Crowan in 1888

This is a web site about the village and parish of Crowan in Cornwall in the south west of Britain. I hope to collect all sorts of information about what has made this the place it is.

If you have any comments, or you want to contribute anything, please e-mail me               

Crowan now

Crowan lies on the western side of the large domed granite outcrop of Carnmenellis.  Much of this area is quite exposed  but Crowan  village and Clowance are tucked down out of the worst  of the weather. The parish of Crowan is in Kerrier  District and Crowan village is about half way between  Camborne, where Kerrier Council has its offices and  Helston. The parish is part of the deanery and Hundred of Penwith. It is bounded on the north by Camborne, where Kerrier Council has its offices. To the west is Wendron, to the south Sithney and Breage, and to the west are St Erth and Gwinear. The parish is named after its patron saint, Carwenna or Crewenna. The parish is now rural, and mostly pasture, although daffodil bulbs are a major crop. It was a centre  of tin and copper mining like the Camborne/Redruth area. People have lived in this area for thousands of years and have left their imprint on the landscape.  There are for example the remains of a Bronze-age stone  circle on Crowan Beacon and several Iron-age defended  farms. The field pattern is probably mostly mediaeval in origin around dispersed small villages. Praze an  Beeble, now the largest village, is relatively recent. The other villages in the parish are Leedstown, Praze-an-Beeble, Nancegollan, Townsend, Curgenwen, Drym, Trethannas, Trevoole and Releath. Crowan itself used to have shops and two pubs, but now has none

Clowance was the manor of this parish and the old  mill in Crowan churchtown, at one time home of a famous pottery, is still known as the Manor Mill. Clowance was owned by the St Aubyn family but has been a county club and time-share holiday business for many years