Row Round Cornwall will help fund an exciting new project in Charlestown that will benefit the Rowing Club and the whole community. Half of the money raised from Row Round Cornwall, in addition to grants and other sources of funding, will be put towards regenerating a disused building in Charlestown to fulfill the needs of Charlestown Rowing Club and the people of Charlestown, providing an invaluable resource for the whole community

The building to be regenerated is the old Pattern Store on the site of the former Charlestown Foundry. This building is located at the northern end of Charlestown and has its own rich history.

Charlestown Foundry was originally established in the early 1800s to service the Port of Charlestown and the local Copper and Tin Mines in the St.Austell area. Several Cornish Pumping engines were manufactured at the works and were shipped to mines in Australia, Mexico and South Africa from the site. The gradual demise of the Cornish Mining industry saw the Foundry change hands many times; alternative work was providing castings and fabrications for the Great Western Railway and the St.Austell Gas Company. The discovery of China Clay in the St.Austell Area provided a life line to the works and it was eventually acquired by the then English Clays Lovering and Pochin (ECLP) in the early 1920s. The clay industry used the site, manufacturing minerals processing equipment, until its sale in 1990 and final closure by Metso Minerals in 2004.

It is hoped that this building can be used for many purposes within the community in addition to the needs of Charlestown Rowing Club who are planning to use the building as a gig store in addition to creating a small gym and office for Rowing Club members.

Click here to visit the Charlestown Rowing Club website.