquent testimony to your generosity. But no, Mr Bolitho, you will not be in your place. For when your butler, Mr Bartlett, knocks on your door at 8.00, and again at 8.15, there will be no reply.
How will you be remembered? As a “quiet but a shrewd observer”, with a “kindly nature”; a “prompt and generous sympathiser “ in cases of “genuine need”. To the poorest, you would give ear. In business, you would bring calm in place of strife. You had – to the knowledge of the Cornishman - no enemies.
In due course you will be interred in the churchyard at Gulval where – in the fullness of time – your unmarried siblings will follow. And what will the future then hold for the big house at Ponsandane?'
- The Cornishman newspaper, Thursday 6th December 1894 p5
https://www.penwithlocalhistorygroup.co.uk/on-this-day/?id=299

Ponsandane House - overlooking flooded field c1895
(photograph Gibson, Penzance)
Ponandane Field flood

Procession passimg through Chyandour Square
possibly coming from Gulval Methodist Church Sunday School and celebrating a 'Tea Treat'
(photographer unknown)

Bolitho Estate Office

Bolitho Estate Office, Chyandour Square
- to the left, behind the estate office, is what used to be the Penzance Police Station -
(photographer unknown)

'Still in use, the Bolitho Estate Office was built in 1860, and at that time the first floor was a bank with the vault under the caretaker's ground floor accommodation. Wagon drivers would stop at the bank to collect their money before driving up Chyandour Coombe to the smelting works.'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chyandour

Bolitho Estate Office in Chyandour was built as a 'counting house', and stands as testament to those days when carts laden with tin would arrive at the counting house in Chyandour Square. The building also performed the function of a bank, sometimes providing loans, eventually leading to the formation of the Bolitho, Williams, Foster, Coode, Grylls & Co. Limited (Consolidated Bank of Cornwall).

'Established in 1889 with the merger of Bolitho, Sons and Co (Mount’s Bay Bank) and Robins, Foster, Coode and Bolitho (East Cornwall Bank). Head office in Penzance. Acquired by Barclay & Co. Ltd. in 1905.'

https://banking-history.org.uk/record/bolitho-williams-foster-coode-grylls-co-limited-consolidated-bank-of-cornwall/

A cheque issued by Bolitho, Williams, Foster, Coode, Grylls & Co,, Limited
Consolidated Bank of Cornwall, Penzance

At the road junction of The Coombe and Chyandour Place was the carpenter's workshop and the blacksmith's smithy.

Carpenters workshop and Smithy, Chyandour

The corner of Chyandour Coombe & Chyandour Place
- on the left is the bark mill (for grinding bark to extract tannin, for tanning);
on the right, a carpenter's workshop, a storage facility and a house, & at far right, the blacksmith's smithy -
(photographer unknown)

Road junction of Coombe and Chyandour Place

Road junction of Chyandour Coombe and Chyandour Place
(Google Streetview June 2009)

To the left of the road junction lies Chyandour Coombe, and to the right Chyandour Place (and Chyandour Terrace).

The redevelopment of Chyandour

Up until the late 19th century Chyandour Square was densely populated, then it was decided that some of the buildings were no longer fit for purpose and were demolished. In their place a cluster of part-timbered properties were built in the style of Arts & Crafts movement, including an 'Institute' and a 'Mission Room', the one presumably providing literature and education, the other used for meetings and worship. It is said that the institute was given by Sage Ley Bolitho of Ponsandane House. Interestingly, a blocked up doorway has been discovered in the wall behind the former Mission Room, with a pathway from it leading into the grounds of Ponsandane.

Arts & Crafts buildings and corner shop at Chyandour

The corner shop, Chyandour
(photographer unknown)
To the left of the photo are two buildings built in the style of the Arts & Crafts movement;
it is evident that the building on the far left is a public building as there are ventilators on the roof.
To the centre of the photograph one can see a man in an apron working upstairs in the millers stores

The corner shop and the 3 Tuns Hotel situated on the main road from Penzance to Eastern Green
(Postcard - Stengel & Co,. Ltd E31917, postmarked February 23rd 1907)

A horse trough was installed in Chyandour Square, inscribed:

IN MEMORY OF

LITTLE SIMON BOLITHO

WHO PASSED THIS WAY 1905 - 1910

'The drinking trough was erected in memory of Simon Bolitho who died in 1910 at the age of four and a half. He was the youngest son of Colonel William Edward Thomas Bolitho of York House, Penzance and Hannaford, Ashburton, Devon.'

https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/little-simon-bolitho-drinking-trough-286554

In about 1911 a decision was made to shut down the local corner shop and the 3 Tuns Hotel, presumeably on account of the closure of the tin smelting works, which must have resulted in a significant reduction of customers. Soon after their closure, the shop, hotel, and the commercial buildings at the back of it, were demolished, with the resulting space being incorporated into the garden area of Ponsandane Lodge.

When William Bolitho of Ponsandane had died, his sister, Sage Ley Bolitho, became the beneficiary of a significant Trust Fund, being permitted to live off the interest of a £25,000 capital sum. Sage Bolitho and her younger brother, Richard Foster Bolitho, together funded the building of the Gulval Village Hall (also known as Lanisley Manor Hall). In fact, R F Bolitho of Ponsandane was known for various acts of generosity, including erecting the Gulval Institute, and also the drinking trough in Gulval, with the inscription 'for the thirsty cows / public'. He also donated a Steam Fire Engine to Penzance, and the Promenade bandstand there too, as well as creating the formal gardens on the Western Green, and building the Garlidna Almshouses on Tremenheere Road, Penzance, Cornwall, the foundation stone of which was laid by his sister Miss Sage Ley Bolitho.

It was in 1914 that a much larger railway depot was opened about 2 miles outside Penzance, at Long Rock, whereupon the engine shed and other facilities at Chyandour were removed, leaving just the water tower and a siding there.

View over Mounts Bay from Chyandour Cliff Barracks
(photographer unknown)

The commanding position of Chyandour Cliff over Mounts Bay was presumeably the main factor in deciding to locate the battery there, in order to protect Penzance from hostilities. The battery on Chyandour Cliff was historically used by the Cornwall (Duke of Cornwall's) Royal Garrison Artillery. Chyandour Cliff was also chosen as the site for Penzance Police Station, which was built in 1895 (though long since closed, and now converted into residential housing).

The Kelly's Directory for Cornwall of 1914, p277, mentions the battery at Chyandour:

‘A battery has been constructed at Chyandour to represent the fighting deck of a battleship, and is intended for the gunnery instruction of the Naval Reserve attached to the Penzance district; there is one 6in. breech-loader with Armstrong mountings, two 5in. breech-loaders with Vavasour mountings, three 1in. four-barrel Nordenfeldts, one five-barrel Gardiner, a drill shed 60 feet by 50 feet, also a shed for two 9lb. field guns for target practice.’
https://leicester.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/296329

In August 1914, shortly after the outbreak of WWI, the local Press reported that sixty 'aliens' (mainly merchant seamen) had been taken off the German steamer Kronprinzessin Cecile at Falmouth and brought to the barracks in Chyandour for internment as Prisoners of War (PoW's).

After the passing of Sage Ley Bolitho on 10th December 1916, R F Bolitho dedicated a stained glass window in Gulval Church to her.

Demolition of the tin works

Consolidated tin smelting works, Chyandour

Chyandour Tin Smelting Works
(photographer unknown)

Demolition of Tin Smelting Works, Chyandour

The felling of the chimneys at the tin smelting works at Chyandour
(photographer unknown)

'After the decline in tin mining, the Chyandour Smelting Works was closed down in 1911, with the six tall chimney stacks being felled in 1931.'
https://bolithoestates.co.uk/history-2/

It is probable that the tin smelting operation left highly dangerous deposits (such as arsenic and heavy metals) in the soil, making the site unfit for future development.

In 1934, after three hundred and twenty years, the Borough of Penzance was eventually expanded, to include the communities of Newlyn, Mousehole, Gulval and Heamoor. Thus Chyandour was now officially a part of Penzance.

Ordnance Survey map - Chyandour area - c1936

The Holiday Fellowship

After the younger R F Bolitho's passing in 1932, the Ponsandane estate was sold off to the Holiday Fellowship, an enterprise intended to benefit underprivileged working class adults and children, giving them the opportunity to take a holiday, which would otherwise not be possible for them.

Ponsandane House
(postcard postmarked 5th August 1936)

'This is a lovely house. This big field at the front of it all belongs to the Holiday Fellowship but they rent it to a Farmer. We have sat out at the front quite a lot as it has been really warm so far. The men are all out the back of the house in stables!'
- written on back of postcard

The Annexe, Ponsandane
- built as the Coach House in 1899 -
(The Holiday Fellowship Centre postcard - E A Sweetman - P.1352)

View of St. Michael's Mount from Chyandour

View from Chyandour beach across Mount's Bay to St. Michael's Mount
(photographer unknown)

Chyandour Battery again proved invaluable during WW2 when it became part of a strategic defence and had an Anti-Aircraft searchlight positioned there to aid the Air Force. However, with the cessation of hostilities, the Battery was demobilised and has since been used by other organisations, such as army cadets, and more recently, in 2002, the National Coastwatch was set up in the derelict Gunnery Observation Tower, its role being to watch out for boats or individuals in distress in the waters of Mount's Bay.

Giles cartoon featuring St. Michael's Mount, Penzance, Cornwall
(Daily Express 28th August 1951)

The Penzance By-Pass

The A30 road was originally numbered in 1922, with its historic London-to-Penzance route formally established and extended to Land's End by May 1925. Vehicles using the A30 road entered Penzance at Chyandour and exited after passing through Alverton. In time however, traffic volumes grew to the point where an alternate route was sought, and that meant going around Penzance.

Clearly, the road had to pass through multiple people's land, but after getting approval, the £7.5 million project got underway.

Earthworks for Penzance Distributer Road, A30 Bypass
Chyandour - Ponsandane c.May 1988
(photographer unknown)

A new road junction with a roundabout was created at Ponsandane.

The building of the flyover bridge over B3311 road - May 1988
(photographer unknown)

In addition to creating the Penzance by-pass, it was also decided to re-route the Gulval road (B3311) from Chyandour, and in May 1988 a flyover bridge was built over the old road and a short portion of roadway added, utilising the estate drive running up from Ponsandane Lodge. This necessitated the re-siting of the old granite gateposts that stood at the bottom of the driveway, which were later placed either side of the entrance to Ponsandane. After this was accomplished, a barrier was erected at the end of Chyandour Terrace, effectively making it a cul-de-sac.

Entrance to Ponsandane
- original granite gateposts moved from beside the lodge to current entrance -
(Google Streetview November 2024)

The Penzance by-pass was opened on 27th January 1989.

Changes in Chyandour Square
According to old Ordnance Survey maps, the two buildings at the back of the square were once an 'Institute' and a 'Mission Room', but by the mid-1960's the Institute had become a Kingdom Hall.

In the late 1990's the owners of the Kingdom Hall opted to relocate, and so put the property on the market, at which time musician Gary Clail got to hear about it:

Gary Clail: '... I picked up the local newspaper after 3 months, and there it was; Kingdom Hall belonged to the uh Jehovah's Witnesses. 50 Grand! [£50,000] Blimey, blimey, let's go and have a look at this place, and coming from a building background I could see it had a brand new roof on it. When I walked into this huge open space, I mean God I just walked in and it was like 57 foot long by 27... 37 foot wide, they had some cloak rooms and an office at the back and a stage where they used to preach from.
I went "I'll buy it" and I bought it..'
Interviewer: 'Just felt right?'
Gary Clail: 'Yeah, and I moved my furniture in and I had my bed on the stage, right? I had this huge couch opposite the end of that, the end of the hall, and I had these massive speakers either end of the bed that Adrian [Sherwood] gave me, these old On-U-Sound speakers that look like Aztec Warriors, set it all up and sat there and thought, "Right you got a church, what are you going to do?" I really didn't know and then somehow, some way, I got 30 grand [£30,000] together, right, because I went over to France. I did some gigs as a residency in this nightclub and I saved up for about two years, so I was kind of like not paying any tax, not paying any Council Tax, nothing. But I had Planning Permission on it and I met Bob - Irish lad - the Builder, right go for true, and yeah and he went "How much have you got?" I said "15,000" and he went "It's a 30 grand job, Gary" and I went, went "Well I've only got 15,000, let me think about it", anyway cut a long story short, he did it, put bedrooms up there, then I met up - and being Gary - I met people in Cornwall; "Oh you want to advertise it, in the whatever, you want to advertise it, do B&B, do B&B."
So I had like four double letting rooms and uh next thing and I'm packed with Surfers!'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUZfUPVK0F0 (at 14:55 to 17:20 appx.)

In 1997 the new owner of Ponsandane established a care home, and the field below became a campsite, whilst on the other side of Ponsandane Brook a supermarket was built.

Nowadays Chyandour is largely residental; why even parts of the Bolitho Estate Office have been converted into flats, but the area still attracts new businesses. In addition to the bed and breakfast accomodation available in Chyandour Square and the home fuel suppliers at the top of Chyandour Coombe, various other services are to be found locally, such as a chiropractor, a physiotherapist, and a podiatrist, even a used-car garage, and a potter's studio.