Albaston

Albaston (Cornish: Trevalba) is a hamlet in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in the civil parish of Calstock.

Geography

Albaston is about 1 mile (2 kilometres) from the centre of Gunnislake and half-a-mile (0.7 kilometres) from Gunnislake railway station, the junction of the Tamar Valley Line from Plymouth.

History

In the past, Albaston was closely connected with the nearby mine at Drakewalls. The success of the Drakewalls mine in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century led to the growth of the village of Albaston, including the building of a Methodist chapel and several shops, homes and businesses.^[1] A brewery, Edward Bowhay & Brothers, was established by 1877; this brewery had closed by 1930.^[2][3]

Facilities

The village has a Methodist church, known as Tamar Valley Methodist Church. It was opened in 2001.^[4]

The Old Post Office House is now rented as a holiday home accommodating nine people.^[5]

Notable residents

Christian Pentecostal leader Thomas Ball Barratt was born in Albaston in 1862, the son of a mining engineer. He moved to Norway when his father began working for a mine there and in later life became the founder of the Norwegian Pentecostal movement.^[6]

References

1. Gamble, Barry (2011). Cornish Mines: Gwennap to the Tamar. Alison Hodge Publishers. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-906720-82-0.
2. Todd, Arthur Cecil; Laws, Peter (1972). The Industrial Archaeology of Cornwall. David and Charles. p. 215. ISBN 9780715355909.
3. Barber, Norman (1994). A Century of British Brewers, 1890-1990. Brewery History Society. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-873966-04-4.
4. "Callington Methodist Church - Home page". Callington Methodist Church. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
5. "Deals of the week". The Daily Telegraph. 7 July 2012.
6. Letson, Harry (2007). Catalysts of the Spirit: An Introduction to Pentecostal History. AuthorHouse. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-4259-6273-9.