Murdoch House in Redruth has been officially recognised as Cornwall’s first World Origin Site. The award will be presented by Perran Moon MP during Murdoch Day on the 7th, June 2025, marking a significant milestone for both the town and the local charity Redruth 2000, which manages the building.
What Is a World Origin Site?
World Origin Sites honour the exact places where major world-firsts occurred — from groundbreaking inventions to historic discoveries. Only one place on the planet can claim each innovation. Murdoch House now joins other iconic locations such as the first flight site in North Carolina and the birthplace of modern rail in Darlington.
A Historic Home of Invention
Murdoch House was once home to William Murdoch, a pioneering engineer and inventor. While living in Redruth, Murdoch built the first working model of a steam locomotive and developed gas lighting, making Murdoch House the first home in the world lit by gas.
A Moment of Civic Pride
“It is wonderful that the achievements of pioneer and Redruth resident William Murdoch are being celebrated by this very special World Origin Site Plaque. I hope it inspires Redruth’s future innovators to dream big,”
— Cllr Alison Biscoe, Redruth Town Mayor
“World Origin Site has been established to mark and celebrate Inventions, Discoveries and World Firsts. So often these sites get lost to history and although the invention gets adopted around the world, the original people and location can get forgotten. The team at Redruth 2000 have done an incredible job in restoring this house and shining a light on Murdoch’s wide spectrum of work… Cornwall has so many World Firsts to shout about and we hope that seeing this example will help other sites realise the importance of being recognised,”
— Martin Wilkie, Founder, World Origin Site UK