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ARCHITECTURE IN CORNWALL

Cornwall is lucky enough to have a varied and beautiful landscape with has led to an extremely rich heritage of buildings over the years.

CORNISH VERNACULAR

The traditional materials found in Cornwall tend to be predominantly stone, slate and render.  Buildings had to be constructed to deal with the sometimes extreme coastal climatic conditions and often had small windows.  Buildings usually were built with fairly steeply pitched roofs for the same reason and buildings tended not to be particularly tall.  Many historic buildings also have interesting changes in levels as a way of dealing with the challenging topography found in some areas of the county.  

INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE
Cornwall is famous for its historic tin mining industry.  Evidence of the chimneys and other industrial buildings are still evident scattered around the landscape, although the tin mines have now closed.  Industry brought employment and wealth to the region and more buildings.

COASTAL DEVELOPMENT

In the early 1900s many dwellings were constructed around the Cornish coastline for families to use as holiday homes.  Prior to the planning regulations we have today, it was possible to build in some fantastic locations around the coast.  These buildings did not particularly attempt to blend in with their surroundings and often using white render as a finish tend to stand out against the landscape.  Prior to this the Victorians took full advantage of the spectacular coastal landscape, constructing many grand buildings in prominent locations.

CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE IN CORNWALL

There is quite a variety of contemporary buildings throughout Cornwall.  New buildings often include much larger areas of glazing compared than older properties as we are now able to create buildings that perform much better thermally.  People are therefore able to take better advantage of the views throughout much of the county.  Slate, render and timber boarding are also common materials used today. 

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