Morwellham Quay, River Tamar, Devon
Morwellham Quay is an historic river port on the Devon bank of the River Tamar that was developed during the 19th Century to support the local mining industry. Conservation work commenced in the early 1970s when the site opened as a living history museum.
Your webmaster first visited in 1976 and was a very regular visitor during the 1970s to late 1990s though my visits tailed off in the naughties.
Shortly after significant refurbishment work took place following National Lottery funding Devon County Council withdrew support Morwellham went into administration. It was subsequently sold to the proprietors of Bicton Gardens.
Though the Museum is no longer operated by a charitable trust, it remains open to the public though some of the features such as the farm are no longer accessible to visitors.
In July 2006, UNESCO (the cultural arm of the United Nations) awarded World Heritage Site status to the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape area. Morwellham is strategically sited at the centre of the Tamar Valley Mining District which, together with nearby Tavistock, forms the easternmost gateway area to the rest of the World Heritage Site.
The industrial Heritage museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage.
Morwellham Quay and Farm is well known from the BBC TV History Series "Edwardian Farm" which was shown in 2010 - around the time the original Museum operation encountered financial difficulties following the withdrawal of support from Devon County Council.
Today most of the original site is operated by the proprietors of Bicton Gardens a well known tourist attraction in east Devon, however, the farm which featured significantly in the BBC TV series no longer forms part of the museum.
Read MoreYour webmaster first visited in 1976 and was a very regular visitor during the 1970s to late 1990s though my visits tailed off in the naughties.
Shortly after significant refurbishment work took place following National Lottery funding Devon County Council withdrew support Morwellham went into administration. It was subsequently sold to the proprietors of Bicton Gardens.
Though the Museum is no longer operated by a charitable trust, it remains open to the public though some of the features such as the farm are no longer accessible to visitors.
In July 2006, UNESCO (the cultural arm of the United Nations) awarded World Heritage Site status to the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape area. Morwellham is strategically sited at the centre of the Tamar Valley Mining District which, together with nearby Tavistock, forms the easternmost gateway area to the rest of the World Heritage Site.
The industrial Heritage museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage.
Morwellham Quay and Farm is well known from the BBC TV History Series "Edwardian Farm" which was shown in 2010 - around the time the original Museum operation encountered financial difficulties following the withdrawal of support from Devon County Council.
Today most of the original site is operated by the proprietors of Bicton Gardens a well known tourist attraction in east Devon, however, the farm which featured significantly in the BBC TV series no longer forms part of the museum.
