Kingsand (Cornish: Porthruw) and Cawsand are twin villages in southeast Cornwall, United Kingdom.[1] The villages are situated on the Rame Peninsula and are in the parish of Maker-with-Rame.

Kingsand
Kingsand is located in Cornwall
Kingsand
Kingsand
Location within Cornwall
OS grid referenceSX435505
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townTORPOINT
Postcode districtPL10
Dialling code01752
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireCornwall
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cornwall
50°20′01″N 4°12′04″W / 50.3336°N 4.2012°W / 50.3336; -4.2012
Devon Corn Cottage

Until boundary changes in 1844, Kingsand was in Devon; however, Cawsand has always been in Cornwall. On the old county boundary between the two villages, the house Devon Corn still displays the boundary marker.[2]

History

edit

The villages are known for their smuggling and fishing past. Although the known smuggling tunnels have been sealed up[citation needed], there are still old fish cellars and boat stores along the coast.

One notable former resident was John Pollard RN, a midshipman (later a Commander) who served in the Navy under Horatio Nelson. He is credited with being ‘Nelson's avenger’, since it was he who shot the French sailor who killed the Admiral.[3]

Another notable resident includes Tabitha Ransome (daughter of renowned writer Arthur Ransome).[citation needed]

Geography

edit

Kingsand lies on the shores of Cawsand Bay, with the South West Coast Path running through the village.[1] The village coast, as well as the coast 1 km to the east, forms the Kingsand to Sandway Point SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), which shows examples of extensive Early Permian volcanicity and rhyolite.[4][5][6]

Transport

edit

Kingsand is connected via the Rame bus link to Plymouth. The Rame bus link runs between Cremyll and goes to Plymouth via Torpoint. During the summer, the Cawsand Ferry runs a passenger service between Cawsand Beach and the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth for visitors to the Barbican. Walkers can reach the village through Mount Edgcumbe Country Park.

Local landmarks

edit

The Clock Tower and Institute

edit
 
Kingsand-Cawsand village.

A key feature of the village is the clock tower and Institute along the seafront. It was erected in 1911 to commemorate the coronation of King George V.[7][8] The institute is used as a community hall. It contains a large cross-stitch tapestry picture of the two villages which was made by residents to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.[citation needed] The building sustained substantial storm damage in February 2014 and has since been restored.[9][10]

Church

edit

The former St Paul's Church was opened in 1882 as a chapel of ease to the Church of St Mary and St Julian. It is now the Maker-with-Rame Community Hall.

Beaches

edit

Kingsand Beach is a mixture of sand and shingle, which is located along The Cleave.[11] Girt Beach is mainly shingle, but with some sand and can be found along Market Street.[12] Sandways lies a short walk out of the village, across the rocks towards Fort Picklecombe.[13]

The water quality has improved over recent years thanks to extensive sewerage works, and so all beaches are safe for swimming.[14]

Culture and community

edit
 
The Black Prince Flower Boat Procession. The procession is seen here gathering outside the Rising Sun pub in Kingsand.

The Black Prince Procession is a Mayday custom in the villages of Kingsand, Cawsand and Millbrook. The procession, where a flower-adorned boat is carried on the shoulders, begins in Millbrook and carries on through Kingsand and Cawsand to banish the harsh conditions of winter and welcome warmer summer weather and a fruitful land and sea harvest. Additional activities include the decoration of buildings, Morris dance and maypole dance, a fete and a town crier competition.[15] Black Prince refers to Edward the Black Prince (1330-1376), the first Duke of Cornwall.

The Rame Peninsula Male Voice Choir was founded in Kingsand in 1976 and was awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2018.[16][17]

edit

Parts of the film Mr. Turner were filmed in Kingsand, portraying Margate.[18]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 201 Plymouth & Launceston ISBN 978-0-319-23146-3
  2. ^ "Cawsand and Kingsand: Online guide to Cawsand and Kingsand - Rame Peninsula East Cornwall". Cornwall Online. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  3. ^ John Pollard, Nelson's Avenger, ND 8 (2005): 615-620
  4. ^ "Kingsand to Sandway Point" (PDF). Natural England. 1994. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  5. ^ Becquart, Charlotte (14 January 2021). "Ancient volcanic ash found on Cornwall beach". CornwallLive. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  6. ^ Charlotte, Becquart (14 January 2021). "Cornwall's volcanoes that were active hundreds of millions of years ago". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  7. ^ Exploring South East Cornwall,Lightfoot. P, 2012, page 24
  8. ^ Historic England (1987), THE INSTITUTE, 1329116, in National Heritage List for England
  9. ^ "KINGSAND CLOCK TOWER, CORNWALL". John Grimes Partnership. 2022.
  10. ^ Historic England, Environmental impacts on heritage assets: Kingsand Institute, Rame, Cornwall, retrieved 2022
  11. ^ "Kingsand Beach". Visit Plymouth. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Kingsand". Cornwall Guide. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  13. ^ Becquart, Charlotte (31 January 2021). "Cornwall volcanoes that were active hundreds of millions of years ago". CornwallLive. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  14. ^ Cawsand, Cornwall, Marine Conservation Society
  15. ^ Hamill557. "May Day Black Prince Flower Boat Festival". Visit Rame. Retrieved 3 March 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Mansell, Tony (28 July 2022). "RAME PENINSULA MALE VOICE CHOIR". Cornish National Music Archive.
  17. ^ The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service 2018 Awardees, retrieved 2022
  18. ^ "Mr Turner: Filming and Production". IMDb. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
edit

  Media related to Kingsand at Wikimedia Commons