Redruth

Population 12352 (from 2001 census)

Redruth from Carn Brea

For a suitable Ordnance Survey map of the area please buy OS Explorer 104 - Redruth and St Agnes. Click HERE for a zoomable map.

Location

Redruth lies just off the main A30 trunk road some 9 miles west of the city of Truro and 4 miles from the north coast of Cornwall - Grid Reference SW700420. The former mining town is served well by public transport. Its rail link lies on the main Paddington to Penzance line and there are good bus links. There are several bed and breakfast establishments in the town as well as the 3-star Penventon Park Hotel for those wishing to stay a while. Kerrier District Council along with the South West's Regional Development Agency have secured funding from the European Community to produce three leaflets offering visitors the chance to discover Redruth along the Churchtown Trail, the Plain-an-Gwarry Trail and the Town Centre Trail, or see Redruth Town Council's websitefor more information.

Lych gate at St Uny Church, Redruth

History

There has been some sort of a settlement here for at least 700 years with the oldest part of the town being around St Uny Churchtown. In fact, there are traces of Neolithic and Iron Age settlements atop Carn Brea - The 730 feet high hill overlooking Redruth. This would indicate habitation in this area from the last 6000 years. Tin streamers were known to have been present near the town centre from the early 14th Century, although the population of Redruth did not really take off until the copper and tin mining booms of the early 1700's and mid 19th Century respectively. Few people realise that Redruth's name comes almost directly from the Cornish Rhyd (Ford)-Ruth (Red) or 'river red'.

Excursions

Redruth is well placed to use as a base from which to explore the whole of mid and west Cornwall. The resorts of Penwith and the Lizard are well within range. Even the Eden Project is only about an hour away by car or coach. Many visitors staying locally explore the wealth of mining heritage of the immediate area coupled with relaxing breaks on the local beaches at Portreath, Porthtowan and St. Agnes. There's much to explore in and around Redruth - a fine place to start is the Cornwall Centre at Alma Place.

Tourist Information Centres Useful Telephone Numbers