Time has stood still at Morwellham Quay. The streets are full of servants and merchants in Victorian costume and miners are hurrying towards their shift. In the busy assay office copper ore from the surrounding mines is checked and sorted according to quality. The whole place is buzzing with activity. The only exception is the quayside of the steady flowing Tamar which is for the most part destitute of life. In the 19th century the harbour was filled with a forest of ships masts. For the Tamar valley was rich in copper which made its way into the world via the neighbouring port of Plymouth. A vibrant open-air museum has now brought the past back to life complete with costumed actors. Visitors can take a direct part in the cramped conditions of the overcrowded houses of miners and harbour workers, the noise of the old taverns and the decks and storage spaces of a sailing ketch. A journey deep into one of the many copper mines in the valley on a electric tramway leaves the deepest impression. Here the imposing underground son and lumière effects give visitors a vivid sensation of the arduous and oppressive everyday conditions in the old mines.
Morwellham Quay
Morwellham Quay
PL19 8JL Tavistock
Devon
United Kingdom
+44 (0) 1822 - 832766
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