Community
The restoration of the Buttermarket was about more than conserving historic buildings; it was about reconnecting people with the stories, heritage and community at the heart of Redruth.
Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, a wide-ranging programme of engagement activities took place throughout the project. From guided tours, exhibitions and heritage research to creative workshops, school activities, volunteer opportunities and community events, hundreds of people explored the history of the Buttermarket and helped shape its future.
Discover the projects, events and people who brought the Buttermarket's past to life and helped create its next chapter.
134.7k
footfall in first 18 months
3,374
event engagement
103
community groups & organisations
332
young people in education
363
employed businesses & professionals
Hard Hat Tours
Throughout the build, two hundred people participated in volunteer-led Hard Hat Tours during the capital works, learning about the building and its history, as well as the conservation and restoration programme.
In addition, around 300 visitors, including prospective tenants, walked through the Buttermarket during construction, and several thousand more passed through the courtyard on monthly market days, witnessing conservation and repair work in progress.
O-region x White Horse
The Buttermarket collaborated with o-region on the From the Horse’s Mouth project, hosting storytelling workshops and creative sessions with local residents.
This included members of the public attending a story-collecting event with four writers, and two story-sharing performances with audience members, performers, and musicians. The stories were also recorded and shared as podcasts and visual podcast episodes.
These story-collecting activities fed into the White Horse play, by Michael Morpurgo, celebrating Cornish identity and community heritage, which was performed at the Regal Redruth and across Cornwall.
Hideaway 77
Hideaway 77, a Redruth-based youth café, engaged young people with the building’s heritage through a six-week project with 10 young people, two youth leaders, two local writers and an artist, producing a youth-led output by designing three large flags.
These were presented at a celebration event at the Buttermarket.
Local Schools & Universities
We worked with local secondary schools and colleges to engage students with live projects and visits, including Redruth School’s Food & Nutrition department for pop-up kitchen research and St Ives’ Geography department, which used the Buttermarket for their GCSE urban regeneration case study.
Seven university groups, including students from Falmouth University and Plymouth Arts University, have participated in tours and educational visits.
These relationships will continue as part of the secondary schools and universities’ future syllabus.
Young Makers’ Markets
The Young Makers’ Market is a Young Enterprise initiative, offering under-25s the opportunity to sell handmade goods, arts, crafts, or produce at the Buttermarket.
the stalls will be packed with original art, handmade ceramics, prints, and plenty of brilliant ideas brought to life, as well as young local musicians performing in collaboration with Truro College.
Programme of Events
The Buttermarket is home to a vibrant year-round programme of events that brings people together to enjoy food, culture, music and community life in the heart of Redruth. Working closely with local businesses, organisations and independent traders, we host collaborative markets, seasonal celebrations, foodie feasts and special events that showcase the best of Cornwall's creative and culinary talent.
Alongside our regular programme of DJs and live acoustic music, the Buttermarket also welcomes theatre performances, exhibitions, workshops and activities linked to Redruth's wider festivals and town celebrations. During school holidays, we offer free family-friendly activities for children and young people, helping ensure the Buttermarket remains an accessible and welcoming space for all ages.
Heritage Trail
When visiting the Buttermarket, discover the stories of the people who helped shape Redruth and the Buttermarket. As you explore the courtyard, keep your eyes peeled for some of the town’s most memorable characters as part of our trail!
Each character has a story to tell about life in Redruth's bustling market town. Can you spot them all as you make your way around the trail? Along the way, you'll uncover fascinating facts, surprising adventures, and the rich history that makes the Buttermarket such a special place today.
Gracey Briney
Gracey Briney (1773–1869) was one of Redruth’s most famous and colourful characters. A former bal-maiden and horse-and-cart driver, she was known for wearing practical men’s clothing, sturdy boots, and a neck scarf. Strong, independent, and determined, Gracey lived life on her own terms and became well known throughout the town.
She was especially famous for selling mazzards, sweet cherries, at the market. She walked up to 50 miles to bring the fruit back to Redruth market from the Tamar Valley, continuing the journey even into her nineties. Her strength, courage, and unforgettable personality made her a local legend whose story is still remembered in Cornwall today.
A local farmer
For centuries, local farmers travelled to Redruth to sell their produce at the town market. Arriving with carts filled with vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and livestock, they helped feed the growing mining town and brought the surrounding countryside into the heart of Redruth.
The Buttermarket was at the centre of this bustling trade. It became famous for its food stalls, with fish, meat, and other goods sold there for many decades. Market days filled the courtyard with farmers, traders, and customers, making the Buttermarket one of the busiest and most important places in town.
Baboon from the circus
In July 1914, a baboon and another monkey belonging to Messrs Anderson and Rowland’s show escaped from their cage at Redruth’s Fair Meadow while it was being cleaned. The adventurous pair soon found themselves scrambling across the rooftops around the market buildings!
Their escape delighted local people, who gathered to watch the monkeys’ rooftop antics. After several hours of excitement, the runaway animals were finally caught at nightfall and returned safely to their cage.
Miss Earle
On a Friday evening in September 1910, excitement broke out at P. R. Earle & Co. Printing Company in Redruth’s Buttermarket building when a small fire started in the office. Miss Earle had left at about 8 pm but returned around 9:30 pm and spotted flames flickering in a corner beneath the safe. She quickly raised the alarm, and nearby passers-by rushed to help.
Working together, they formed a bucket chain and threw water on the fire before the fire brigade arrived. Thanks to their quick thinking, the flames were put out with very little damage to the building, the safe, or the important documents inside. It was a lucky escape, as the printing works was full of paper! It was later thought that the fire may have started accidentally when a match was struck to check that the safe had been properly locked.
Gas lamp boy
Before electricity arrived in Redruth, gas lamp lighters played an important role in the town. Each evening they walked the streets carrying long poles, lighting the gas lamps that illuminated roads, shops, and homes after dark. In the morning, they returned to extinguish the flames, helping to keep the town safe and welcoming.
Redruth has a special place in the history of gas lighting thanks to William Murdoch. While living and working in the town during the late 1700s, Murdoch pioneered the use of coal gas for lighting. His home, Murdoch House, is believed to have been the first house in the world to be lit by gas, making Redruth an important part of one of the greatest technological advances of its time.
Illustrations by local artist Caroline Pedler