Redruth Information

Dial Code : 01209
Population : 12,352 (2001)

Information

Historically, Redruth was a small market town overshadowed by its neighbours until a boom in the demand for copper ore during the 18th century. Copper ore had mostly been discarded by the Cornish tin-mining industry, but was now needed to make brass, an essential metal in the Industrial Revolution. Surrounded by copper ore deposits, Redruth quickly became one of the largest and richest mining areas in Britain and the town's population grew markedly. Most miners' families, however, remained poor.

In the 1880s and 1890s the town end of Clinton Road gained a number of institutions, notably a School of Mines and Art School in 1882 to 83, St. Andrews Church (replacing the chapel in Chapel Street) in 1883 and, opposite, the Free Library, built in 1895. By the turn of the century, Victoria Park had been laid out to commemorate the Golden Jubilee and this part of town had taken on its present appearance, a far cry from the jumble of mining activity that took place there in the early 19th century. Redruth was making its transition from a market town dominated by mines and industry to a residential centre.

By the end of the 19th century Britain was importing most of its copper ore and the Cornish mining industry was in decline. To find employment, many miners emigrated to the newer mining industries in the Americas, Australasia and South Africa. Cornwall's last fully-operational mine, South Crofty at Pool between Redruth and Camborne, closed in March 1998.

One of the founding fathers of gas lighting, William Murdoch (1754 to 1839, later known as Murdock) lived in Redruth and from 1792 is said to have used gas to light his house. If true, this would have been one of the first uses of town gas for lighting. There is an annual Murdoch Day in the town, each June. An estimated 10,000 spectators attended the 2007 event