Camborne began to grow into a town during the mining boom in Cornwall during the first half of the 19th Century. Before that, Camborne was a hamlet surrounded by moorland. It was quite cut off from other places as there was only one road into the hamlet. This changed in 1839 with the building of the great turnpike road through Cornwall. In the mid 1880s, Camborne reached the peak of its prosperity. Following the decline of mining, many miners left Camborne (and Cornwall in general) to try to find work overseas. Camborne was saved from complete collapse by Dolcoath Mine, which was deeper and more productive than any other mine in Cornwall. Dolcoath Mine supported hundreds of mining families until it was closed in 1921. Now Camborne and the surrounding area are dotted with disused mineshafts and other buildings representing the era.
Camborne is home to the famous Camborne School of Mines. The School of Mines was founded in 1888 and offers a wide range of courses relating to the understanding and management of the Earth's natural resources and the environment. It evolved from efforts to improve the technical education of Cornish miners. Practical lessons were learnt by day in the local mines, whilst lectures were often given in the evenings. As the mining industry in Cornwall began to decline, so did the technical state of the mines. It was at this point that the School decided it would need its own mine if it were to provide up-to-date instructional education. The King Edward Mine (originally, South Condurrow) was close to Camborne and was used for commercial purposes as well as education. The mine was updated and refurbished. The mine still looks a lot like it did all those years ago.
Richard Trevithick, the inventor of the steam engine, was born just outside of Camborne. There's more information on him on the famous people page.
In celebration of Richard Trevithick and the mining heritage of the area, every year Camborne and its people celebrate Trevithick Day. It is celebrated on the last Saturday of April. Lots of festivities go on during this day, including dancing (the traditional Bal-maidens and Miners dance with over 200 local school children dressed in traditional costumes and the Trevithick's Dance of adults dressed in the black and gold of Cornwall), street entertainment, a fairground, vintage vehicles, model exhibitions, stalls, static steam engines and one of the most important parts of the day, the parade of moving steam engines. 2005's steam parade was particularly special as for the first time the parade went 'Up Camborne Hill'. This is important as Trevithick demonstrated the power of steam by showing it could reach the top of Camborne Hill with a heavy load, something that horses struggled to do. It is so important to the people of Camborne that there is a song in honour of it!
Designed and developed by Clare