Liskeard and District Museum

The Caradon mining area is a magnet for industrial heritage enthusiasts. The remains of engine houses on the south eastern edge of Bodmin Moor tell of 19th century mines producing copper, tin and other minerals. The mines circle the dramatic Cheesewring quarry which eats into the dark grey granite of Stowes Hill.

From here the trail of the Liskeard & Caradon Railway can be followed for much of its route to Moorswater from where first a canal and later a railway carried the copper ore and stone to Looe for transportation by sea.

To the south and east the killas rock held lodes of lead and silver ore which produced the mining villages of Menheniot and Herodsfoot. The latter was also home to an important gunpowder works from where industrial explosive was distributed throughout Britain.

This story is told at the museum with maps, models, pictures and artefacts. You can get up close to the rocks that caused all the fuss with our superb geological display. The museum is housed in a Victorian savings bank, built when times were good.

We also show the bad times when many families broke up and went to the workhouse or emigrated.

Our displays cover local history from Mesolithic settlers to the 19th Century. Some fascinating characters have links to Liskeard. From a civil war helmet, to an architect€™s spirit level and a photographic studio, the bits they left behind reflect how national events were played out in a Cornish Borough.

Schools

Teachers or leaders can lead sessions themselves in the museum galleries or request museum staff to take sessions.

In addition to the displays we offer the following resources:

• Handling Boxes

• Dressing-Up Clothes

• Clip Boards and drawing materials

• DVD Player

• Work tables

• Documents and Maps