A Cornish educational charity has put on a series of events showing the links between Helston's geology and building heritage.

A group of around 50 people gathered in front of the CAST building on Penrose Road last Saturday morning (25 September) to set out on a walk around Helston to examine the town's building heritage.

As part of the ‘Water and Stone’ programme organised by CAST in association with Helston Makes It, the walk set out to explore connections between Helston’s built heritage and the geological sources of the town’s many buildings, with the team identifying the stone used and the specific masonry techniques employed in their construction.

Falmouth Packet: A group of around 50 people took part in the walk on Saturday. A group of around 50 people took part in the walk on Saturday.

The event was led by urban geologist Ruth Siddall, of University College London, geologist Beth Simons, who specialises in the characterisation of Cornish granites, and artist and granite sculptor David Paton, who teaches at Falmouth University and works at Trenoweth Quarry near Penryn.

Read Next:

Other events over the weekend of 24, 25 and 26 September included talks at CAST on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, all with capacity audiences, a walk up the Cober valley from Helston Town Mill to Trannack Quarries, with local historian Peter Benbow on Sunday morning, and a pigment making session at CAST led by Ruth Siddall, also on Sunday morning, in which over 250 people participated.

Falmouth Packet: Stonemason Jamie Pharaoh of Trenoweth Quarry demonstrated granite dressingStonemason Jamie Pharaoh of Trenoweth Quarry demonstrated granite dressing

In the Helston Town band room on Church Street, stonemason Jamie Pharaoh of Trenoweth Quarry demonstrated granite dressing, with visits on Friday by art students led by teacher Gavin Bloor and Geology students led by teacher Dr Kieran Ryan, all from Helston Community College, and members of the public dropping in on Saturday.

Teresa Gleadowe of CAST said: "The weekend was an extraordinary success and demonstrated that there is keen interest in both Helston’s exceptional built heritage and Cornwall’s fascinating geology and the ways in which they combine to contribute to a sense of place."