Twin villages in a forgotten corner
Web: www.visitcornwall.com/destinations/cawsand-and-kingsand
Maker with Rame Parish Council
The twin villages of Kingsand and Cawsand on the Rame Head peninsula, overlooking Plymouth Sound and the mouth of the Tamar estuary, are the perfect base for the discerning tourist or holiday maker. These historical fishing villages are unspoilt by time and here you will find colour washed old cottages, narrow streets, pubs, restaurants and shops catering for your every need. Frequent winners of the Best Kept Village award and a conservation area set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty the villages are an artist's dream. There is ample parking and many cottages to let, bed and breakfast houses and hotels in which to stay. Used as a safe harbour for centuries, Cawsand Bay offers the perfect place to drop anchor and the beach is popular for swimming. The Rame Peninsula is sometimes known as being in the Forgotten Corner of Cornwall. The population of the villages was 1,020 at the 2011 census.
Amazingly, Cawsand and its adjoining village of Kingsand were once officially in different counties until 1844; one house near the Post Office still marks where the Devon boundary lay. Nowadays both are firmly in Cornwall but often cater for hordes of day-trippers to its two beaches from nearby Plymouth. A small passenger ferry service runs from the beach.
In May 1644 a battery of six guns installed here in a fort to cover the western entrance to Plymouth Sound, was captured by the Parliamentarians during the Civil War. The fort was released by the Ministry of Defence in 1926 it remained derelict until it was converted into residential accommodation.
Cawsand is said to be the birthplace of one John Pollard, who served on the Victory during the Battle Of Trafalgar, and who is credited with killing the man who fired the fatal shot at Nelson. And indeed Nelson himself anchored in the bay here in 1801.
Pilchard fishing and smuggling were the main occupations of the villagers until the mid 19th century and there is a string of old pilchard cellars along the water's edge beyond Kingsand. Barrels of brandy. silk and various contraband were landed and transported through the narrow streets, it was estimated that 17,000 casks of brandy a year were smuggled from the many shipwrecks.
The parish church of St. Andrew was built here in 1878.
There are only a handful of shops and pubs in the two villages. The Cross Keys at Cawsand is a charming 17th century inn with a lot of character and a warm friendly atmosphere.
Perhaps the most recognisable feature of the villages is the Clock-tower along the seafront of Kingsand. It was erected to commemorate the coronation of King George V, and the building it is attached to (locally referred to as the Institute) is used as a community hall. The Institute also 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.
The Old Ship Inn on Garrett Street had been derelict for four years when it completely burned down on October 5th 2013.
There is thriving artist community in Kingsand and on the Rame peninsula. The Westcroft Gallery is situated in a converted boat shed, accessed through a courtyard garden just a stone’s throw from the beach in the picturesque seaside village of Kingsand.
John Pollard RN (1787-1868). He was a midshipman (later a Commander) in the Navy who served under Nelson and is the man credited with being "Nelson's avenger", since it was he who shot the French sailor who killed the Admiral. Nelson himself has also been said to have visited the village and dined at The Ship Inn (now closed).
Tabitha Ransome (1910-1992) (Arthur Ransome's daughter)
Ann Davison (1914–1992) who was to become the first woman to sail the Atlantic single handed in 1953 and departing from Mashfords boatyard.
The Black Prince Procession is a Mayday custom in the villages of Millbrook, Kingsand and Cawsand. It takes place on Mayday bank holiday. The procession starts in Millbrook in the morning then moves to Kingsand and ends up on the beach at Cawsand where a model boat, The Black Prince, bedecked in flowers is floated out to sea to say goodbye to the harsh weather of winter and welcome in the warm summer weather.
Kingsand and Cawsand Gig Regatta - Mid July.
Millbrook Mount Edgcumbe Country Park Rame Head Torpoint
Cornwall's Beaches The Coastal Footpath Cornwall's Ferrys