French owned China Clay Works at Par Sands in Cornwall. These photo depict the now dis-used pipeline along the Eastern shoreline
This area of Cornwall features a rich history going back to 1775 where a local ,William Cookworthy, developed a way of extracting the fine clay from the granite rich rocks of St Austels coastlines. This particular works of Cornwall once employed over 7000 people within the porcelain industry, an industry that once exported something in the region of 50% of the worlds china clay. The surrounding area had grown quickly and some settlements went from a population of 9 to nearly 3000, a local entrepreneur, Charles Rashleigh, played a large part in the developed infrastructure in the area. This particular works was bought in 1999 by the French company Imeyur which subsequently outsourced a lot of its labour and sorting process to Brazil, the plant now employs fewer than 2000 people, but does still have around 30 ships a year transport from Charlestown Harbour. For every five Ton of clay over five tonnes of waste is produced which in turn has lead to the now noticeable 'Cornish Alps' that litter the surrounding area. To see the now defunct pipeline and quiet clay works is strangely symbolic of an industrious England that took its brand of capitalism across the globe, but now has an export value around 17% of the UK's monetary income. The rusted, broken pipe sections that curve their way out to sea covered in concrete and falling haphazardly provide a distinctive indication that the exporting Labour leaves an indelible mark on its former homestead that even the mighty ocean can not wash away.
Size: 6737px × 4491px
Photo credit: © James Pearce / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: clay, concreted, cornish, cornwall, dis-, disused, export, eyesore, factory, french, historic, industrial, landscape, owned, par, pipe, pipeline, pollution, sands, uk, working, works
