Kingsand () and

Cawsand Cawsand (; lit. ''Cow Cove'') and Kingsand ( Cornish: ''Porthruw'') are twin villages in southeast Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated on the Rame Peninsula and is in the parish of Maker-with-Rame. Cawsand overlooks ...

are twin villages in southeast

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 201 ''Plymouth & Launceston'' The villages are situated on the

Rame Peninsula The Rame Peninsula () is a peninsula in south-east Cornwall. It is surrounded by the English Channel to the south, Plymouth Sound to the east, the Hamoaze to the northeast and the estuary of the River Lynher to the north-west. On a clear day, ...

and are in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Maker-with-Rame. Until boundary changes in 1844, Kingsand was in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

; however, Cawsand has always been in

. On the old county boundary between the two villages, the house ''Devon Corn'' still displays the boundary marker.

History

The villages are known for their

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

past. Although the known smuggling tunnels have been sealed up, 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 Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

. He is credited with being ‘Nelson's avenger’, since it was he who shot the French sailor who killed the Admiral. Another notable resident includes Tabitha Ransome (daughter of renowned writer

Arthur Ransome Arthur Michell Ransome (18 January 1884 – 3 June 1967) was an English author and journalist. He is best known for writing and illustrating the ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books about the school-holiday adventures of childre ...

Geography

Kingsand lies on the shores of Cawsand Bay, with the

South West Coast Path The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked Long-distance footpaths in the UK, long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harb ...

running through the village. 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 A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

), which shows examples of extensive

Early Permian 01 or 01 may refer to: * The year 2001, or any year ending with 01 * The month of January * 1 (number) Music * '01 (Richard Müller album), ''01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001 * 01 (Urban Zakapa album), ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011 * ''01011 ...

volcanicity and

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture (geology), texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained matri ...

Transport

Kingsand is connected via the Rame bus link to Plymouth. The Rame bus link runs between Cremyll and goes to Plymouth via

Torpoint Torpoint () is a town and civil parish on the Rame Peninsula in southeast Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated opposite the city of Plymouth across the Hamoaze which is the tidal estuary of the River Tamar. Torpoint had a populatio ...

. During the summer, the Cawsand Ferry runs a passenger service between Cawsand Beach and the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth for visitors to the

Barbican A barbican (from ) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe Medieval Europeans typically b ...

. Walkers can reach the village through

Mount Edgcumbe Country Park Mount Edgcumbe Country Park is a National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, grade I listed country park in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The country park is on the Rame Peninsula, overlooking Plymouth Sound and the River Tamar. The p ...

Local landmarks

The Clock Tower and Institute

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 George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

. The institute is used as a community hall. It contains a large

cross-stitch Cross-stitch is a form of sewing and a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches (called cross stitches) in a tiled, raster graphics, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. The stitcher counts the threads on a ...

tapestry picture of the two villages which was made by residents to commemorate the

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali language, ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. The building sustained substantial storm damage in February 2014 and has since been restored.

Church

The former St Paul's Church was opened in 1882 as a

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...

to the Church of St Mary and St Julian. It is now the Maker-with-Rame Community Hall.

Beaches

Kingsand Beach is a mixture of sand and shingle, which is located along The Cleave. Girt Beach is mainly shingle, but with some sand and can be found along Market Street. Sandways lies a short walk out of the village, across the rocks towards Fort Picklecombe. The water quality has improved over recent years thanks to extensive sewerage works, and so all beaches are safe for swimming.

Culture and community

The Black Prince Flower Boat Procession - geograph

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 Morris dancing is a form of English folklore, English folk dance. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers in costume, usually wearing bell pads on their shins, their shoes or both. A ban ...

and

maypole A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European List of folk festivals, folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place. The festivals may occur on May Day, 1 May or Pentecost (Whitsun), although in some co ...

dance, a fete and a town crier competition. Black Prince refers to

Edward the Black Prince Edward of Woodstock (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), known as the Black Prince, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Edward III of England. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, succeeded to the throne instead. Edward n ...

(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 The King's Award for Voluntary Service, previously known as The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, is an annual award given to groups in the voluntary sector of the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies. Until 2022, awardees were announce ...

in 2018.

In popular culture

Parts of the film '' Mr. Turner'' were filmed in Kingsand, portraying Margate.

References

External links

Rame Heritage
{{authority control Villages in Cornwall Beaches of Cornwall Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall Places formerly in Devon