Kynance Cove

KYNANCE MARCH 2017

1. The valley approaching Kynance Cove. 2.& 3Early rain and showers. 4. Lion Rock and Old Lizard Head

  6. The 19th/ early 20th Century Thomas`Hotel & Boarding Rooms

The rugged coastline between the Rill, which included Kynance Cove, and Lizard Point has been the scene of a number of large shipwrecks over the previous 2-300 years. Several of these ships were steam-ships.

One of the largest ships to have grounded near this location, and one which was potentially the most dangerous was the D.L. Harper, a 12,000 ton German Oil Tanker from Danzig, which ran aground after striking a rock at Cranes Point, in thick Fog between Pentreath and Kynance Cove, on the West Coast of the Lizard Peninsula in June 1935. Her SOS was picked up at the Lloyds Signal Station only a short distance away, the alarm was raised, and the Lizard Lifeboat launched. So thick was the Fog at the time that she could not be seen from the shore !

She was a new ship, built only two years earlier at Hamburg. She was over 520 feet in length, 70 feet wide and 38 feet deep and carrying 10-12 thousand tons of Oil. At the time she was the 4th largest Oil Tanker in the world. Some of the thirty eight crew  and the five passengers were taken off by Lifeboat.

It was found that although she had struck a rock, most of her length was sat in sand. The passengers stayed for the duration in a nearby coastal Hotel. For a few days there was a strong smell of oil, and there were concerns that she would founder, but eventually she was towed off in a heavy swell and ground sea by four large Tugs, after several unsuccessful attempts, without a major mishap taking place. She was then able to proceed to Falmouth under her own steam, escorted by two Tugs, where she was anchored off Gyllyngvase Beach. There she was able to discharge some of her cargo.

And one week on the weather has improved dramatically...

KYNANCE, JUNE 2014

IN 1868 THE STEAMER "ALBION" OF HAYLE RAN TRIPS FROM PENZANCE TO THE SCILLIES TAKING THREE HRS AND TWENTY MINUTES.ON SATURDAY THE "ALBION" MADE AN EXCURSION FROM PENZANCE TO THE LIZARD, KYNANCE COVE, BACK TO PENZANCE THEN FROM THERE TO LANDS END AND HAYLE.

THERE WAS A SERPENTINE TURNER IN THE COVE IN 1895 CALLED MR THOMAS. HE TURNED SERPENTINE IN THE WINTER AND SOLD THE ARTICLES IN THE SUMMER. HE OCCUPIED A WOODEN HOUSE THAT WAS ONCE A MILL CLINGING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROCKY VALLEY, LOOKING INTO THE COVE. THERE WAS A LITTLE WOODEN PLATFORM OVERLOOKING THE SEA WHERE ONE COULD EAT AND DRINK. (ROY. CORN. GAZETTE 1895)

KYNANCE COVE SERPENTINE CAVES

VISITORS TO KYNANCE (KINANCE) IN THE EARLY TO MID 19TH CENTURY WOULD HAVE FOUND IT A DIFFERENT PLACE. IN THE EARLY 1800s KYNANCE WAS REGARDED AS THE PLACE TO VISIT ON THE LIZARD PENINSULA FOR ITS BEAUTY, SCENERY, ITS RARE PLANTS AND ITS GEOLOGY. PASSING BY A CLUSTER OF BUILDINGS BELOW TOR BALK, ON THE RIGHT HAND (NORTH SIDE- WHICH IS IN THE PARISH OF MULLION) COULD BE FOUND A MILL, AND A SMALL SEPRENTINE TURNERS CABIN. HERE THE OVERHEAD WHEEL WAS FED WITH WATER FROM A LEAT COMING OFF THE RIVER HIGHER UP THE VALLEY. A LITTLE FURTHER ON THE RIGHT WAS A RECESS, KNOWN AS THE KITCHEN, (SEE PIC BELOW), BUT BEFORE THIS WAS REACHED THE VISITOR PASSED THROUGH ONE OF TWO ARCHWAYS, DEPENDING ON THE HEIGHT OF THE TIDE. WALKING ALONG THE SAND, WITH THE DETACHED  "LION ROCK" 400 YARDS TO THE SOUTH THE SERPENTINE CLIFF TURNS NORTH TO WHERE THERE IS A RAISED MASS OF SAND DIVIDING THE MAINLAND FROM THE ISLANDS KNOWN AS "ASPARAGUS ISLAND" AND "GULL ROCK". (THIS RAISED SAND BAR IS TODAY REFERRED TO AS A TOMBOLO). AHEAD LIES THE RAISED CONICALLY SHAPED ROCK COMMONLY KNOWN AS "STEEPLE ROCK".

ON THE ASPARAGUS ISLAND SIDE IS A LARGE CRACK IN THE ROCK FROM WHICH THE PRESSURE OF THE WAVES FORCES OUT STREAMS OF WATER IN TWO ROARING JETS.THESE TWO HOLES ARE CALLED "THE BELLOWS" AND "THE POST OFFICE". VISITORS WERE ENCOURAGED TO CLIMB AS FAR AS POSSIBLE UP TO THE TOP OF ASPARAGUS ISLAND AND SOME JUMPED OVER ONTO "GULL ROCK", AN EXCITING JOURNEY FOR THE WELL DRESSED VICTORIAN VISITOR.

OPPOSITE ASPARAGUS ISLAND, AND ON THE LANDWARD SIDE OF THE TOMBOLO LIE SEVERAL CAVES, SOME WITH TWO OR MORE OPENINGS, WHICH WERE ENTERED TO VIEW THE MULTI COLOURED SERPENTINE BEDROCK AND ROCK POOLS.THE FIRST CAVE IS CALLED "THE PARLOUR" AND THE SECOND "THE DRAWING ROOM"

KYNANCE NATIONAL TRUST OBSERVATION PLATFORM - SEPT 2008

WINTER 2013/2014 ALL THE SAND WAS REMOVED ALONG THE WEST COAST OF THE LIZARD PENINSULA BY STORM ACTION. KYNANCE COVE LOST 6 FOOT OF SAND CAUSED BY INTENSE  SCOURING BY WAVE ACTION.THE STORMS CAUSED EROSION TO CLIFFS AND DAMAGE TO PROPERTY

KYNANCE COVE AND THE ORIGIN OF ENGLISH PORCELAIN

KYNANCE COVE HAS A HIDDEN HISTORY BASED ON THE MINERAL SOAPSTONE, ALSO KNOWN AS SOAPROCK OR "TALC". IN THE LATE 1600s IT WAS IDENTIFIED BY THE ROYAL SOCIETY AS A MINERAL WITH IMPORTANT PROPERTIES. IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE 1720s HOWEVER THAT ITS TRUE POTENTIAL FROM THE LOCALITY AT KYNANCE COVE BEGAN TO BE REALISED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL MANUFACTURE OF THE FIRST ENGLISH PORCELAIN. FOR MANY YEARS PORCELAIN WAS IMPORTED INTO EUROPE FROM CHINA. THAT WAS KNOWN AS HARD PASTE PORCELAIN AND ORIGINALLY SUPPLIED THE WEALTHY WITH A MEANS TO DEVELOP THE ART OF TEA AND COFFEE DRINKING FROM POTS MADE FROM A MATERIAL WHICH DID NOT BREAK OR CRACK WHEN BOILING WATER WAS ADDED. 

IT WAS HOWEVER VERY EXPENSIVE AND IT WAS PIONEERING WORK BY EARLY "EXPERIMENTAL" POTTERS WHO EVENTUALLY PRODUCED A SOFT PASTE PORCELAIN WHICH COULD WITHSTAND BOILING WATER.THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT WAS THE ADDITION INTO THE MIX OF CRUSHED "SOAPROCK". ("SOAPROCK" HAS RECENTLY IN 2016 BEEN DESCRIBED BY NO LESS THAN HENRY SANDON OF THE ROYAL WORCESTER PORCELAIN MUSEUM AS "THE MAGIC INGREDIENT " FOR ENGLISH PORCELAIN")

BY THE 1730s ENGLAND HAD ITS OWN VERSION OF THE CHINESE SPECIALITY AND BY THE 1740s THE INDUSTRY WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE ITS OWN VERSION OF THE CHINESE PORCELAIN WITH DECORATION PAINTED BY SKILLED TRADESMEN AND SUBSEQUENTLY WITH THE USE OF TRANSFER PRINTING. 

THE PRODUCTION OF THE FIRST PORCELAIN MANUFACTURED IN THIS COUNTRY BEGAN AS A RESULT OF THE DISCOVERY AND USE OF SOAPROCK. 

BY THE LATE 1740s SOAPROCK, WHICH HAD BEEN USED FROM KYNANCE, WAS QUARRIED FROM THE CLIFF AT GEW GRAZE ABOUT 1 MILE TO THE NORTH. GEW GRAZE BECAME KNOWN AS SOAPY COVE, and afterwards several other sites were used there until the 1820S AND FINALLY IT WENT OUT OF USE ABOUT 1840 AT FACTORIES WHICH INCLUDED THE ROYAL WORCESTER PORCELAIN FACTORY .

THESE SITES WERE AT PENTREATH, A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY FROM KYNANCE TO THE SOUTH, MULLION COVE, PREDANNACK, PENRUDDOCK,TENERIFFE, GWAVAS, LIZARD DOWNS, TRETHEVAS, MEAVER AND BENEATH WHAT IS NOW PREDANNACK AIRFIELD.

THE INDUSTRY BEGAN WITH "EXPERIMENTAL" PORCELAIN MADE AT SMALL LONDON POTTERY FACTORIES, BEFORE BENJAMIN LUND SET UP A FACTORY AT BRISTOL AND A SHORT TIME AFTER A FACTORY WAS SET UP AT VAUXHALL IN LONDON. 

LUNDS FACTORY AND THE SOAPSTONE LICENCE FOR THE AREA WHICH INCLUDED GEW GRAZE WAS TAKEN OVER BY WORCESTER PORCELAIN FACTORY FROM 1753, AND THIS FACTORY WAS FOLLOWED BY OTHERS AT LIVERPOOL,CAUGHLEY IN SHROPSHIRE AND SOUTH WALES (NANTGARW). 

IT WAS NOT UNTIL LATER IN 1768 THAT WILLIAM COOKWORTHY MANAGED TO PRODUCE  HARD PASTE PORCELAIN OF MERCHANTABLE QUALITY IN THE CHINESE STYLE USING CORNISH CHINA CLAY (KAOLIN) AND MOORSTONE. BY THIS TIME HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PIECES OF SOFT PASTE PORCELAIN PRODUCED USING SOAPROCK WERE ALREADY IN CIRCULATION THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, AND IT WAS EVEN EXPORTED TO AMERICA AND THE WEST INDIES.

SOFT PASTE PORCELAIN PRODUCED WITH SOAPROCK FROM THE LIZARD PENINSULA  WAS PURCHASED AND USED BY ALL LEVELS OF SOCIETY FROM KINGS AND QUEENS TO THE HUMBLE SERVANT AND BEGAN THE CERAMICS INDUSTRY IN THIS COUNTRY.

(SEE ALSO BOOK "SOAPROCK COAST,THE ORIGINS OF ENGLISH PORCELAIN" PUBLISHED 2011 ROBERT FELCE)

(Below photos of soaprock at Kynance Cove)

MARCH 2016- CONTROLLED GORSE BURNING ABOVE KYNANCE COVE

MARCH 2017 DAMAGE TO CLIFFS AT KYNANCE CAUSED BY STRONG SPRING TIDES- SEVERAL TONS OF SERPENTINE FELL HERE YET AFTER ONLY A FEW STRONG TIDES MOST OF THE FALLEN ROCK HAD BEEN WASHED AWAY LEAVING FRESH SERPENTINE AND SOAPROCK ON VIEW.