Around Penwith

Whilst we were staying in Helston, we weren't just concentrating on areas with family connections, but we had a lovely day touring the Penwith Peninsula, the bit that juts out to the furthest east you can get in this country.  However, we did not visit Lands End as it has been turned into a bit of a theme park.  However, here is a link to more info to this place:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land%27s_End

 The Penwith Peninsula from Google Earth

Pendeen Lighthouse near St Just on the north coast of the Penwith Peninsula

http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses/lighthouse_list/pendeen.html

The National Trust's Levant Tin Mine as seem from the Lighthouse.  An iconic sight on the Cornish coastline, it's tunnels stretched out under the Atlantic Ocean.

Two more views of the Levant Tin Mine engine house.  There was a major disaster here in 1919 when the sea breached one of the underwater shafts killing many of the miners.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levant_Mine_and_Beam_Engine
http://www.nicholasfamilyhistory.com/history/levant/levant_mine_disaster.php

Looking up to the Geevor Tin Mine, one of the two tin mine tourist attractions in Pendeen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geevor_Tin_Mine

We visited Carn Euny Iron Age Village near the village of Sancreed.  It appears to have been inhabited between 200BC and into the late Roman period.  These large stone huts  were started around first century BC

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carn_Euny
http://www.historic-cornwall.org.uk/a2m/rom_british/courtyard_house/carn_euny/carn_euny.htm

This site also contains a fine example of a fougou.  This is the entrance.

Inside the fougou
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fogou

Viv enjoying her lunch at Carn Euny

 In the lanes near Porthcurno.  The red car had apparently got too close to the hedge and the resulting conference blocked the road for about 45 minutes!

 The telegraph cable station (now Museum) at Porthcurno. This was the British termination of the undersea telegraph cable which was completed in 1870 thus liking Britain telegraphically to the rest of the world including Australia, South Africa and the USA.  It was also a critical communications hub during the second World War with rooms drilled into the cliff behind building to make them bomb proof.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porthcurno

The entry to the bunker

Porthcurno Beach

Looking towards the Minack theatre, a unique open air theatre on the cliffs at Porthcurno
http://www.minack.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minack_Theatre