The History of Upton Towans, Hayle, Cornwall

What—and Where—is Upton Towans?

“Towans” stems from the Cornish word for “sand dune,” and refers to a stretch of coastal dunes extending between the mouth of the River Hayle and Gwithian Beach. Upton Towans sits roughly midway along this three-mile stretch. Today, much of Upton Towans forms a nature reserve managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, known for its distinctive flora and varied wildlife habitats.

The Farm That Vanished Beneath the Sands

Historically, the dunes were more than barren wilderness—they once supported agriculture. A farm known as Upton Barton (also called Great Towan) existed until after 1650, when a sudden dune collapse buried the farmhouse overnight. Thankfully, the occupants escaped via upper windows. Remnants held on until around 1808–09 but are long gone now.

In 1879, Rev. F. Hockin enlisted unemployed labourers to cultivate around nine acres of the dunes, creating much-needed work in the community.

Mining Beneath the Dunes

Upton Towans was far from quiet under the sand—mining activity was a significant chapter in its history. Several mines operated here and nearby:

• Wheal Lucy (aka Riviere Mine) extracted tin but struggled financially, closing after limited success.
• Boiling Well Mine (Wheal Boil) produced substantial copper, lead, zinc, and silver from around 1815 to 1862. It later gave way to the Dynamite Works.
• Other ventures like Wheal Dream, Wheal Emily, and Wheal Luggan operated in Gwithian and surrounding dunes with varying success and eventual abandonment.

Enter the “Dynamite Towans”: The Explosives Works

In 1888, the National Explosives Company established its dynamite factory—built to serve the local mining industry—earning the area the nickname “Dynamite Towans”. The choice of location was intentional: the isolated dunes offered natural safety for manufacturing powerful explosives.

The factory rapidly scaled up: within its first year, it produced 3 tonnes of dynamite daily. By 1889, it employed 175 people—and during World War I, the workforce swelled to around 1,800, primarily women.

Large expanses of the dunes were flattened to house dispersed production buildings within blast‑proof sand enclosures called traverses. These protective mounds prevented chain reactions if an explosion occurred in one structure.

Despite safety measures, tragic accidents occurred—one explosion in January 1904 involved over 4,200 lb of nitroglycerin, killed several workers, shattered windows in distant St Ives, and was heard across the region.

Decline of Industry, Rise of Nature

Post-war, the National Explosives Company entered voluntary liquidation in 1919 and halted operations in 1920. However, ICI used parts of the site into the 1960s for explosives storage. Eventually, the structures decayed, and the dunes reclaimed the landscape.

Today, the site is protected as part of a nature reserve. The dunes are botanically rich—supporting about one quarter of all plant species recorded in Cornwall—and noted particularly for species like the pyramidal orchid, glow-worm, silver-studded blue butterfly, and skylark.