So what is the Hayle Pump?

The Hayle Pump is one of Hayle’s longest-running community publications and has become an important record of local life, heritage, events, and organisations in the town. It is much more than a newsletter—many local historians now use past editions as a source of information about Hayle’s people, businesses, and history.
Origins
The first issue of the Hayle Pump was published in December 1994. It was the brainchild of John Nash and Rob Lello of Hayle Council and edited by Jeff and Sarah Turk, who produced it as a volunteer-run community newsletter for the people of Hayle. Before the Hayle Pump existed, Hayle had an earlier community publication called “The Towncrier”, which served a similar role in sharing local news and information.
The Pump effectively continued that tradition for a new generation.
Early Production
The earliest editions were created before modern desktop publishing became commonplace.
Articles were physically laid out using traditional “cut and paste” techniques, and the newsletter
was assembled and duplicated by hand. As computer publishing became available, production
became easier, but the publication remained volunteer-led.
Growth and Community Role
Over the years the newsletter expanded into a substantial publication. Today it is a 44-page bi-monthly newsletter with around 2,500 copies distributed throughout the TR27 area, including Hayle, Connor Downs and St Erth.
It carries: Local history articles, Community news, Reports from clubs and societies, Charity updates, Event listings, Letters and opinion pieces, Advertisements from local businesses, Heritage features and reminiscences.
Its advertising revenue helps fund production and distribution.
Historical Importance
One reason the Hayle Pump is particularly valued is the quantity of local history it has preserved. Many articles written by local historians and heritage groups have documented: Historic buildings, Hayle families, Harvey’s Foundry, Copperhouse and Foundry districts, The harbour, Railways, Churches and chapels, Local characters and memories.
A number of these articles have since been archived online and are frequently referenced by researchers interested in Hayle’s past.
Editorial Transition
After producing the newsletter for more than 25 years and overseeing over 150 issues, Jeff and Sarah Turk stepped down from editorial duties. The publication continued under a new volunteer team, ensuring that the Hayle Pump remained a community asset. Current volunteers manage editing, subscriptions, advertising and distribution.
Today
The Hayle Pump is based at the Passmore Edwards Institute and continues to be produced entirely by volunteers. Digital archives of past issues are available online, creating a valuable historical record of Hayle from the mid-1990s to the present day.
One of the reasons the Hayle Pump became so important is that it wasn’t just reporting current events—it was quietly building an archive of Hayle’s history. Many of the most popular features have focused on the town’s industrial, maritime and social heritage.
Trevor Smitheram has been one of the Hayle Pump’s most helpful historical contributors and his articles often combine archival research with storytelling and have covered subjects ranging from ancient Hayle to Victorian industry and local characters.
Some notable series and themes include: “Remembering Cunaide” – exploring the famous early Christian memorial stone discovered during the creation of the Plantation in the 1840s. Articles on the development of Foundry, Copperhouse and the growth of Hayle from a collection of small settlements into an industrial town. Features examining forgotten industries, local families and archaeological discoveries.
Harvey’s Foundry Series
The history of Harvey & Co. and the wider Harvey’s Foundry site has appeared repeatedly in the Pump over the years.
Topics have included:
The founding of Harvey’s by John Harvey in 1779.
The manufacture of world-famous beam engines.
Hayle’s role as a global engineering centre.
The rivalry between Harvey’s Foundry and the Cornish Copper Company.
Restoration of surviving foundry buildings.
These articles helped raise awareness of the town’s industrial heritage during the campaigns that eventually led to the preservation of the remaining foundry buildings and the creation of the Hayle Heritage Centre.
Harbour and Maritime History
The Pump has also published numerous pieces on:
North Quay and South Quay.
Carnsew Pool and the historic sluicing system.
Hayle’s shipbuilding industry.
The evolution of the harbour.
Coastal and estuary archaeology.
A particularly interesting article examined the little-known glass industry at North Quay and the surviving chimney associated with the site.
Buildings and Streets of Hayle
Another long-running theme has been detailed histories of individual buildings, including:
Penpol House.
Historic inns.
Shops and businesses.
Chapels and churches.
Workers’ housing and terraces.
These articles are especially valuable because many contain photographs and memories contributed by local residents that are not found in official archives.
Why Local Historians Value the Hayle Pump
For anyone researching Hayle between 1994 and today, the Hayle Pump is arguably as important as local newspapers because it captures:
Community memories before they were lost.
Oral history from older residents.
Photographs from private collections.
Research by local historians.
Updates on heritage projects and building restorations.
Many older Hayle Pump articles have been preserved on sites such as Angarrack Life, making them searchable and accessible long after the original printed issues disappeared from circulation.
20 most significant Hayle Pump history articles ever published
1. Remembering Cunaide
Written by Stephen Murley, this explored the famous fifth-century memorial stone discovered at Carnsew in 1843. It connected Hayle’s industrial era with its much earlier Celtic past and brought one of Cornwall’s most important early Christian monuments to a wider audience.
2. The History of Harvey’s Foundry
A recurring theme throughout the Pump’s history, covering the rise of John Harvey’s engineering empire, the world-famous beam engines, and Hayle’s position as a global industrial centre.
3. The Rivalry Between Foundry and Copperhouse
Articles examining the often-fierce competition between Harvey & Co. and the Cornish Copper Company, which shaped much of Hayle’s development.
4. The North Quay Chimney
A fascinating study of Hayle’s overlooked glass-making and chemical industries, preserving knowledge of a surviving industrial landmark that many residents pass without knowing its story.
5. Penpol House
One of the best examples of the Pump’s building-history articles, tracing the history of an important local property and the families associated with it.
6. Carnsew Pool and the Sluices
7. Hayle Harbour Through the Ages
A long-running subject covering the growth of the port from a small creek into a major industrial harbour.
8. Lost Railways of Hayle
Features on the original Hayle Railway, the harbour branch, Foundry Square station, and links to Helston and Praze.
9. Hayle Power Station
Articles documenting the rise and closure of one of the town’s most recognisable twentieth-century industries.
10. The First Wesleyan Chapel at Copperhouse
A detailed look at the remarkable round scoria-block chapel built in 1785 and visited by John Wesley.
11. Hayle’s Lost Buildings
A series documenting structures demolished during redevelopment, preserving photographs and memories that might otherwise have disappeared.
12. The Plantation
Research into the creation of the Plantation by Henry Harvey and its role in Hayle’s social history
13. Hayle During the Second World War
Collections of local memories, Home Guard stories, air raids, military activity and wartime industries.
14. Hayle Carnival and Regatta History
Important because it records community traditions as well as industrial history.
15. Hayle’s Historic Shops and Businesses
Articles on long-lost traders, ironmongers, grocers, outfitters and family firms that once lined Foundry Square, Penpol Terrace and Commercial Road.
16. The Story of the Cornish Copper Company
Exploring the origins of Copperhouse and the industrial processes that transformed the district.
17. The Dynamite Works
Research into the explosives works on the Towans and their importance to Cornwall’s mining industry.
18. Hayle Families Remembered
Genealogical and family-history features preserving memories of local residents.
19. Foundry Square Through Time
Tracing the changing appearance of one of Hayle’s most historic locations and the efforts to preserve its surviving buildings.
20. The Story of the Passmore Edwards Institute

Roll of Honour:
Original creators: John Nash, Rob Lello and  Jeff & Sarah Turk (all roles)
Editors: Stephen Murley, Graham Coad, Rich Morgan, Liz Norbury, Goudie Charles, Brianna Breeze, Rich Morgan,
Treasurers: John Jansen, Tess Hulland, Claire Sheppard,
Webmaster: John Bennett
Advertising: Donna Anton, Paul Scott, Peter Channon, Anne Marie-Rance
Team Members: Mary Cambridge (proof reader) Samuel Marsden (Distribution), Andrew Roden Judith Venning (DTP) Ray Wise Luca Anguis (DTP)
Shirley Thompson (Secretary) Neil Cadwallader-Kemp (DTP) Shirley Olds (Typist) Steven Breeze (DTP) Tim Appleton Don Metcalfe (Proof Reading)
Joy Scott-Manse Valerie Becalick-Ham, Pam Stephens, Judith Venning, Roger Winterburn (Secretary), N.A. Bodilly, Mel Jones, Jeremy Joslin, David Glennoe, Lee Shirley, John & Margaret Perkins, Andrew Szmidla, Julie Cook. Jeanette Drew, Rae Baillie-Smith, Roger & Anthea Thomas, Jinty Knowling-Lentier, Maurice Harvey, Sue Prior, Jayne Haydon.

Present Team: (Treasurer) Richard Lawrence, (Publishing) Sue Needham, (Subscriptions) Tina Morgan and (Distribution) John Cole.