User:LutherBen78/Danescombe Quay

Danescombe Quay was the largest and last quayside on the River Tamar to be used commercially, capable of berthing large steam steel cargo ships of up to 200 tonnes. It is located on the Cornish bank of the river, half a mile out of the town of Calstock and next to Cotehele House the ancient seat of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, now a National Trust property. The Quayside lies within the Tamar Valley AONB and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History
With the increase of mining in Cornwall, alongside the industrial revolution, increasing number of goods produced from the Calstock region had to be transported by boat. The demand for this grew rapidly over the 19th century, leading to the quayside being enlarged and a railway laid connecting Danescombe with the rest of the region. It was fortunate to have a railway connecting it with institutions more inland and from above the national tidal limit of the River Tamar creating a high demand for the quayside.

The quayside was purchased by the Tamar Coal, Manure and General Mercantile Co Ltd at auction on the 28th of October 1862 at the Ashburton Hotel, Calstock. The construction on the railway began on the 26th of November 1863 at the Quayside.

The demand and profits made at Danescombe were so great that in 1890 the building of the jetty began. This allowed larger vessels to berth and granted access to steel boats, as they required deeper water and it was hazardous for them to ground in the same way as the wooden sailing vessels.

After the closure of the quayside in 1912 the quay was left to decay.

On the quayside now stands a house called Sowenna.