Lay off Poldark’s postcard village!
Fury as church sells field for homes in Demelza hamlet
‘Scarred by ugly hutch-type housing’
POLDARK fans heading to Cornwall to visit the scenic filming locations could be in for disappointment if they seek out Demelza’s home.
Developers are threatening to concrete over a historic field belonging to the church in the real-life hamlet where the character was born.
In the novels by Winston Graham, Demelza grew up in Illogan near Redruth, before being taken on as a kitchen maid by hero Ross Poldark and eventually marrying him.
The six-acre glebe field in Illogan has even been used as a location for the hit BBC1 drama, starring Eleanor Tomlinson as Demelza and Aidan Turner as Ross.
The land was given to the Diocese of Truro more than a century ago, but the Church of England put it on the market for £700,000 in hope of attracting a housing developer and has recently accepted an offer.
Initially, families in the hamlet successfully persuaded the local council to refuse planning permission for 33 newbuild homes. The church authorities appealed, however, and were granted permission – despite 90 per cent of locals still objecting.
Villagers have accused the church of profiteering. Jacqueline Wall, 55, who has campaigned against the plans for two years, said: ‘It beggars belief why someone would want to plonk houses on that field.
‘It’s going to be lost for future generations; it’s shocking. Our historic Cornish village deserves to be enhanced, not scarred by more rows of ugly hutchtype housing.’
Campaigner Andrew Hughes, 51, said: ‘The selling of glebe land which is fixed in the heart of the village – and is part of its green lungs – flies in the face of church policies.’
Mrs Wall said the community had hoped to buy the land before planning permission was granted. ‘The church has now made sure it is well and truly out of our reach,’ she added.
Locals say that if the land had to be used for something, it should be for a possible extension of the village cemetery, which is nearing capacity.
The long grass of the green is surrounded by a variety of trees, including sycamore and ash.
Dominica Williamson, 47, a designer, said: ‘The trees next to the field are historic woodland, and this is the remains of a historic estate that belongs to the Poldark age.
‘This was the last open space in the village. We could have had big community lunches here, and it would have created a green corridor. We get lots of tourists here, but what can we offer them now?’ Mrs Wall added: ‘Standing at the fence and gazing into the field, one can imagine real times gone by when the land was worked to support farmer families. This is just going to ruin everything.’
The diocese said it had recently accepted an offer for the land, and had offered meetings with residents to discuss their views but that six separate dates to do so were turned down.
A spokesman for the diocese said that there was ‘clear demand’ for housing in the area, and that unlike a private developer, it had not sought to reduce the number of affordable homes built.
It said it has also secured the future of a footpath on the field that leads to nearby woods. The spokesman said: ‘The glebe field at Illogan has lain empty and been largely unused for many years.
‘The diocese’s land agent has [not always been able] to find tenants, and there was an ongoing issue with complaints from residents about the field being unkempt.
‘The glebe management committee of the diocese is legally obliged to ensure that it obtains the best return from its assets to help pay for clergy stipends.’
The spokesman said that the planning application had been approved by the planning inspectorate because it complied with all relevant legislation.
The TV series has been such a success that the ‘ Poldark effect’ draws in streams of tourists and has raised house prices. Filming locations are listed for tourists on the official VisitCornwall website as well as by the National Trust.
And the listing for a threebedroom cottage in Illogan for sale on rightmove. co. uk for £235,000 points out that it was used in the original 1970s version of Poldark.