St Day

St Day is a village in Cornwall, situated between Redruth and the historic Gwennap mining district. Originally a medieval pilgrimage site known for its shrine to the Holy Trinity, St Day became a thriving industrial hub during the 18th and 19th centuries as the commercial center for what was once called the richest square mile on Earth. The village has a preserved character, with a central conservation area and almost 50 listed buildings, including the atmospheric ruins of Holy Trinity Church. Following the decline of mining, St Day has become a residential village, but it retains a strong sense of its industrial past.

History: St Day served as a hub for the wealthiest and most renowned copper mining district globally from the 16th century to the 1830s. The village gained its name from a chapel dedicated to the Breton Saint Dei, and in the 13th century there was a chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity, which became a great centre of pilgrimage. The parish was originally a chapelry of Gwennap but became independent in 1835. During the mining boom, St Day was a populous and thriving town with numerous shops, inns, markets, chapels, and workshops, including one operated by William Wilton producing scientific instruments for the mining industry. The Great County Adit, a massive 40-mile drainage tunnel system, was critical to local mining operations. The Church of Holy Trinity, likened by Sir John Betjeman to "an ecclesiastical toy fort," was built in 1826-28 to accommodate a congregation of 1,500. The church was controversially closed in 1956 due to structural concerns, and the roof was removed in 1985. Today, the stabilized church ruins are used as a community venue. St Day's population declined steadily from about 1870 onwards, and today it is smaller than it was in 1841. The village is now part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site.