Angarrack
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Cornish historian of the same name see John Angarrack
| Angarrack | |
  Angarrack shown within Cornwall |
|
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Shire county | Cornwall |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Cornwall |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Cornwall | |
Angarrack is a small rural village near Hayle in the parish of Gwinear-Gwithian, two miles inland from St.Ives Bay in Cornwall. There are few local services within the village though the pub (the Angarrack Inn on Steamers Hill) is very much the heart of this small community.
The most striking feature of Angarrack is the impressive viaduct which crosses the valley, carrying the Cornish mainline railway from Penzance to London via Hayle over the viaduct towards Camborne. The original viaduct, which celegrates its bicentenary this year, was constructed by famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
A tin smelter was built in the village in 1704, and mills and stamps for tin working were introduced later.
Angarrack is also known for its Christmas lights.
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[edit] Name
The name is often misspelt as Angarrick; the name according to the Ordnance Survey is "Angarrack." On signs near the village, it is variously spelt "Angarrack," "Angarrick," or "Angharrack."
[edit] Brief History
Angarrack is situated in a narrow valley from which the Angarrack River flows before joining the Hayle River at Loggans in a specially constructed culvert which prevents the valley flooding, apart from in extraordinary circumstances, as in January 2003 where flooding made it to regional television programme, Spotlight. The village is shown on maps as far back as the sixteenth century and for much of its history contained a large amount of heavy industry, particularly considering the small size of the original settlement. The river had four large mills on it: one at Trungle; one at the far end of the village up Riverside (Angarrack Mill), which was situated on the junction of Grist Lane formally known as (the fields) and Steamer's Hill; Grist Mill, which was situated at the northern extremity of the village; and Loggans Mill, the only mill still standing, which stands at the far eastern end of the nearby town of Hayle on the Angarrack River.
As well as water and grain mills, Angarrack also has a history of mining and quarrying, not to mention the huge granite viaduct which spans the valley, carrying the mainline from Penzance to London through Hayle. The original Hayle Railway ran close to Angarrack before rising up the infamous (though sadly now derelict and overgrown) Steamers Hill. Due to the incline, the carriages were hauled up the hill by a stationary engine and re-coupled to locomotives at either end.
When the old line was rebuilt as the West Cornwall Railway, the new route to Penzance started from a junction near the top of the incline, which now became redundant. A new station was opeend on this line but closed again the following year.
