Redruth
Template:Short description Template:For-multi Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox UK place
Redruth (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell, Template:Langx<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road (now the A30), and is approximately Template:Convert west of Truro, Template:Convert east of St Ives, Template:Convert north east of Penzance and Template:Convert north west of Falmouth. At the 2021 census the population of the parish was 15,626 and the population of the built up area was 15,455.
Toponymy
The form Unyredruth (Euny being the patron saint) is recorded in 1563.<ref>Weatherhill, Craig (2009) A Concise Dictionary of Cornish Place-Names Westport, Mayo: Evertype; p. 59</ref> Earlier forms are Ridruthe (1259), Rudruth (1283) and Riddruth (1291).<ref>Ekwall, Eilert (1940) The Concise Dictionary of English Place-names; 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press; p. 366</ref>
The name Redruth derives from its older Cornish name, Template:Lang, meaning 'red ford' — literally 'ford-red': the first syllable Template:Lang means 'ford'; the second Template:Lang means 'red'. It is therefore the Template:Lang and not the Template:Lang part of the name which means the colour red.<ref>Redruth & its people – Michael Tangye – Template:ISBN</ref>
Template:Lang is the older form of Template:Lang, which is a Cornish equivalent to a ford (across a river), a common Celtic word: Old Cornish Template:Lang, Welsh Template:Lang (Old Welsh Template:Lang), Old Breton Template:Lang or Template:Lang, Gaulish Template:Lang, all from Indo-European Template:Lang derived word in Template:Lang from the root Template:Lang, 'to cross, to go through', Proto-Germanic Template:Lang (English ford, German Template:Lang), Latin Template:Lang, all cognate to the Celtic word.<ref>Xavier Delamarre, Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise, éditions errance 2003, p. 258.</ref>
Béroul's Template:Lang features a location in Cornwall called Template:Lang in Norman French, 'red cross' in English.<ref>Béroul, The Romance of Tristan, Introduction and translation by Alan S. Fedrick</ref>
Geography
Redruth forms the eastern part of a loose conurbation which stretches to Camborne, Template:Convert to the west. At the 2011 census, the Office for National Statistics defined what it called the Redruth built up area, which extended to Camborne and had a population of 42,690, making it the largest built up area in Cornwall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cornwall Council similarly defined what it called "Camborne/Pool/Redruth", which had a population of 55,400 in 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Following a change in methodology for the 2021 census, Redruth is now considered a separate built up area by the Office for National Statistics, with a population of 15,455.<ref name=bua/>
History
Traditionally in the Penwith Hundred, the town has developed away from the original settlement, which was near where the present Churchtown (around St. Euny's Church) district of Redruth stands today. This location is a steeply wooded valley, with Carn Brea on one side and the now-called Bullers Hill on the other. The presence of shallow lodes of tin and copper lying east to west made it an advantageous site for extracting metals, including, tin, lead and copper. The first settlers stayed by a crossing in the river and started extracting metal ores, and this process turned the colour of the river red.
Historically, Redruth was a small market town overshadowed by its neighbours until a boom in the demand for copper ore during the 18th century. Copper ore had mostly been discarded by the Cornish tin-mining industry but was now needed to make brass, an essential metal in the Industrial Revolution. Surrounded by copper ore deposits, Redruth quickly became one of the largest and richest mining areas in Britain and the town's population grew markedly, although most miners' families remained poor.Template:Citation needed
Redruth was connected to the electric telegraph network in 1863 when the Electric and International Telegraph Company opened stations at Truro, Redruth, Penzance, Camborne, Liskard and St Austell.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In the 1880s and 1890s the town end of Clinton Road gained a number of institutions, notably a School of Mines and Art School in 1882–83, St. Andrew's Church (replacing the chapel in Chapel Street) in 1883 and, opposite, the Free Library, built in 1895. The Mining Exchange was built in 1880 as a place for the trading of mineral stock.
By the end of the 19th century, the Cornish mining industry was in decline and Britain was importing most of its copper ore. To find employment, many miners emigrated to the newer mining industries in the Americas, Pachuca, Mexico, Australasia and South Africa. By the turn of the 20th century, Victoria Park had been laid out to commemorate the Golden Jubilee and this part of town had taken on its present appearance – a far cry from the jumble of mining activity that had taken place there in the early 19th century. Redruth was making its transition from a market town dominated by mines and industry to a residential centre. Cornwall's last fully operational mine, South Crofty at Pool between Redruth and Camborne, closed in March 1998.
Governance
There are two tiers of local government covering Redruth, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Redruth Town Council and Cornwall Council. The town council is based at the Civic Centre on Alma Place.<ref name=RedruthTC>Template:Cite web</ref> The building had been completed in 1880 and was originally the Redruth District Bank and the town's main post office.<ref>Template:NHLE</ref> The building now serves both as the town council's headquarters and a library.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Since the 2010 general election the town has formed part of the Camborne and Redruth constituency.<ref name="BCECornwall">Template:Cite web</ref> The seat was won at the 2024 general election by Perran Moon of the Labour Party.
Administrative history
Redruth was an ancient parish in the Penwith Hundred of Cornwall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1837 the Redruth poor law union was created, grouping several parishes around Redruth together for the purposes of administering their responsibilities under the poor laws. They built a workhouse just west of Redruth in 1838, which eventually became the Camborne Redruth Community Hospital.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1853 the parish of Redruth was made a local board district, administered by an elected local board.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Such local board districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894. The 1894 Act also established rural districts based on the poor law unions; the parts of the Redruth poor law union that were not included in urban districts became the Redruth Rural District.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Redruth Urban District Council established its headquarters in a former bank at 2 Station Hill, remaining there until the council's abolition.<ref>Template:NHLE</ref> Redruth Urban District was abolished in 1934.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The area was then merged with the abolished urban district of Camborne, the parish of Illogan and parts of the parishes of Gwennap and Wendron to become the new Camborne–Redruth Urban District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Camborne-Redruth Urban District Council based itself in Camborne.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Camborne–Redruth Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, when the area became part of the Kerrier district.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref><ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
The area of the pre-1974 Camborne-Redruth Urban District became an unparished area at the time of the 1974 reforms. Eight new civil parishes were subsequently created in 1985 covering the area of the former urban district, including one called Redruth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The new parish council adopted the name Redruth Town Council.<ref name=RedruthTC/>
Kerrier district was in turn abolished in 2009. Cornwall County Council then took on district-level functions, making it a unitary authority, and was renamed Cornwall Council.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref><ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
Education
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Redruth School, a Technology College, is a secondary school, for ages 11–16. It used to have a sixth form, for students aged 16 to 18, however, it closed applications for new students in 2016 and officially closed in 2020 due to funding cuts. The town used to have a coeducational independent school, Highfields Private School, but it closed in 2012.
Primary schools within the town include Pennoweth School, Treleigh School, Treloweth Community Primary School, Trewirgie Infant School and Trewirgie Junior School.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Curnow Community Special School caters for students with special needs.
The Passmore Edwards Free Library was built in 1894. Its architect was James Hicks who used a castellated baronial style; there is a prominent octagonal tower. The reading room was once the school of Thomas Collins, where Collins, who had been headmaster of Trewirgie School, taught local children and the children left behind by parents who had emigrated overseas.<ref>Beacham, Peter & Pevsner, Nikolaus (2014). Cornwall. New Haven: Yale University Press. Template:ISBN; p. 471</ref> The former School of Science and Art is also the work of James Hicks; the later additions were built for the School of Mines.<ref>Beacham (2014), p. 471</ref>
Notable buildings
The Parish Church of St Uny, which is some distance from the town centre, is of Norman foundation but was rebuilt in 1756; it is grade II* listed.<ref>Template:NHLE</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The patron saint is also honoured at Lelant. The tower is two centuries earlier and the whole church is built of granite. A chapel of ease was built in the town in 1828 but it is no longer in use.<ref name="Pevsner, N. 1970 p. 150">Pevsner, N. (1970) Cornwall, 2nd ed. Penguin Books; p. 150</ref> The parish of St Euny is part of a group ministry with the parishes of Pencoys, Lanner and Treleigh.<ref>Our churches The Parish of Redruth; accessed 2025-06-02</ref> Other places of worship include the Wesleyan Church of 1826, the Free Methodist Church of 1864 (in grand Italianate style) and the Quaker Meeting House of 1833 (no longer in use).<ref name="Pevsner, N. 1970 p. 150"/>
The Mining Exchange building was used as a housing advice centre (it was built in 1880 as accommodation for share brokers).
The Old Courthouse was completed in 1850 and served as a courthouse until 1977. It also served for some years as offices for the solicitor who acted as clerk to the Redruth Rural District Council.<ref>Template:NHLE</ref>
Murdoch House
The house now called Murdoch (or, sometimes Murdock) House in the middle of Cross Street was erected in the 1660s as a chapel and it afterwards became a prison. William Murdoch lived in it from 1782 to 1798. During this time, he worked on local tin and copper mines, erecting engines on behalf of Boulton and Watt. He fitted the house out with gas lighting from coal gas – this was the first house in the world with this type of lighting. In the 19th century, the house was used as a tea room, run by a Mrs Knuckey. In 1931 Mr A. Pearce Jenkin, a leading citizen of Redruth purchased the house and gave it as a gift to the Society of Friends (Quakers).<ref>Janet Thomson; The Scot Who Lit The World, The Story of William Murdoch Inventor of Gas Lighting; 2003; Template:ISBN</ref> Murdoch House has since been fully restored and is now regularly used by the Redruth Old Cornwall Society, as well as the Cornish-American Connection and the Redruth Story Group. Next door are St. Rumon's Gardens.
Kresen Kernow
Kresen Kernow, on the site of Redruth Brewery, houses the archives and collections of the former Cornwall Records Office and Cornish Studies Library. It also holds the Cornwall Tapestries (the work of the Tregellas Foundation) which depict the history of Cornwall in embroidery.<ref>The Cornwall Tapestries; Kresen Kernow; accessed 2025-05-25</ref>
Tin Miner Statue
A bronze sculpture of a Cornish miner by artist David Annand standing at 6 feet 7 inches was erected in April 2008.<ref>thisiscornwall.co.uk news report on the statueTemplate:Dead link</ref> The sculpture was commissioned by the Redruth Public Realm Working Party's Mining Art Group in response to comments received during the consultation process, that the town did not have anything to represent the history of the men who worked down the tin and copper mines in the area. David Annand was selected from over 70 artists who responded to an advert placed by Cornwall Arts Centre Trust, the project managers, for expressions of interest in August 2006.
21st century
Redruth is a small commercial town. It is twinned with Plumergat and Meriadec in Brittany, France; Mineral Point, Wisconsin in the United States; and Real del Monte in Mexico.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A museum organised by the Old Cornwall Society<ref>Redruth Old Cornwall Society.</ref> is housed in the town council office at the bottom of the main street.
It is home to Cornwall's first ILR radio station, Pirate FM. On 20 June 2008, the town held its first regular farmers' market in Market Place: the market will now be held every Friday throughout the year.Template:Cn
Town centre shopping
Key shops and other outlets within the town centre include a multi-screen cinema, a covered market way, an old butter market, various antique shops, a second hand book shop and two supermarkets, plus Greens Newsagents, and the local cash and carry Jims. Off the main street (Fore Street), there are two separate specialist shopping areas, Bond Street (to the south of the railway station) and Green Lane to the north.
Street landscaping
Street landscaping in Redruth includes wooden seating, with granite furniture, signposts, street lights and litter bins, and two sets of bronze 'dogs', which were cast from the boots of former tin miners by sculptor David Kemp. The town has a burgundy colour theme, which is in the public realm regeneration work to highlight the town's name. A project to light various public buildings around the town with LED coloured lights has already begun. Some of the buildings opposite the railway station and St Rumon's Gardens have now (April 2008) been completed.
Environment awards
On 7 November 2007, Redruth jointly won (with Luton) the annual UK town centre environment awards, which are run by the BCSC (a retail property consortium).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The judges praised the cast bronze 'dogs'<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and also liked the large amount of work that had been done to the town in terms of landscaping the central area (mainly Fore Street and the opes, i.e. alleys).
Heartlands visitor park
Just outside the town is a European funded visitor attraction, themed on the Robinson Shaft Mine, it offers parking, an adventure play ground for older children and a pleasant restaurant. At times the last working Cornish pumping engine can be seen working.<ref>Google review</ref> The museum is an Anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transport
Redruth is an important transport hub. The railway station is a railhead for both Helston and the Lizard, and there are frequent buses connecting the three places. Bus services to the town are provided by Go Cornwall Bus, First Kernow, and Hopley's Coaches, all under the Transport for Cornwall scheme. The railway station is served by Great Western Railway (GWR) operated trains from Paddington, South Wales, and the Midlands, as well as a daily CrossCountry service to the North. Redruth is next to the main A30 road and thus has access to the main route out of the county as well as routes to the far West, North Cornwall, South East Cornwall and Plymouth. Another road, the A393, bisects the town in a north–south direction, and links the A30 with the port of Falmouth. A third road, the A3047, links Redruth with Camborne, some four miles (Template:Convert) to the west.
The Barncoose by-pass connects between the Redruth Community Hospital and the Barncoose Industrial Estate. It is intended to reduce HGV traffic using the main Camborne road and provide a direct access to the Industrial Estate. It did, however, provoke some controversy, as some residents in Barncoose lost their parking spaces to make way for the new road.<ref>BBC News – Residents anger</ref> It was extended further towards Camborne in 2016.
Sport
Redruth Rugby Football Club currently play in National League 2 South (tier 4 of rugby union in England). Players such as Phil Vickery, Rob Thirlby and Richard Sharp OBE have played for the club. A resident of Clinton Road with his mother and brother Nigel, he represented Redruth, Cornwall, and England, leading his country to the Five Nations title in 1963. Redruth football club has not enjoyed as much success but still thrives in its regular fixtures. On the high street there is a Tang Soo Do (Korean Karate) and Kickboxing Academy named ISK Martial Arts. Duchy Hockey Club are based at Pool Academy on the outskirts of Redruth and compete in the West of England regional leagues. Redruth Cricket Club currently consists of 4 Men's playing XIs, one women's XI and multiple youth sides. Redruth First XI play in the Cornwall Cricket League ECB Premier League, coming second in the 2019 season.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The Second XI placed second in County League One, the second division of Cornish Cricket, in the same year.<ref name=":0" />
Cornish wrestling
Redruth has been a major centre for Cornish wrestling for many centuries. The ancient traditional location for wrestling tournaments was at Plain-an-Gwarry, Redruth, which continued to be used as a venue, even after the Plen-an-gwary disappeared.<ref name="RCG12071823">Royal Cornwall Gazette, 12 July 1823.</ref> Many other venues started to be used in the 1800s onwards such as South Turnpike,<ref name="RCG14061823">Royal Cornwall Gazette, 14 June 1823.</ref> and the Recreation Ground/football ground.<ref name="WMN26081933">Western Morning News, 26 August 1933.</ref> In 1887, Redruth hosted 2 challenge matches for the world title in Cornish wrestling at the recreation ground. In July, John Pearce drew with Jack Carkeek from the US.<ref name="WMN12071887">Western Morning News, 12 July 1887, p1.</ref> The results of the fight were disputed and at a later brawl in a hotel between the two, Carkeek bit off Pearce's ear.<ref name="SFE25071887">The San Francisco Examiner, 25 July 1887, p3.</ref> In August, Carkeek defeated Philip Hancock, although there were accusations that Hancock threw the fight.<ref name="WBCA18081887">The West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 18 August 1887, p 6.</ref><ref name="NYC06081887">New York Clipper, 6 August 1887.</ref> In 1889, Redruth hosted the tournament for "Championship of World", where many wrestlers descended on Redruth, including Carkeek, who eventually won.<ref name="WBCA04071889">West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 4 July 1889.</ref><ref name="WSJ03081889">Wisconsin State Journal, 3 Aug 1889, p4.</ref> The Interceltic games were held in Redruth in 1933<ref name="WMN28081933">Western Morning News, 28 August 1933.</ref> and 1972.<ref name="WBCA27071972">West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 27 July 1972.</ref> Men from Redruth were very successful in Cornish wrestling throughout the world.<ref name="CDP09071887">The Wrestling Championship of the world, Cornish & Devon Post, 09 July 1887, p3.</ref><ref name="WBCA06011927">Redruth mans success in South Africa, West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 6 January 1927, p7.</ref><ref name="WBCA01101953">Home from South Africa, where her husband is wrestling champion, West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 1 October 1953, p12.</ref>
Notable people
- Svetlana Alliluyeva, daughter of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Peter Bayley (1944–2018), scholar of French literature, born and educated in Redruth.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
- Harriet Carne (1831–1931), Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist, centenarian, born in Redruth
- Mick Fleetwood (born 1947), drummer and co-founder of the band Fleetwood Mac<ref name=obit>'Susan Fleetwood; Obituary,' The Times (2 October 1995), p. 23</ref>
- Stephen Frost (born 1955), actor, writer and comedianTemplate:Citation needed
- John Gray (1817–), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Harold Hayman (1894–1966), Labour MP<ref>"HAYMAN, Frank Harold (b. Redruth, Cornwall 12 December 1894 – d. 4 February 1966)" (2005), in: Who Was Who 1897–2005</ref>
- Hedluv + Passman, inventors of Casio Rap<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Richard D. James (born 1971), musician and DJ, also known as Aphex Twin, attended Redruth School<ref name="Stuart Aitken">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Benjamin Luxon (1937–2024), baritone and narrator<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Rory McGrath (born 1956), actor, writer and comedian<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- David Menhennet (1928–2016), former librarian of the House of Commons Library<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- JG Montgomery, Australian-based writer and musician
- Fanny Moody (1866–1945), soprano
- Hilda Moody (1876–1961), soprano
- Henry Roach (1808–1889), captain of the Burra mine in South Australia from 1847 to 1867.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
- Ben Salfield (born 1971), lutenist and lutarist
- D. M. Thomas (born 1935), poet, novelist, translator<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Kristin Scott Thomas (born 1960), actress<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Sidney Toy (1875–1967), architect and architectural historian<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
- Luke Vibert (born 1973), musician and electronic music producer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- E. Florence Whitlock (1889–1978), composer
Performing arts
Actress Kristin Scott Thomas, electronic musician Luke Vibert, baritone Benjamin Luxon, opera singer Alan Opie, record producer and broadcaster Tris Penna, and the co founder of and drummer with Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood, were all born here. The writer and comedian Rory McGrath was born here and educated at the town's secondary school, Cornish artist Jonathan Polkest studied art at The Redruth School of Art in Clinton Road, The musician Aphex Twin (and friend of Vibert) grew up near Redruth. Luke Vibert has released an album called Chicago, Detroit, Redruth and has also recorded under the alias Kerrier District; a reference to name of the district in which Redruth is located. Hedluv + Passman both grew up in Redruth, and wrote the song "'druth" in tribute to the town. The traditional Cornish dance and music group, Hevva is based in Redruth.
Scholars and philanthropists
The historians Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin and Charles Thomas were born in Redruth, and the Victorian philanthropist John Passmore Edwards was born in the neighbouring village of Blackwater.
Twinning
Redruth is twinned with:
- Plumergat et Meriadec, Brittany, France
- Mineral Point, Wisconsin, United States
- Real del Monte, Hidalgo, Mexico<ref name="Museum">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
See also
- Cornwall College
- New Redruth, a district of Johannesburg
References
External links
Template:Cornwall Template:Camborne and Redruth CP navigation box