MORWELLHAM Quay is the venue for a special conference tomorrow (Friday) exploring and celebrating Devon?s industrial heritage.

Speakers from all parts of the museum world will gather for the annual Devon Museums? Forum to discuss the opportunities, problems, risks and rewards of preserving the county?s past.

Topics covered will include collection, conservation, design, archives, education and interpretation.

Delegates to the forum will have the chance to take in the vast collection of industrial remains at Morwellham, once hailed as ?the greatest copper port in Queen Victoria?s Empire.?

For centuries the small, isolated quay served as the port for Tavistock, before rising to prominence during the Tamar Valley mining boom of the mid-19th century. But by 1914 the port had been virtually abandoned and quickly fell into disrepair. The ruins lay dormant until 1970 when Morwellham and Tamar Valley Trust was formed to conserve the remains.

Today, the site continues to thrive as one of the foremost industrial heritage centres in the country.