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Morwellham Quay Conference Venue 2007 |
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The little riverside port of Morwellham, hidden deep in the Tamar Valley was once the greatest copper port in Queen Victorias empire. The History of the port as a centre of the Devon non-ferrous metal mining industry goes back at least 700 years, but the period of it’s greatest prosperity and importance was during the nineteenth century. Prior to the construction of railway lines to Plymouth, the Tamar was the only viable transport link into West Devon & East Cornwall and Morwellham Quay was established at the highest navigable point in the river thereby securing the lions share of trade from the local area. By the time the mines of Devon Great Consuls came online in 1847 the village and port were growing and continued to grow at an astonishing rate. The prosperity though, could not be sustained. The discovery of rich copper seams in Australia and America, the coming of the railways and the switch from arsenic based pesticides to new synthetic products all contributed to the decline and eventual demise of the port. The port lay more or less derelict and forgotten for half a century before being ‘rediscovered’ and after considerable restoration works, eventually opening to the public in the late 1970’s as an open air museum. Visitors to Morwellham can now walk around the village where costumed guides provide an insight into it’s past, take a tram ride into the George & Charlotte copper mine or lose themselves along miles of trails amongst woodland and nature conservation areas. It’s geographical position, quite literally at the heart of the Tamar Valley mining area made it the obvious choice as a base for the 2007 conference. So what does the place look like? You can visit the official Morwellham Quay website via our LINKS page, but a selection of our own photographs is also available to view by following the links below. |
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