Cornwall My Home

Growing up in Cornwall, early experiences have defined our ‘primal landscape’ and fostered an emotional attachment between us and our local landscape. We are not alone in having a strong bond with this incredible county. Cornwall’s unique character and diversity evokes feelings of comfort, awe and wonder for residents and visitors alike.

We are celebrating our county in a series of blogs titled ‘Cornwall My Home.’ Each blog will highlight an area of Cornwall, why it is special to us as people and as a local steel fabrication business. We are highlighting some of the incredible steel projects that we have worked on in Cornwall. The first in our series shines light on Polzeath and surrounding areas on the North Cornish Coast.

Polzeath, North Cornwall

Polzeath is a small village famous for its golden sandy beach and surf. It is situated on the North Cornish Coast, between Rock and Pentire Point.

For us Polzeath, out of season is incredibly special. You can enjoy the expansive sandy beaches entirely to yourself! Polzeath is one of the best for surfing, or around the corner Daymer Bay and Rock Beach offer shelter for a stroll or a paddle.

The Oystercatcher is also an excellent local venue which regularly keeps our workers hydrated after surveying sites or erecting steel. And, as any local trades will verify, the measure of a place is often in the quality of the pasty! Just outside of Polzeath in Rock you will find Barnecutt’s. According to Jack (our MD) Barnecutt’s are one of the best pasties going, rivalled only perhaps by Philps.

The natural beauty of the area has drawn in many notable people to holiday and live here. The most renowned being the late Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman, who is laid to rest above the sand dunes at St Enodoc Church.

Sir John Betjeman was born in 1906 in Highgate, London. Betjeman spent his childhood holidays in Trebetherick, near Polzeath, where his father owned a number of properties. Betjeman’s poetry famously evokes great feelings of nostalgia, ‘Trebetherick,’ with ‘sand in the sandwiches’ is no exception.

In more recent times Prince Harry and William have been known for holidaying in Rock and Gordon Ramsey has chosen the area as his family home.

Polzeath has long been known for its natural beauty, but increasingly it is the architecture of the buildings in the area that is making the headlines and becoming the talk of the village. Unsurprisingly, given that coastal property is highly sought after, there has been notable change in Polzeath in recent years.

The architectural landscape of Polzeath is adapting as older, inefficient housing is being renovated and replaced with significant investment and, at times, causing some controversy amongst the residents.

Architecture and buildings of Polzeath

It is intriguing that Betjeman, though famous for his poetry, also had a passion for architecture, and that his love for the area started from his childhood visits to his father’s holiday home in Cornwall. Since the days of Betjeman’s childhood holidays, holiday homes in Polzeath have become increasingly sought after.

Forty years since Betjeman’s death, we cannot help but wonder what he would think of the modern architecture and development of homes in the area that inspired some of his most famous poems. Impressive architecture by Purl Design Architecture Ltd,  Cassell Tarring Ltd or ARC02 are re-defining the local landscapes.

Westcountry Fabrication Ltd, are proud to have established trusted working relationships over the past decade with local construction firms, structural engineers, and architects, as well as suppliers and other businesses in Polzeath and the surrounding area.

Our roots are firmly placed in the county, and we have a proven record of efficiently, accurately, and respectfully completing complex structural steel projects to EXC2 within our local communities alongside other local skilled contractors.

Steel in Polzeath by Westcountry Fabrication Ltd

Our very first job in Polzeath was around 10 years ago. We were sub-contracted at the time by an automated gate company to complete bespoke fabrication of some gates for a well-known chef in the area. As our business grew so did the scale of our work.

We completed structural steel and architectural metalwork at a property in Daymer Bay in 2016. The project involved small structural works for an extension and a steel framed balcony. We also completed a galvanised and powder coated mild steel balustrade.

In 2019 we were approached by a Polzeath resident to fabricate and install a bespoke external metal staircase for access and safety balustrade. The design specification was a modern and simple flat bar infill balustrade, galvanised and powder coated.

In the more recent years Westcountry Fabrication Ltd have undertaken three large structural steel projects in Polzeath.

Structural Steel in Polzeath by Westcountry Fabrication Ltd

Trelorna, Polzeath- 24 tonnes of steel:

‘Located in Polzeath, Cornwall within a changing local context of modern and traditional houses, this new build home embodies a strong contemporary design that is both sympathetic to its predecessors while maintaining its own identity’ Cassell Tarring

Completed Project by Doyle and Whitley (Photo Credit Doyle and Whitley)

• Structural Steel Fabrication and Installation: Westcountry Fabrication Ltd.
• Main Contractor: Doyle & Whitley
• Architect/ Project Manager/ Interior Designer: Cassell Tarring
• Structural Engineer: Martin Perry Associates
• Quantity Surveyor: HartQS

Higher Tristram, Polzeath- 6 tonnes of steel:

• Structural Steel Fabrication and Installation: Westcountry Fabrication Ltd.
• Main Contractor: AD Williams
• Architect/ Project Manager/ Interior Designer: Purl Design Architecture Ltd
• Structural Engineer: Silver Lake Design Ltd

Higher Tristram, Polzeath- 22 tonnes of structural steel:

• Structural Steel Fabrication and Installation:  Westcountry Fabrication Ltd
• Main Contractor: Terry Harris and Sons
• Architect: Cassel Tarring Ltd
• Engineer: Martin Perry Associates

We look forward to seeing the completed homes as the main contractors add the final additions to the more recent structural steel projects in Polzeath.

• # Polzeath
• # Rock
• # Daymer Bay
• # North Cornwall
• # Steel
• # Structural Steel
• # Architectural Metalwork
• # Cornwall My Home
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