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The Looe Valley Line links Liskeard with the picturesque fishing port of Looe.

The journey down to Looe is full of beautiful views out of the train window. Heavily wooded valleys teeming with wildlife open up to glorious estuary views as the river meets the sea. Bird watchers will love this line as, especially at low tide, the river is full of wading birds such as Little egrets, Grey herons, Oystercatchers and Curlews.

Once in Looe, there is plenty to explore. Safe beaches, excellent restaurants and a maze of narrow streets full of lovely independent shops and pubs.

Images on this page courtesy of Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership.

Exploring Liskeard

A great place to start is to pick up a free Liskeard Heritage Trail leaflet from the information centre and enjoy a leisurely hour or so discovering a bit more about the town. The walking trail will take you past the Pipe Well, St Martin’s Church, the Bull Stone, along delightful pedestrianised Fore Street where many of the shops still retain their Victorian shop fronts and past Stuart House. Feeling peckish? There’s a host of great friendly cafés in town where you can enjoy a spot of lunch or if the weather’s kind, pick up a pasty from one of the local bakeries and savour your lunch in peaceful Westbourne Gardens – original Cornish street food to go!

Visit the museum

Pop into Liskeard & District Museum in Foresters Hall to find out about the history of the town and the geology and mining in the surrounding area. Foresters Hall has been home to many businesses over the years including the East Cornwall Savings Bank (the original safes are still in use for precious objects), the Devon and Cornwall Film Company and a wigmakers. The building fell into dereliction in the 1990s but was renovated by the Town Council and the Museum opened in 2002.

In the foyer of the Museum you’ll find Liskeard Information Centre where the friendly staff will tell you about local events, walks and public transport.

Take tea in the hidden garden at Stuart House

Stuart House on the Parade is the second oldest building in the town and the house of the then MP Joseph Jane when King Charles I stayed there during the Civil War. The house has a permanent Civil War exhibition and is also host to arts and crafts exhibitions. There is a wonderful mediaeval walled garden completely hidden from the street. Most people,even Liskeard locals, don’t know it’s there. There is a tea room in Stuart House and on sunny days you can enjoy a cuppa in the garden.

‘Twas Henry Rice, who made it nice’

Liskeard is a town with fantastic architecture, much of the centre of town was designed by Henry Rice during the Copper mining boom, and a map showing all of the Henry Rice buildings in the town is available from Stuart House.

Another hidden treasure in the town is the Hub café in the Liskerrett Centre on Varley Lane. This welcoming, kid-friendly café serves an array of vegetarian food and caters for different diets providing dairy and gluten free options. While there, check if there are any events coming up – the community centre hosts monthly film nights and Carn to Cove theatre productions along with many local groups. who may not otherwise hear of the shows.

At the old Cattle Market buy old books, antique knick knacks and more…

The old Cattle Market, just off Dean street, was opened in 1905 but sadly closed at the end of 2017. However, it’s still a great place to visit because the area has regenerated recently into the Artisan Quarter with some great quirky shops offering all sorts of antiques, vintage crafts, old books and tools – it’s a fantastic place to while away an hour or so rummaging for one-of-a-kind items.

Where there’s a well… There’s a town.

In Well Lane you’ll find the Pipe Well, the water source thought to be the reason people first settled and built here. Legend has it that it has never run dry and that the water has miraculous properties being ‘good for the eyes’ and having ‘matrimonial powers’. (Please do not drink this water – it’s no longer fit for consumption.)

Feeling energetic?

Lux Park Leisure Centre has an indoor swimming pool, gym and tennis courts. If the kids are with you, head to Castle Park where there’s a playground and lots of space to run around. Or take a walk along part of the Caradon Trail down to Moorswater where you can roam along the remains of the Liskeard-Looe Canal and see the viaduct and the old lime kilns.

The museum has now reopened and you can visit our popular toy exhibition and the new 1950s/1960s exhibition as well as the mining and general displays on the upper floor.

Home to the largest collection of toys in Cornwall ! Learn about the history of Liskeard, from the work of local heroine Emily Hobhouse to the story of how the rocks beneath your feet got turned into Silver, Lead and Tin…. Come face to face with the invading Daleks. See James Bond’s Golden Gun, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and many many more.

The museum is part of the World Heritage Site for Mining. Displays include mining and geological artefacts. Explore the development of the town from Mesolithic settlers to the present time.

Admission is free, families are very welcome and there is lift access to all floors.

Liskeard & District Museums Access Policy can be found here

Liskeard and District Museum Privacy Notice

>> More info on the Liskeard Museum here

Medieval Grandeur in the Heart of Liskeard

Stuart House is a late medieval town house, the architectural and historical significance of which merits the Grade II* status accorded to it. The house was purchased and restored by the Stuart House Trust in 1988, both to conserve the building and to fulfil a community function as an arts and heritage centre. There’s a good cafe here and regular sales of local crafts and antiques.

The House is large and offers a variety of rooms for arts and crafts exhibitions and sales, refreshments, lectures, music recitals and heritage exhibitions. Many of the rooms are available for hire.

Stuart House had been in continuous private occupation until acquired by the Trust. Its most illustrious visitor was King Charles I who stayed here during his Cornish campaign in 1644 and from whom the name of the house derives. This association is celebrated with a permanent Civil War exhibition. The house was once again subject to a royal presence, this time being honoured by a visit from Prince Charles during the Royal Jubilee year of 2002.

In keeping with its heritage outlook, Stuart House hosts the Liskeard Old Cornwall Society with its extensive archive of local history, which is available for consultation by appointment.

The hidden garden to the rear of the House has been laid out as a 17th century Gentleman’s Garden.

Owned and managed for the community by the community, the Liskerrett Community Centre is a busy, friendly and vibrant multi-purpose community resource providing a wealth of opportunity, a wide range of services and activities, and a meeting place for people of all ages.

The Centre is open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and it’s available for hire every day of the week.
It’s also the home of Liskerrett Pre-school, Liskeard Children’s Centre and Liskeard Youth Project. We have an IT Suite, a vegetarian Café, a community garden and ten art studios that are rented out to local artists. We offer a hall space and rooms to hire for activities such as dance, aikido, meetings, theatre, training, music, film and much more.

We are members of Carn to Cove, Cornwall’s rural theatre touring scheme and regularly host events and performances from touring companies making live performing arts accessible to a local audience.

Please note: Hub café serves drinks and cakes from 9am-2pm, lunch served from midday. Monday to Thursday only

We offer toddlers Soft Play (with 2 bouncy castles) on Wednesdays, and our fitness classes run every day of the week with the exception of Sunday.

In the pool, our Aqua Play sessions, with mats, floats and music are held on Saturdays and Sundays and have proven super-popular with the kids. Booking in advance, via our website or the Better UK app, for these sessions is very strongly advised – as it is for all swimming.

Customers are always welcome to pop in to speak to one of our concierge staff regarding membership options, to book in-person, or to be given a tour of the site to discover what’s on. There are also always hard-copy timetables of our pool programme and fitness programme available at the front desk.