Trenance Cottages were built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and provided homes for local families until the 1960s. From the late 1970s the building was turned into a museum of Newquay’s history.

This award will fund a project to restore the interior of the cottages, installing new exhibitions telling the story of Newquay’s development and creating a new space for education activities.

The project will begin with the restoration of the cottage buildings themselves. Once complete, new exhibition material will be created telling the story of the cottages themselves, the history of Newquay and the social history of the local area.

Local people will be able to get involved in the work at Trenance Cottages through new volunteering opportunities in helping run the centre itself, delivering workshops for schoolchildren and through recording, collecting and contributing to the archives.

Stephen Gilbert, MP for St Austell and Newquay, welcomed the announcement: “This grant is great news for the team behind Trenance Cottages and it’s great news for Newquay. As the local MP, I’ve already given my complete backing to Ted and the team who are working hard to restore and save these historic buildings. I truly believe that the Trenance Cottages Project, once completed, will provide a fantastic addition to the town and a vital facility for Newquay’s residents. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the team behind the plans and the Heritage Lottery Fund to ensure the continued success for this great scheme.”

Nerys Watts, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said: “Trenance Cottages are an iconic symbol of Newquay's heritage, providing an insight into the town before it became a sea-side resort. Newquay has been through huge changes in its recent past, and it is important that the local community can preserve a link to their heritage. This restoration of the cottages and the creation of a heritage centre will mean more people will have the chance to learn about the fascinating history of the town.”

Project Manager for the Charity, Trenance Cottages Newquay,Ted O’dell, said: “Getting the money from Heritage Lottery is the final piece of the jigsaw. We are confident we can see the scheme through, with parts of the cottages open by next Summer and the rest by early 2012.”

The Friends of Trenance Cottages began their fundraising activities in 2005 when the cottages were still owned by Restormel Borough Council, and after the authority had applied twice for grants and failed, the Friends pressed for, and obtained, the freehold in 2008. Mavis Warman, who is now the chairman of the Friends, said: “We had to do hours of paperwork and so-on to persuade the council our project was a good one, but we knew from surveys we’d carried out that the Newquay people were behind us and we listened to what they wanted. We want it to be a real focal point for families and the whole community.”

Notes to editors

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms our heritage. Through their grant making, HLF aims to conserve the UK's diverse heritage for present and future generations to experience and enjoy; help more people, and a wider range of people, to take an active part in and make decisions about their heritage; and help people to learn about their own and other people's heritage. HLF has supported more than 28,800 projects, allocating over £4.3billion across the UK. 

Further information

Roland Smith, HLF Press Office on 020 7591 6047 / 07713 486 420 or rolands@hlf.org.uk

Chris Blount, Trenance Cottages Newquay on 01637 872402 or c.blount@homecall.co.uk