Charlestown Shipwreck and Heritage Centre

Charlestown's Centre commemorates achievement and heartbreak in a unique 18th century setting barely touched by time.

The achievement belongs to one man, Charles Rashleigh, whose vision created a thriving port out of an obscure fishing village. His reasons are, literally, a part of the Centre, which is built over the tunnels of an old China Clay Dry. Down these - as you can see today - stevedores pushed wagons full of Cornwall's white gold to waiting ships. The activity and facilities generated other trade - in pilchards, stone, tin, copper ore, timber and coal - and with it, a large commercial infrastructure.

Full-scale tableaux in the Heritage section show a cooper, blacksmith and others at work, drawn to Charlestown by the magnet of trade. In the Audio-Visual Theatre you can see the saga unfold, from the optimism of the 1791 blueprint, through a century of growth to recession and decline at its end.

The Shipwreck section flips the coin of enterprise to show the forces it cannot control. Round Britain's coasts are over 250,000 wrecks, many with stories of courage and cowardice, greed or sacrifice to tell. The Centre shows a rich sample, in photography and wreckage or salvaged cargo: here, a 400-year old cannon; there, priceless Nanking porcelain: the artefacts recovered from the tragic sinking of HMS Ramillies in 1763, and - in a unique display - the history of underwater exploration, from the original wooden diving barrels to the latest bell.

Fittingly, the Centre's latest addition emphasises the saving of life at sea. While remaining fully operational, the Lifeboat Aurelia is on display for all to see how the RNLI's volunteers face the elements.

FACTFILE

Directions
From St Austell, take the A3061 into Charlestown. The Shipwreck & Heritage Centre is on the left of the Harbour.

Groups
School parties and group rates are negotiable on request.

Parking
Parking is available in the village.

Facilities
Include a restaurant, gift shop, toilets, baby changing room and public telephone. The Centre is accessible to the disabled.

Charlestown Shipwreck & Heritage Centre
CHARLESTOWN St Austell, Cornwall PL25 3NJ
Tel: 01726 69897 Fax: 01726 815511