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About Piran Pewter

Piran Pewter is a family business based in the ancient fishing port of Padstow on the north coast of Cornwall. It nestles in the estuary of the River Camel or Cam-hayle which means 'crooked estuary' in Cornish and has nothing at all to do with camels!

 

sunrise overthe Camel

The sun rises over the River Camel,seen from our workshop door

 

 

 

  Padstow is named after St Petroc, a Holy man who founded the church here in Padstow in the fifth century. It was to Padstow that the early Celtic saints arrived on their missionary journeys from Wales and Ireland to the continent of Europe, traveling across Cornwall before embarking on their onward journey at Fowey on the south coast. It was from Padstow again that the emigrants left for the New World in the nineteenth century exodus when Cornwall's traditional industries of tin and copper mining failed. Mining communities around the world benefited from the expertise of these hard rock miners.

 

 

 

 

Padstow is a town full of legend and tradition. Not only is it the home of one of the oldest surviving celebrations in Europe when we welcome the arrival of summer on Mayday; the ancient Celtic rite of Beltane; but we also have our own mermaid. It is said that at one time the mermaid used to sit on a rock at Hawker's Cove at the seaward end of the estuary to brush her long hair. A local lad, Tristram Bird, fell in love with her and asked her to marry him; when she refused him he shot her and with her dying breath she cursed the port of Padstow with a barrier of sand across the estuary mouth. We know it as the Doom Bar and many ships from the days of sail lie wrecked beneath the sands. It is still a threat today.   

 

 

 

Levant Mine

The Levant Tin Mine, Pendeen, Cornwall

 

Obby Oss

The Obby Oss, Mayday celebrations in Padstow

 

 

 

 

 Piran Pewter, as its name suggests, specializes in the manufacture of giftware and jewellery in pewter. We only use lead-free pewter (European standard EN 611) which is produced for us in Pendeen on the Land's End peninsular. This area was once one of the main centres of tin production but sadly the mines are no longer in operation, though the landscape is littered with evidence of their former glory. Engine house chimneys can be seen all over the moors and cliffs.

 

 
Modern pewter contains more than 90% tin, with a little addition of copper and antimony to add to its strength; all these metals were mined in Cornwall in the past. Although it is no longer mined in Cornwall, it is a plentiful natural resource and tin mining has very litle effect on the environment. Pewter cannot flake or tarnish. To keep pewter looking its best it should be washed in warm soapy water and dried with a soft cloth. If it develops a patina, the original finish can be restored with a non abrasive wadding type of metal polish. Please do not use abrasive cleaners.