Retracing rail heritage of our mining ancestors
Made over several years, Past & Present is an audio visual presentation tracing the origins of the Caradon Railway and its direct association with the copper mines and granite quarries situated around Caradon Hill and further afield. It also looks at the Liskeard and Looe Union Canal and Liskeard and Looe Railway.
By cleverly leading the viewer along the route of the old railway, which snaked its way from Moorswater, up through St Cleer and Minions and on to Kilmar and beyond, David Hambly is able to share the story of this remarkable feat of engineering. A professional photographer, David has been interested in the railway and mining heritage of the area since he was a boy growing up in the village of St Cleer.
"As soon as I realised that the original horse-drawn railway once navigated its way through my home village I became totally intrigued by the people who used and operated it and the miners and their families who lived and worked along the route," he said. "As far back as the early 1970s I set about tracing and photographing the route from Moorswater out to the Cheesewring and beyond."
The photographs he took 30 years ago, plus a vast number taken in the intervening years, are complemented by archive images of the villages, trains and, most importantly, the people who were part of one of Cornwall's greatest and most profitable mining booms.
Written, photographed and narrated by David, the 35-minite presentation reveals the fascinating story of this remarkable engineering achievement and the impact it had on rural communities during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The project began as a slide and tape presentation, but this has now been updated with additional photographic and audio material. With digital technology provided by Paul Adams, the new DVD provides an important heritage record for future generations.
A launch evening and preview screening will take place at Stuart House in Liskeard at 7.30pm on Monday December 7. Admission, to include light refreshments, is £5. Further free screenings will take place in the Jane Room of Stuart House at 10am, 11am, noon and 2pm, every day until December 12.
Past & Present: The Mines And Railways Of Caradon by David Hambly is priced £10 (£12.50 inc. p&p) and is available by writing to David Hambly Photography, Windsor Place, Liskeard PL14 4BH, calling 01579 342113 or e-mailing info@davidhambly photography.co.uk
