Luxulyan
Encyclopedia
Luxulyan also spelled Luxullian or Luxulian, is a village and civil parish in central Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. The village lies four miles (6.5 km) northeast of St Austell
and six miles (10 km) south of Bodmin
. The population of the parish was 1,371 in the 2001 census.
on the St Austell granite
batholith
(see also Geology of Cornwall
) and numerous small granite dome
s are dotted around the parish. Luxulyan Quarry, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest
to the north of the village, exposes examples of this rock.
Luxulyanite, a rare type of Cornish granite
(named after the village) is found in the area and was used for the Duke of Wellington
's sarcophagus in St Paul's Cathedral
.
Luxulyan is best known for Luxulyan Valley
, a steep sided and thickly wooded stretch of the valley of the River Par
that contains a major concentration of early 19th century industrial remains, including a combined Aqueduct
and Viaduct
. The valley was designated a World Heritage Site
in 2006.
One of the southern branches of the Saints' Way
long-distance footpath runs through the parish. Other villages in Luxulayan parish include the Churchtown, Bridges
, Treskilling, Rosemelling, Higher Manedue, and Bedwith.
The Atlantic Coast Line
from Par
to Newquay
runs up the Luxulyan Valley and there is a station
at Luxulyan. A bus service connects the village with St Austell
and Lostwithiel
.
, or Sulian, was abbot here during the sixth century. The church in the village may have been dedicated to him originally, but it is now dedicated to Saints Ciricius (Cyr, Cyriacus, Quiricus) and Julitta
.
There are roads in Luxulyan named after all three saints. Sulien is a Welsh
variant of the given name "Julian," but has also been interpreted as being derived from the Welsh sul, meaning "sun" + geni, meaning "born," Sulien being the name of a Celtic solar deity
.
In the early 1980s Luxulyan was the site of a six-month occupation of farmland by much of the village population, with many groups and individuals from across Cornwall helping, to prevent test drilling by the Central Electricity Generating Board investigating the area as a potential nuclear power station site.
Luxulyan has benefited from increased tourism since the nearby Eden Project
opened.
, kept its records stored in the church.
Methrose is a farmhouse probably of the early 16th century ("one of the best farmhouses in Cornwall"--Pevsner); it is built of granite and stands on the right of a courtyard. The service end is of two storeys and the later parlour wing was attributed by Charles Henderson to Nicholas Kendall (some time between 1622 and 1649).
The remains of an Iron-Age
hillfort
known as Prideaux Castle
are located in the southern portion of the parish near the border with St Blazey
.
, the architect. Both were born in the parish.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The village lies four miles (6.5 km) northeast of St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
and six miles (10 km) south of Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
. The population of the parish was 1,371 in the 2001 census.
Geology and geography
Luxulyan parish lies in an area of china clay quarriesQuarries
Quarries - The "Royal Quarries" — not found in Scripture — is the namegiven to the vast caverns stretching far underneath the northern hill, Bezetha, on which Jerusalem is built. Out of these mammoth caverns stones, a hard limestone, have been quarried in ancient times for the buildings in the...
on the St Austell granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
batholith
Batholith
A batholith is a large emplacement of igneous intrusive rock that forms from cooled magma deep in the Earth's crust...
(see also Geology of Cornwall
Geology of Cornwall
The Geology of Cornwall is dominated by its granite backbone, part of the Cornubian batholith, formed during the Variscan orogeny. Around this is an extensive metamorphic aureole formed in the mainly Devonian slates that make up most of the rest of the county...
) and numerous small granite dome
Granite dome
A granite dome is a dome of granite, formed by exfoliation.-Formation:Granite forms plutons of igneous rock several kilometers below the surface as magma slowly cools and crystallizes. The granite is under great overhead pressure....
s are dotted around the parish. Luxulyan Quarry, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
to the north of the village, exposes examples of this rock.
Luxulyanite, a rare type of Cornish granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
(named after the village) is found in the area and was used for the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
's sarcophagus in St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
.
Luxulyan is best known for Luxulyan Valley
Luxulyan Valley
The Luxulyan Valley is the steep sided and thickly wooded valley of the River Par, situated in the south east of Cornwall, England. It contains a major concentration of early 19th century industrial remains, and was designated as part of a World Heritage Site in 2006.The valley stretches south-east...
, a steep sided and thickly wooded stretch of the valley of the River Par
River Par
The River Par is a river draining the area north of St Blazey in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom.The Par is formed by several streams, rising near the villages of Lockengate, Lanivet and Tregullon near Bodmin, which flow southwards via the Bokiddick, Bodwen and Luxulyan areas to flow into the...
that contains a major concentration of early 19th century industrial remains, including a combined Aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
and Viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
. The valley was designated a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 2006.
One of the southern branches of the Saints' Way
Saints' Way
The Saints' Way is a long-distance footpath in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom.The footpath runs from Padstow in the north to Fowey in the south, a distance of 26 miles . The path is well marked and guide books are available....
long-distance footpath runs through the parish. Other villages in Luxulayan parish include the Churchtown, Bridges
Bridges, Cornwall
Bridges is a village in Cornwall close to Luxulyan on the edge of the St Austell china clay district....
, Treskilling, Rosemelling, Higher Manedue, and Bedwith.
The Atlantic Coast Line
Atlantic Coast Line, Cornwall
The Atlantic Coast Line is a community railway line in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The line runs from the English Channel at Par, to the Atlantic Ocean at Newquay.-Route:The Atlantic Coast Line starts from Par station, in the village and port of Par...
from Par
Par, Cornwall
Par is a town and fishing port with a harbour on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated in the civil parish of Tywardreath and Par and is approximately east of St Austell. Par has a population of around 1,400.....
to Newquay
Newquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
runs up the Luxulyan Valley and there is a station
Luxulyan railway station
Luxulyan railway station is located in the parish of Luxulyan in central Cornwall, England. It is one of the stations on the Atlantic Coast Line.-History:...
at Luxulyan. A bus service connects the village with St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
and Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739...
.
History
St SulienSaint Sulien
Saint Sulien or Sulian , was the founder and first abbot of Luxulyan in Cornwall. He may well be identical with Sulien, a Breton saint of Cornouaille and Domnonée...
, or Sulian, was abbot here during the sixth century. The church in the village may have been dedicated to him originally, but it is now dedicated to Saints Ciricius (Cyr, Cyriacus, Quiricus) and Julitta
Saint Quiricus and Saint Julietta
Saint Julietta and her son Saint Quiricus were martyred in AD 304 in Tarsus.-Cyricus:...
.
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
variant of the given name "Julian," but has also been interpreted as being derived from the Welsh sul, meaning "sun" + geni, meaning "born," Sulien being the name of a Celtic solar deity
Solar deity
A solar deity is a sky deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it, usually by its perceived power and strength. Solar deities and sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms...
.
In the early 1980s Luxulyan was the site of a six-month occupation of farmland by much of the village population, with many groups and individuals from across Cornwall helping, to prevent test drilling by the Central Electricity Generating Board investigating the area as a potential nuclear power station site.
Luxulyan has benefited from increased tourism since the nearby Eden Project
Eden Project
The Eden Project is a visitor attraction in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, including the world's largest greenhouse. Inside the artificial biomes are plants that are collected from all around the world....
opened.
Notable buildings
The parish church, originally Norman, was entirely rebuilt in granite in the 15th century. It is dedicated to St Ciricius and St Julitta. The tower is without buttreses or pinnacles and the south porch has battlements and a handsome tunnel-vault. It still has the Norman font (very similar to that at St Austell) and the east window is a monument to Silvanus Trevail, d. 1903. Near the church is a holy well (also 15th century). The Blackmoor Stannary, centred at nearby Hensbarrow BeaconHensbarrow Beacon
Hensbarrow Beacon is a hill in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated a mile north-west of Stenalees village at .The natural summit of Hensbarrow Beacon is 312m high and is marked by a trig point. It can be reached by a short walk from the road to the west...
, kept its records stored in the church.
Methrose is a farmhouse probably of the early 16th century ("one of the best farmhouses in Cornwall"--Pevsner); it is built of granite and stands on the right of a courtyard. The service end is of two storeys and the later parlour wing was attributed by Charles Henderson to Nicholas Kendall (some time between 1622 and 1649).
The remains of an Iron-Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hillfort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
known as Prideaux Castle
Prideaux Castle
Prideaux Castle is a quadrivallate Iron Age hillfort situated atop a 133 m high conical hill near the southern boundary of the parish of Luxulyan, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom...
are located in the southern portion of the parish near the border with St Blazey
St Blazey
St Blazey is a small town in Cornwall, United Kingdom.St Blaise is the civil parish in which St Blazey is situated; the name St Blaise is also used by the town council.St Blazey is situated east of St Austell...
.
Notable people
Notable people from Luxulyan include William O'Bryan, the Methodist preacher and founder of the Bryanites or Bible Christians, and Silvanus TrevailSilvanus Trevail
Silvanus Trevail was a British architect, and the most prominent Cornish architect of the 19th century. He was born in Luxulyan, Cornwall in October 1851. He rose to become Mayor of Truro and, nationally, President of the architects' professional body, the Society of Architects. His success...
, the architect. Both were born in the parish.