Cornwall Historical Facts

St Breock Downs Monolith is the largest and heaviest prehistoric standing stone in Cornwall, England.

The market town of Launceston was once the capital of Cornwall.

A tale has been told for over 800 years that Tintagel Castle in Cornwall was the birthplace of the noble King Arthur, who was protected by Merlin the wizard who lived below the castle in a cave.

Tintagel Castle, Cornwall, 1998. New excavations on the eastern side of the island uncovered high-status imported Mediterranean pottery of the 5th and 6th centuries, along with some fine glass believed to be from Malaga in Spain and dating back to the 6th or 7th century. Even more incredible was the discovery of an ancient 1,500 year old peice of slate, on which were two latin inscriptions, with the second one reading: "Artognou, father of a descendant of Coll, has had (this) made." Nobody knows who Artognou was, so that opens a new mystery for this enchanting and special ancient place.

Believed to date back to around 1312AD making it one of the oldest pubs in Cornwall, The Sloop Inn is a must visit when travelling to St Ives. Situated on the harbour front it has always been a favourite watering hole of local fishermen and anyone visiting this wonderful town.

The Cornish Pasty, we all know of this icon, the miner's meal at "croust" time (break to eat time). What of one of Cornwall's other traditional industries? The Pasty and the fisherman does not go together, a skipper would not allow a pasty on his vessell--- to go to sea with a pasty/pasties on board is very bad luck!!

All over Britain on Ordnance Survey maps there are heights and contours shown. All over Britain there are Ordnance Survey bench marks etched onto substantial buildings from which the height of the bench can be assertained, not to mention all the triangulation pillars with their heights recorded. All these heights all over Britain are based on the Ordnance Survey Datum level based on the mean sea level at Newlyn. There is a fundamental bench mark sealed in the end of the harbour pier.

Chapel Street in Penzance is home to many tales of the past including the first announcement of Nelson's victory at Trafalgar from the minstrel's gallery in the Union Hotel. Local fishermen had learnt of the fact from the ship hurrying to Falmouth to bring the news officially to Britain. The house at no. 25 Chapel Street was home to Maria Branwell before she moved to Yorkshire , married the Reverend Patrick Bronte and became mother to the famous Bronte family. She never lost her love of Cornwall, as she lay on her death bed she had the maid prop her up so she could watch the maid clear and prepare the grate as she did it the same way as it was done all those years ago, the Cornish way.

On Christmas Eve in 1801 Richard Trevithick demonstrated his "Puffing Devil" , a high pressure steam engine which was for the first time mounted on wheels and self propelled. This was the first ever successful passenger carrying road vehicle ie the first car. Sadly a few days later on another trial it toppled over on the then uneven roads,after being righted and moved to the stable of the nearest tavern it blew up and destroyed itself and the stable-- no one had extinguished the boiler!!!