Mullion, Cornwall
Mullion
| |
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The church of St Mellanus | |
Location within Cornwall | |
Population | 2,114 (Civil parish, 2011) |
OS grid reference | SW678192 |
Civil parish |
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Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | HELSTON |
Postcode district | TR12 |
Dialling code | 01326 |
Police | Devon and Cornwall |
Fire | Cornwall |
Ambulance | South Western |
UK Parliament | |
Mullion (
Mullion civil parish encompasses the
Etymology
The parish name has evolved over the years, with references in the parish records to St Mullyon, St Mullian, Mullian, Mullyan, Mulion, Mullyon and St Mullion. In the
Mullion was surveyed for the Survey of English Dialects.[11]
History
There is evidence for
The existence of a Celtic church here is indicated by the place-names Tremenehee (meaning "sanctuary town") and Lanfrowder (cognate with Lafrowda, the Cornish name of St Just in Penwith) nearby. In Norman times the church of St Melanus lay in the fief of Rosewick; John de Rivers gave it to
In the six years up to 1873 there were nine wrecks along a mile-and-a-half stretch of coastline under Mullion cliffs with the loss of sixty-nine lives.[15] The Royal National Lifeboat Institution stationed a lifeboat at Mullion Cove in 1867 but was withdrawn in 1908. The boat house has since been demolished but its barometer is on display in the village.[16]
Like many other Cornish coastal villages there was a
There were a few short-lived copper mines in Mullion parish; first mentioned in a deed of 1741 and the mine(s) had a number of names; Ghost Croft, Goosecroft, Predannack Wartha, South Wheal Unity, Trenance and Wheal Providence.
Geography
The parish comprises 5,007 acres (20 km2) of land, 8 acres (3.2 ha) of water and 55 acres (22 ha) of foreshore.
Mullion Churchtown
The main village of Mullion is situated in the north of the parish, approximately 65 metres (210') above sea level and about 1 mile (2 km) inland of the coast which is to its west. The village sits at the end of two river valleys which run southwest from the village, descending steeply to meet the sea at Polurrian Cove and Mullion Cove. North of the village is a third river valley descending west to east and meeting the sea at Poldhu Cove. This river defines the boundary between Mullion and the neighbouring parish of Gunwalloe. The geology of this part of the parish consists mainly of Hornblende Schists, only changing to slate north of Poldhu Cove. The land around the village and on the upper slopes of the river valleys is mostly fertile land cultivated for arable crops and livestock grazing. The small hamlets of Trewoon and Meaver are situated about half a mile to the east of Mullion village. Today Mullion is the largest village on the Lizard Peninsula and is a centre for local services and amenities as well as a popular tourist destination. Mullion School is the local secondary school.
Predannack Downs
To the south of the village the land gently rises and levels out onto a plateau at a height of around 85 metres (279 ft) above sea level. In contrast to the northern part of the parish this area remains as semi-natural heath, the growth of which is encouraged by the change in geology south of Mullion Cove to serpentinite. This area is known as Predannack Downs, it is part of the Lizard National Nature Reserve. In the centre of the downs lies the World War II, Predannack Airfield, currently a satellite of nearby RNAS Culdrose.
The southern extent of the parish is marked by a steep, narrow river valley cut into the downs, meeting the sea at Kynance Cove. The coastline along the edge of the downs between Kynance Cove and Mullion Cove consists of high dramatic sheer cliffs with the exception of a deep narrow cleft cut into the Downs at Gew-graze, also known as Soapy Cove. This cove is named after soapstone, a talc-rich type of serpentinite rock found around the cove. Talc was quarried here in the 18th century.
Governance
For the purposes of local government Mullion is a civil parish and every four years elects a parish council consisting of ten councillors.
Sports
Mullion AFC is an association football club playing their home matches at Clifton Parc. The first team play in the Cornwall Combination League, the reserves in the Trelawny League and a women's team in the Cornwall Women's Football League.[29][30][31] Mullion Cricket Club play in the second tier of the Cornwall Cricket League; County Division 1.[32]
Mullion Golf Club was founded in 1895 and is the most southerly golf course in the UK. It is situated in the parish of Gunwalloe.[1][33]
Cornish wrestling
Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes, have been held in Mullion.[34]
Notable residents
- Svetlana Alliluyeva, (1926–2011), later known as Lana Peters, was the daughter of Joseph Stalin and spent part of her life in Mullion[35]
- Stephen Halden Beattie VC (1908 – 1975 in Mullion) Captain Beattie was awarded his VC being the captain of HMS Campbeltown which was used to ram and destroy the dock gates in Saint-Nazaire to prevent its use by the German battleship, Tirpitz
- Sir Francis Drake
- Andrew Henry George (born 1958 in Mullion) is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was MP for St Ives from 1997 to 2015
- Ernest Herbert Pitcher, VC, (1888 in Mullion – 1946) petty officer in the Royal Navy
- Sheila Tracy (née Lugg; 1934 in Mullion – 2014) was a British broadcaster, writer, musician, and singer. She began her career as a trombone player during the 1950s in all-female bands.
- Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum DFC(1921–2018), British Battle of Britain fighter pilot and author who retired to Mullion in the mid 1980s
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-319-24117-2.
- ^ a b GENUKI, 2007. "Mullion."
- ^ Valor Ecclesiasticus, 1535. "National Archives Series E 344"
- ^ Doble, G. H.(1962) The Saints of Cornwall, Part II. Truro: Dean and Chapter
- ^ Patron Saints Index: Saint Melaine Archived 28 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ISBN 0-907566-70-7
- ^ Ordnance Survey Second Edition, 1908, Cornwall Sheet L080. S.E.
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Machutus
- ^ St. Malo – Catholic Online
- ^ Harvey, Edmund George; Dictionary of National Biography, 1891
- ISBN 0-85664-294-0.
- ^ Guide to South Cornwall. London, Ward, Lock, [c. 1955]; p. 72
- ^ Langdon, A. G. (1896) Old Cornish Crosses. Truro: Joseph Pollard; pp. 283-84
- ^ Cornish Church Guide (1925) Truro: Blackford; p. 168
- ^ Tanner, Kenny (1991). The National Trust. Coast of Cornwall 13. National Trust. p. 12.
- ISBN 0-906294-43-6.
- ISBN 0-9538506-4-1.
- ^ Pearse, Richard (1963). The Ports and Harbours of Cornwall. St Austell: H E Warne Lts.
- ^ a b Turk, F A; Turk, S M, eds. (1976). A Handbook to the Natural History of The Lizard Peninsula. Pool, Redruth: University of Exeter. p. 12.
- ISBN 1-85022-199-5.
- ISBN 978-0-9569895-0-5.
- ^ "The Lizard" (PDF). Camborne School of Mines. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ Bristow, Colin (1999). Spalding Adrian; Hartgroves Stephen; Macadam John; Owens David (eds.). "Geology". The Conservation Value of Abandoned Pits and Quarries in Cornwall. Truro: Historic Environment Service, Cornwall County Council.
- ^ Felce, Robert. "Soaprock Coast". Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- ISSN 0070-024X.
- ^ "Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff" (PDF). Natural England. 1993. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
- ^ "Mullion Parish Council". Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "Ward population 2011, Retrieved 10 Feb 2015".
- ^ "Cornwall Combination League 2015–16". Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "Trelawny League". TheFA. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "Cornwall Womens Football League". Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "CCL West Tables". CCL West Tables. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "Mullion Golf Course". Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 16 August 1928.
- ^ Mullion