Par River
The Par River, also known as the Luxulyan River, is a river draining the area north of St Blazey in Cornwall, and reaching the English Channel at Par, where its mouth helped for the harbour of what remains a busy commercial port.
In Cornish the river was known as Dowr Gwernan, meaning 'alder tree water'.
The Par River rises on Criggan Moor, with tributaries rising near Crift, Bokiddick Downs, and the villages of Lockengate, Lanivet and Tregullon near Bodmin. Descending from the moor, it flows southwards through Bokiddick, Bodwen to the Luxulyan Valley, at the foot of which the river flow into St Austell Bay at Par.
Until the 16th century, the valley below St Blazey contained an estuary and the crossing at St Blazey was the lowest crossing point on the river.[1]
Ponts Mill was once a port, up-river of St Blazey, and as late as 1720, 80 ton sea going vessels could reach the port.[2]
Location
- Location map: 50°20’35"N, 4°42’11"W
References
- ↑ Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative: St Blazey (with St Blazey Gate and West Par) - Historic Environment Service
- ↑ Bristow, Colin M (1996). Cornwall's Geology and Scenery. An Introduction. St Austell: Cornish Hillside Publications. p. 137. ISBN 1 900147 01 7.
