Early development in the village was focused around the cross-roads, alongside which there was an inn, a smithy and two coaching houses. The buildings which housed the smithy, two cottages and the inn still remain and are Grade II listed. The settlement appears to have developed as planned, a landlord-controlled, estate village for Clowance, to supply services and housing for the mining industry in the area and also to provide housing for agricultural workers. Its main period of growth until the 20th century was between 1809 and 1840. In this part of the 19th century the rows of cottages lining the road leading north to Camborne were built. In 1897 Polsue described it as "a respectable, compact, and well-built village". Although the population of the village fell between 1881 and 1931 it has subsequently increased. Some building took place south of the village centre between 1906 and 1946, but the majority of modern development has been to the east of the original planned estate village.