Mullion
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 The church of St Mellanus | |
  Mullion Location withinCornwall | |
| 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 | |
| 50°01′37″N5°14′28″W / 50.027°N 5.241°W /50.027; -5.241 | |
Mullion (Cornish:Eglosvelyan) is acivil parish and village on theLizard Peninsula in southCornwall, England, United Kingdom. The nearest town isHelston approximately 5 miles (8 km) to the north.[1]
Mullion civil parish encompasses thechurch town (now known simply as Mullion) and four smaller settlements:Mullion Cove andPredannack to the southwest;Trewoon andMeaver to the east. Mullion is bordered by the parishes ofGunwalloe andCury to the north,Grade-Ruan to the east,Landewednack to the south, and byMount's Bay to the west.[2] The parish also includesMullion Island, a uninhabited island approximately half a mile (0.8 km) offshore from Mullion Cove. The island is home to large colonies of seabirds and is owned by theNational Trust.
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 theValor Ecclesiasticus carried out in 1535 the village name is recorded as Melyan.[3] The parish takes its name from SaintMelaine, theBretonBishop of Rennes[4] who supposedly took office in 519. He was a man of many aliases including theLatin version, Saint Melanius.[5] Reference to early publications and the 1908 Ordnance Survey maps show that theparish church was officially known as St Melan's until at least the start of the 20th century.[6][7] In the late 19th century, Edmund Harvey (1828–84), Vicar of Mullion, proposed that the parish took its name from 'Mellon' which he believed was an alias ofSaint Malo.[6] Saint Malo was aWelshman who moved to Brittany (possibly with his cousin, SaintSamson) where he becameBishop of Aleth (the region now calledSaint-Malo) around AD 541.[8][9] Harvey's ideas have since been discredited.[4] However, an area near one of the ancient chapel sites was known as St Malo's Moor in Harvey's time, and nearby were two fields known as Sampson's Crofts.[6] Harvey was Vicar of Mullion 1865 to 1884; he was an author and musical composer, and interested in church music.[10]
Mullion was surveyed for theSurvey of English Dialects.[11]
There is evidence forprehistoricburial mounds,Celtic crosses and ancient chapel sites in the parish, and in more recent times evidence of copper andchina clay mining, and aWorld War II airfield atPredannack. Several barrows at Angrowse yielded prehistoric remains when excavated.[12] There is a Cornish cross near the hamlet of Predannack. It has a broad Latin cross on the front and an incised Latin cross on the back.[13]
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 toMottesfont Priory in 1291 but in 1309 the priory conveyed it to theDean and Chapter of Exeter. The vicarage was established in 1310 and the chancel of the church was rebuilt before 1331 by the executors of Bishop Bytton of Exeter. Of this chancel part remains but most of the church was built in the 15th century. Robert Luddra (vicar 1512–47) was also provost ofGlasney College; he increased the endowment of the vicarage, and contributed funds for the roofs and tower. Features of interest include the fine series of bench ends and other old woodwork.[14]
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] TheRoyal National Lifeboat Institution stationed alifeboat atMullion Cove in 1867 but was withdrawn in 1908. The boat house has since been demolished but itsbarometer is on display in the village.[16]
Like many other Cornish coastal villages there was apilchard fishery, controlled by seining companies which started in the 18th century out of Mullion Cove. Caught by aseine net, the pilchards werecured atNewlyn and exported toMediterranean countries. The companies posted ahuer (a lookout) on Mullion Island to watch for the dark patch of a nearby shoal of pilchards.[17] There are still a few boats operating a small shellfish industry.[18]
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.[19] Wheal Unity (or Goosecroft), to the south of Churchtown, opened in 1847, and to the south-east of Pollurian Cove was a mid-19th-century copper mine called Wheal Fenwick.[20][21] A native copper sheet, found in 1847, and with the dimensions of 9 metres (29'6") x 1.4 metres (4'8") x 15 cm (6") and weighing over 700 kg (14 cwt), from Wheal Unity was exhibited at the1851 Great Exhibition in London. Compared with the rest of Cornwall copper mining was insignificant and ceased by the end of the 19th century.[22] The mine buildings have disappeared but an adit can still be seen in Mullion Cove.[19]
Talc was quarried in Soapy Cove in the south of the parish during the 18th century. The talc occurs locally as veins in the serpentinite, often known just as 'serpentine' (serpentinite is rich inserpentine minerals). The old quarries form an irregular scar heading from the shore inland. It was used for earlyporcelain production by Benjamin Lund in Bristol[23] and taken over by theWorcester Porcelain Manufacturers in 1752.[24]
Poldhu is the site of one of the main technological advances of the early twentieth century when in 1901, awireless signal was sent toSt John's,Newfoundland, byMarconi. The technology was a precursor to radio, television,satellites and the internet, with theearth station atGoonhilly Downs a nearby example.[25]
The parish comprises 5,007 acres (20 km2) of land, 8 acres (3.2 ha) of water and 55 acres (22 ha) of foreshore.[2] It is on the Lizard Peninsula, which lies within theCornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Mullion contains three designatedSites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) –West Lizard SSSI,Baulk Head to Mullion SSSI and Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff SSSI, which includesMullion Island. Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff SSSI is noted for itsgeological andbiological interest and contains tenRed Data Book of rare and endangered plant species.[26] Much of the LizardNational Nature Reserve (NNR) is within the parish boundary. TheSouth West Coast Path, which follows the coast of south-west England fromSomerset toDorset passes by on the cliffs along the western edge of the parish.[1]
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 ofHornblende Schists, only changing toslate 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.There are three churches in the parish: the parish church of St Mellanus (Anglican); the RC church of St Michael; and a Methodist church.
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 assemi-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 theWorld War II,Predannack Airfield, currently a satellite of nearbyRNAS Culdrose.
The southern extent of the parish is marked by a steep, narrow river valley cut into the downs, meeting the sea atKynance 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 aftersoapstone, atalc-rich type of serpentinite rock found around the cove. Talc was quarried here in the 18th century.
For the purposes of local government Mullion is a civil parish and every four years elects a parish council consisting of ten councillors.[27] The principal local authority isCornwall Council and anelectoral ward with the same name covers the parish and the surrounding land toLizard Point. The population of the ward, at the 2011 census, was 4,364.[28]
Mullion AFC is an association football club playing their home matches at Clifton Parc. The first team play in theCornwall Combination League, the reserves in theTrelawny 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 ofGunwalloe.[1][33]
Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes, have been held in Mullion.[34]
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