St. Dennis

Civil Parish in Cornwall

England

St. Dennis

St. Dennis is a civil parish located in the county of Cornwall, England. Situated in the central part of the county, it lies approximately 7 miles east of the town of St. Austell and 12 miles north of the city of Truro. The parish covers an area of around 4 square miles.

Primarily a rural area, St. Dennis is known for its picturesque landscapes and charming countryside. It is surrounded by rolling hills and farmlands, with the Goss Moor Nature Reserve located to the south of the parish.

The village of St. Dennis serves as the main settlement within the parish. It is a small, close-knit community with a population of around 2,000 people. The village offers a range of amenities, including a primary school, a church, a village hall, and a few local shops and pubs.

Historically, St. Dennis was a mining village, and the remnants of this industry can still be seen today. The village is home to the St. Dennis Band, an acclaimed brass band that has a long-standing tradition and has won numerous awards.

The parish is well-connected to the surrounding areas by road, with the A3058 passing through the village, providing easy access to nearby towns and cities. The stunning coastline of the English Channel is just a short drive away, offering opportunities for outdoor activities and leisurely walks along the beach.

Overall, St. Dennis is a peaceful and picturesque civil parish, offering a rural retreat for its residents and visitors alike.

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St. Dennis Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 50.388696/-4.883473 or Grid Reference SW9558. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

St Dennis: towards the church

Fields to the east of St Dennis church. The church lies beyond the square and is encircled by a clump of trees; the top of its tower just visible above them. It is on the site of an Iron Age fort. See also Tony Atkin's shot SW9558 : St Dennis Village Church.

Martin Bodman

Crossroads on the B3279

Behind the signs are part of an old clay pit and tip.

roger geach

A view over Clay Country Hendra and St Dennis

A good view looking towards the A30 this is hendra and St Dennis in the hart of the Clay country. A great view on a clear autumn morning.

roger geach

Parkandillick Cornish engine - the cockpit

This is the area below the driving position of this 1852 built 50" Cornish beam pump. In the background is one of the cataracts that uses water being forced through an adjustable orifice to time the pauses between strokes. In the centre is the bottom of the plug rod that operates the valves and sets the cataracts between strokes. On the right is a weight box that will operate to open one of the engine's three valves under the influence of gravity. Cock is an older term for a valve and this is the origin of the modern word cockpit (true or bluff). There are not too many pictures of this area on a Cornish engine to be found.

Chris Allen

Parkandillick beam engine - St Austell governor

An 1852 built Cornish beam pumping engine at a clay pit. It was moved here in 1912 and stopped work about 1955. It is preserved and can be operated with low pressure compressed air produced by a large fan exhausting into the boiler. Because Cornish engines are non-rotative and do not have a crank and connecting rod to mechanically constrain the stroke length, they rely on exactly the right amount of steam being admitted that matches the load and keeps the stroke to the correct length. Most engines of this type relied entirely on the engine driver adjusting the governor valve by hand but in the St Austell clay district there was a development of this automatic governor (the engine driver still needed to be close at hand with his wits about him). This detected an increase or decrease in the stroke length and automatically decreased or increased the quantity of steam admitted by adjusting the length of the governor valve rod. You can forget the mogadon tonight if you've read this far!

Chris Allen

Parkandillick Clayworks - Cornish beam engine

An 1852 built Cornish beam pumping engine at a clay pit. It was moved here in 1912 and stopped work about 1955. It is preserved and can be operated with low pressure compressed air produced by a large fan exhausting into the boiler. This is the top chamber with the indoor end of the cast iron beam and the parallel motion. The main bearing for the beam is at bottom right and lacks a top cap as all the forces are downwards. The beam carries the maker's name - Sandys, Vivian & Co, Hayle.

Chris Allen

Parkandillick Clayworks - Cornish beam engine

An 1852 built Cornish beam pumping engine at a clay pit. It was moved here in 1912 and stopped work about 1955. It is preserved and can be operated with low pressure compressed air produced by a large fan exhausting into the boiler. This view is from the bob-plat looking straight down between the two cast iron sides of the beam. On the right is the main pump rod actuated by the engine and raising china clay slurry from the bottom of the clay pit. To its left is the wooden cistern that holds the air pump. To the left of the air pump is the smaller feed pump that sits on top of the condenser. The door is the 'plug door' and gives access to the condenser area from the bottom chamber of the engine house.

Chris Allen

Parkandillick clayworks - Cornish beam pumping engine

An 1852 built Cornish beam pumping engine at a clay pit. It was moved here in 1912 and stopped work about 1955. It is preserved and can be operated with low pressure compressed air produced by a large fan exhausting into the boiler. This is the middle chamber with the 50" cylinder in the middle and the piston rod ascending to the beam above. Beyond the cylinder is the top nozzle box with the governor, steam and equilibrium valves. The big round beam at the top of the frame is the anchor point for the parallel motion radius rods. This is also braced to the bob wall.

Chris Allen

Parkandillick Clayworks - Cornish beam pumping engine

An 1852 built Cornish beam pumping engine at a clay pit. It was moved here in 1912 and stopped work about 1955. It is preserved and can be operated with low pressure compressed air produced by a large fan exhausting into the boiler. This is a view of the bottom chamber with the driver's position and the cylinder behind on the left. The 'gearwork' is typical three arbor gearwork with a double plug rod and cataracts for pauses on the indoor and outdoor strokes. The engine has a single perpendicular pipe connecting the two ends of the cylinder. There is a delicate chain holding the bottom (exhaust) handle down and this would be released to start the engine. The engine is worked by hand for several strokes until the vacuum is stable and the stroke length has settled down. It is then put on the cataracts and becomes self-acting, although the driver is never far away.

Chris Allen