Last Alteration: Thursday 14 May 2015
Old Baal Clay Pit
Old Baal Clay Pit
Carclaze, Cornwall
Old Baal Clay Pit is one of a number of clay pits within central Cornwall. Owned by Imerys, the pits are now part of the China Clay Woodland Project, a project in association with Natural England to transform the stark quarries into native woodland.
The site has now been subject to an Egyptian-French-Cornish venture by Orascom to develop it into an "eco-town", which would start with some fifty houses being built around the flooded clay pit in order to illustrate what could be created. There is local opposition to these developments, which would destroy the habitat of many birds and animals that have made the abandonned area home, including endangered species.
How to get here:
»
Road: A30 - Follow the A30 west from Bodmin, then turn left onto the A391. Continue along the road until you reach Scredda; take the left off the second roundabout towards Trethurgy, and there is a lay-by on the left. +
There is a lay-by off the road, near to the footpath around the pit.
Follow the footpath to the quarry
This location is private and has no or limited access only. The quarry is not open to the public, but you can walk around its edge along a public footpath.
Access: privateStatus: unrecognisableValley
Photograph taken: 23rd September 2007 by Colin Francis
"I followed the footpath around the southern edge of the quarry, but as you can see, after years of works within the quarry, it is tricky to match anything with what was on the screen - especially as a large lake has now formed in the middle of it."
Colony in Space (1)
Filmed: 1 Feb 1971
Planet surface.
Routes to more distant locations:
»
Trenethick Barton (The Smugglers). Road (35 miles, 1h) : Head north on the A391, and then join the B3274 onto Rothe. Turn left onto the A30 and then follow this to Redruth. Exit the A30 onto the A3047 south and then off the next junction and head southeast on the B3300. Turn right onto the B3297 and then continue along here to Helston. The manor is just before the roundabout into Helston, on the left.
Additional locations as the crow flies:
»
The Phoenix (The Curse of the Black Spot): 2.25 miles. 
»
St Grada Church (The Smugglers): 31.95 miles.
»
Church Cove (The Smugglers): 32.55 miles.
»
Headland Warren (The Sontaran Experiment): 43.67 miles.
»
Trethewey Farm (The Smugglers): 44.41 miles. 
In the News:
»
16 Aug 2010: Reuters - "Orascom Dev to invest 100 mln stg in eco town-paper"
»
30 Apr 2010: Property Week - "Cornish 'eco-community' takes shape" (Details on proposed plans to make fifty 'eco-homes' around the clay pit lake)
»
11 Nov 2009: This is Cornwall - "Eco-town to 'transform' clay pit area" (Local feeling on the proposed plans to create an 'eco-town')
»
11 Nov 2009: Western Morning News - "Eco-town to 'transform' clay pit area" (Proposed plans to create an 'eco-town')
»
15 Sep 2009: Orascom - "Orascom Development Holding AG / Alliance/Joint Venture" (Press release about the proposed plans)
General Details:
»
Parys Undergound Group - An article claiming that the story might have been filmed here rather than in Cornwall!
Further links about the location:
»
BBC Cornwall - Article on the woodland project.
»
Natural England - Original tender for the Woodland Project
»
Imerys - official website
Related Stories
»
Colony in Space [10-12,15-16 Feb 1971]: The surface of Uxarieus.
Information, downloads, photographs and other media are provided for reference and for personal use only (planning visits etc.) - they remain the copyright of their respective authors and may not be duplicated on any other website or media without prior permission.
All screen captures are the copyright of the BBC and appear here as reference to illustrate the location in comparison with how it looked at the time of filming and the present day; no attempt is made to supercede this or any other copyright.
