Illogan (pronounced ''il'luggan'', ) is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in west
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, England, United Kingdom, two miles (3 km) northwest of
Redruth
Redruth ( , ) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. According to the 2011 census, the population of Redruth was 14,018 In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, ...
. The population of Illogan was 5,404 at the 2011 census. In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, which also includes
Carn Brea, Illogan and several satellite villages, stood at 55,400
making it the largest conurbation in Cornwall.
Originally a rural area supporting itself by farming and agriculture, Illogan shared in the general leap into prosperity brought about by the
mining
Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...
boom, which was experienced by the whole
Camborne
Camborne (from Cornish language, Cornish ''Cambron'', "crooked hill") is a town in Cornwall, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 20,845. The northern edge of the parish includes a section of the South West Coast Path, Hell's Mouth, C ...
-Redruth area.
History
Antiquities
In 1931 the ruins of a
Roman villa
A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house in the territory of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions.
Nevertheless, the term "Roman villa" generally covers buildings with the common ...
at Magor Farm were found by Nicholas Warren and excavated under the guidance of the
Royal Institution of Cornwall
The Royal Institution of Cornwall (RIC) is a Learned society in Truro, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
It was founded in Truro on 5 February 1818 as the Cornwall Literary and Philosophical Institution. The Institution was one of the earliest ...
. The villa was probably the residence of a wealthy
Dumnonian
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for a Brythonic kingdom that existed in Sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries CE in the more westerly parts of present-day South West England. It was centred in the area of modern Devon, ...
who had adopted the Roman lifestyle.
Church

The
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...
was dedicated to St Illogan (Ylloganus or Euluganus) and St Edmund; the earliest reliable reference, dated 1235, refers to the Ecclesia of Eglossalau. By 1844, the church had become too small to serve a vastly increasing mining population, so a new church was built to the designs of
J. P. St Aubyn
James Piers St Aubyn (6 April 1815 – 8 May 1895), often referred to as J P St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident restorations.
Early life
St Aubyn was born at Powick Vicarag ...
. at a cost of £2,875 and came into use on 4 November 1846. The
bell tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...
is all that remains of the old church;
Trinity House
The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond, also known as Trinity House (and formally as The Master, Wardens and Assistants of the Guild Fraternity or Brotherhood of the most glorious and undivided Trinity and of St Clement in the ...
refused to allow its removal as it provided a useful landmark for shipping. The church reopened in 2012 after extensive repairs to the roof.
The churchyard includes fifty-two
Commonwealth War Graves., and the grave of
Thomas Merritt, whose carols are sung by Cornishmen worldwide and who was commissioned to write the
1902 Coronation March for
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910.
The second child ...
.
The Church, its tower, the Basset sarcophagus, a
Cornish cross
Breed broiler is any chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') that is bred and raised specifically for meat production. Most commercial broilers reach slaughter weight between four and six weeks of age, although slower growing breeds reach slaug ...
, and the gates at the north end of the churchyard are all Grade II Listed. The Cornish cross in the churchyard is probably ''in situ''.
* The
ecclesiastical parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
extends beyond
Carn Brea and includes long stretches of the North Cliffs – from Reskajeage Downs on the North Cliffs to
Cambrose
Cambrose is a Hamlet (place), hamlet east of Portreath in west Cornwall, England, UK.Ordnance Survey ''One-inch Map of Great Britain; Land's End, sheet 189''. 1961
Cambrose is the location of Sally's Bottom, a small valley running down to the c ...
, with a population of 12,500 people. It was split into three
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
es - Illogan; Carn Brea, which includes the village of
Pool
Pool may refer to:
Bodies of water
* Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming
* Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings
* Tide pool, a roc ...
; and
Portreath
Portreath ( or ) is a civil parishes in England, civil parish, village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is about three miles (5 km) west-north-west of Redruth. The village extends along ...
.
* The civil parish has a population of 5,404 and stretches from Bridge and Harris Mill in the East; Tolvaddon and Bell Lake in the West; and from the
A30 to Reskajeage.
Buildings
* Parts of Aviary Court date back 300 years and was the home of mining engineer James
Tangye
Tangye is a surname of Breton origin and is common in Cornwall. It may refer to:
* Richard Tangye, industrialist (1833–1906)
**His son, Sir , 1st Baronet (1866–1935)
***His son, Sir , 2nd Baronet (1895–1969)
** His son, Lt. Colonel O.B. ...
; this is now a hotel.
* The Bain Memorial, in memory of David Wise Bain who owned Portreath Harbour, built in 1901 as
almshouses
An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable organization, charitable public housing, housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the povert ...
for decayed (invalid) miners.
* Mary's Well (1888) named after the wife of Gustavus Lambart Basset .
* The Plymouth limestone and granite faced Paynters Lane End Methodist Church, was built in 1890. The Methodist Sunday School was built in 1858; 30 years before the Chapel.
Amenities
* Illogan School provides education for 4-11 year olds.
*
Tehidy Country Park
Tehidy Country Park is a country park in Illogan in Cornwall, England which incorporates of the parkland and estate around Tehidy House, a former manor house of the Tehidy manor. The park's facilities include an events field, barbecue hire ...
, the largest area of woodland in West Cornwall, containing an 18-hole golf course. Is owned and managed by
Cornwall Council
Cornwall Council ( ), known between 1889 and 2009 as Cornwall County Council (), is the local authority which governs the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary ...
. Tehidy was the estate of the
Basset family
Members of the Basset family were amongst the early Normans, Norman settlers in the Kingdom of England. It is currently one of the few ancient Norman families who has survived through the centuries in the paternal line. They originated at Montre ...
, one of the four most powerful families in Cornwall who had extensive lands and mineral rights.
* Maningham Community Woodland was opened in 2004. It was part of an ornamental garden for the old Rectory now called Maningham – now a private house – built of
Bath stone
Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate originally obtained from the Middle Jurassic aged Great Oolite Group of the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its h ...
in 1783 for the Rev John Basset, brother of
Lord De Dunstanville whose monument is seen on
Carn Brea.
Notable residents
*
Julia Goldsworthy
Julia Anne Goldsworthy (born 10 September 1978) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Falmouth and Camborne from 2005 until 2010. A member of the Liberal Democrats, she was narrowly defeated by 66 votes by th ...
, Politician
*
Rory McGrath
Patrick Rory McGrath (born 17 March 1956) is a British comedian, television personality, and writer. He came to prominence in the comedy show '' Who Dares Wins'' and was a regular panellist on the game show '' They Think It's All Over'' for ma ...
, comedian
*
Sir Richard Trevithick Tangye, engineer and philanthropist.
*
Moondyne Joe
Joseph Bolitho Johns ( February 1826 – 13 August 1900), better known as Moondyne Joe, was an English convicts in Australia, convict and Western Australia's best-known bushranger. Born into poor and relatively difficult circumstances, he became ...
, bushranger.
Sports
The town football club, Illogan RBL, has a reserve team that is very famous, as they beat Madron FC 55–0 in the
Mining League
The Mining League (last sponsored by One and All Sports) was a football league competition based in Cornwall, England, UK, with three divisions. The First Division sat at level 13 of the English football league system
The English footbal ...
, the worst-ever fair defeat.
Cornish wrestling
Cornish wrestling
Cornish wrestling () is a form of wrestling that has been established in Cornwall for many centuries and possibly longer. It is similar to the Breton people, Breton Gouren wrestling style. It is colloquially known as "wrasslin’"Phillipps, K C: ...
tournaments, for prizes were held in Illogan in the 1800s
[Royal Cornwall Gazette, 26 September 1807.] and 1900s.
[Western Morning News, 1 September 1947.] Venues included Paynter's Lane End
[West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 29 October 1945.] and Tehidy Hospital.
[West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 4 June 1964.]
Literature
* In the ''
Poldark
''Poldark'' is a series of historical novels by Winston Graham, initially published from 1945 to 1953 and continuing from 1973 to 2002. The first novel, '' Ross Poldark'', was named for the protagonist of the series. The novel series was ada ...
'' novels by
Winston Graham
Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE, born Winston Grime (30 June 1908 – 10 July 2003), was an English novelist best known for the ''Poldark'' series of historical novels set in Cornwall, though he also wrote numerous other works, including contemp ...
, Demelza Carne was born in 'Illuggan'.
[Clarke, D. (1977), ''Poldark Country''. St Teath: Bossiney Books; p. 28.]
References
External links
{{authority control
Villages in Cornwall
Civil parishes in Cornwall