Portal:Cornwall

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Porth Kernow a'gas dynnargh!
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P:CW

Cornwall (/ˈkɔːrnwɔːl, -wəl/; Cornish: Kernow; Cornish pronunciation: [ˈkɛrnɔʊ]; or [ˈkɛrnɔ]) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised by Cornish and Celtic political groups as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, Devon to the east, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement is Falmouth, and the county town is the city of Truro.

The county is rural, with an area of 1,375 square miles (3,562 km²) and population of 568,210. After Falmouth (23,061), the largest settlements are Penzance, Newquay, St Austell, and Truro. For local government purposes most of Cornwall is a unitary authority area, with the Isles of Scilly having a unique local authority. The Cornish nationalist movement disputes the constitutional status of Cornwall and seeks greater autonomy within the United Kingdom.

Cornwall is the westernmost part of the South West Peninsula. Its coastline is characterised by steep cliffs and, to the south, several rias, including those at the mouths of the rivers Fal and Fowey. It includes the southernmost point on Great Britain, Lizard Point, and forms a large part of the Cornwall National Landscape. The national landscape also includes Bodmin Moor, an upland outcrop of the Cornubian batholith granite formation. The county contains many short rivers; the longest is the Tamar, which forms the border with Devon. (Full article...)

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Fore Street, Trevena, in 2009

Tintagel (/tɪnˈtædʒəl/) or Trevena (Cornish: Tre war Venydh, meaning Village on a Mountain) is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village and nearby Tintagel Castle are associated with the legends surrounding King Arthur and in recent times have become a tourist attraction. It was claimed by Geoffrey of Monmouth that the castle was an ancient residence of King Arthur.

Tintagel is used by the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson in the poem Idylls of the King and Algernon Charles Swinburne's Tristram of Lyonesse, and Thomas Hardy's The Famous Tragedy of the Queen of Cornwall at Tintagel in Lyonnesse, is a play published in 1923, which perpetuates the same legend.

Tourists can visit King Arthur's Great Halls at Trevena which is a substantial building of the early 1930s. The Artognou stone, which was discovered in 1998, has added to the legend, although historians do not believe the inscription refers to King Arthur. (Full article...)

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Portrait of Edward Boscawen
by Joshua Reynolds, circa 1825

Admiral of the Blue Edward Boscawen, PC (19 August 1711 – 10 January 1761) was a British admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament for the borough of Truro, Cornwall, England. He is known principally for his various naval commands during the 18th century and the engagements that he won, including the siege of Louisburg in 1758 and Battle of Lagos in 1759. He is also remembered as the officer who signed the warrant authorising the execution of Admiral John Byng in 1757, for failing to engage the enemy at the Battle of Minorca (1756). In his political role, he served as a Member of Parliament for Truro from 1742 until his death although due to almost constant naval employment he seems not to have been particularly active. He also served as one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty on the Board of Admiralty from 1751 and as a member of the Privy Council from 1758 until his death in 1761. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies
Richard Trevithick Humphry Davy William Bligh Richard Lemon Lander Mark of Cornwall Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall John Arnold (watchmaker) Cuthbert Mayne Daphne du Maurier

Did you know?

...that the world's largest Cornish festival, the Kernewek Lowender, is held in the towns of Kadina, Moonta and Wallaroo in South Australia?
...that the small town of St Blazey is named after Blaise, the patron saint of throats?
...that in the 19th century, Cornwall mined half of the world's tin (mine pictured), and was the largest enterprise in Europe?
...that Cornwall is home to the world's first eco-surfboard, made out of balsa wood, hemp fibre and bio-resin?

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Selected picture

Photo credit: Tom Corser

The West Penwith coast, can be viewed from a passenger helicopter travelling from the Isles of Scilly to the Penzance Heliport.

General images

The following are images from various Cornwall-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1St German's priory church, St Germans (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 2Atlas of Cornwall by Christopher Saxton from 1576 (from History of Cornwall)
Image 3A map of camps and earthworks in Cornwall (from History of Cornwall)
Image 4Millennium Cross, Landrake (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 5A Cornish pasty, known traditionally as an oggy, can be found all over the world. (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 6Celebrating Saint Piran's Day (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 7Cornish wrestling (Omdowl Kernewek) (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 8The Roman milestone in St Materiana's Church, Tintagel (from History of Cornwall)
Image 9Lady of Cornwall and flower girls at the 2007 Gorseth (Penzance) (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 10The cross at the end of Higher Bore Street, Bodmin (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 11Land's End (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 12Flag of St Piran, used as a flag of Cornwall (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 13The 9th-century Men Myghtern Doniert (King Doniert's Stone) commemorating the last independent King of Cornwall (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 14"A Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach"l Stanhope Forbes; also showing traditional dress (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 15Rough seas off Trebarwith Strand on the north coast (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 16Lanner Band Room (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 17Cornwall's national tartan, bracca (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 18The Minack Theatre, carved from the cliffs (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 19Penryn, Prayer Book Rebellion Memorial, near the site of Glasney College (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 20Boscawen-Un stone circle looking north (from History of Cornwall)
Image 21Bluebells on the Cornish coast (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 22Will of Alfred the Great, AD 873–888 (11th-century copy, British Library Stowe MS 944, ff. 29v–33r) (from History of Cornwall)
Image 23Remains of Tintagel Castle, according to legend the site of King Arthur's conception (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 24Wheal Owles, example of a historic Cornish tin mine (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 25The cross on the grave of Charles Bowen Cooke, St Just in Roseland (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 26The font of St Nonna's church, Altarnun (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 27Bal maidens at work, showing traditional dress (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 28Stargazy pie, with sardines looking skywards before it is baked in the oven
Image 29The view northwest from Carn Brea, Penwith (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 30Church of St Morwenna, Morwenstow (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 31Lime-washed and slate-hung domestic vernacular architecture of various periods, Polperro (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 32The War Memorial, in the churchyard, Constantine, Kerrier, carved from local stone by Elkana Symons (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 33Low tide at Bedruthan Steps (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 34Entrance at Truro Cathedral has a welcome sign in several languages, including Cornish. (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 35Cornwall seen from the International Space Station (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 36An aerial view of Carrick Roads (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 37Harlyn Bay (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 38Cornish dancers (from Music of Cornwall)
Image 39A map of inscription stones, with and without Ogham inscriptions. (from History of Cornwall)
Image 40Boscawen-Un stone circle looking north (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 41Three Holes Cross (from Culture of Cornwall)