Poldark cave cordoned off after cliff fall

A popular beach cave which featured in the TV series Poldark has collapsed following a cliff fall in Cornwall.

The collapse at the historical landmark Holywell cave in Holywell Bay, Newquay, Cornwall, is thought to have happened overnight on Saturday.

The cave, also known as St Cuthbert's Cave, had been tucked under the southern cliffs of Kelsey Head.

Coastguards and the RNLI confirmed the incident. The cave was cordoned off by lifeguards, according to witnesses.

Kev Richens, from Swindon in Wiltshire, was visiting Holywell on Sunday as part of a week-long family holiday and saw the aftermath of the collapse.

He said he had visited Holywell every year for more than 10 years and only went to the cave two days prior.

Chris Barnard, who lives near Callington, Cornwall, said he and his wife previously ran Poldark tours because it was one of the locations the BBC drama series was filmed.

He said he was shocked when he first heard of the collapse, and was sad it because it was now "gone forever".

Barnard said: "I was shocked when I first saw the photographs because it's such an iconic location and such a popular location.

"The fact it's gone is not nice... it's gone forever.

"The collapse must have happened overnight because, if people were inside, it could have been a catastrophe."

According the National Trust website, Holywell was one of the filming locations in the BBC's Poldark series.

Barnard said, since 2015, when they first launched Poldark Tours Cornwall, they showed thousands of people from around the world the cave up until 2024.

Barnard, who is also a professional landscape photographer, said he had frequently been inside the cave, at different times of the day, and it held great significance as he had scattered his dog's ashes off the coast at Holywell Beach.

He said the cave had "amazing geology" and when the light hit the rocks, the colours were "beautiful".

The bay itself also featured in the opening sequence of Pierce Brosnan James Bond movie Die Another Day.

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