St Columb Major
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  St Columb Major Location withinCornwall | |
| Population | 4,688 (Parish, 2021)[1] 3,679 (Built up area, 2021)[2] |
| OS grid reference | SW912633 |
| Civil parish |
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| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ST. COLUMB |
| Postcode district | TR9 |
| Dialling code | 01637 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Cornwall |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°25′55″N4°56′24″W / 50.432°N 4.940°W /50.432; -4.940 | |
St Columb Major (Cornish:Sen Kolom Veur) is a town andcivil parish inCornwall, England, United Kingdom. Often referred to locally asSt Columb, it is approximately seven miles (11 km) southwest ofWadebridge and six miles (10 km) east ofNewquay.[3] The town is named afterColumba of Cornwall, also known as Columb, a 6th-century saint. The designationMajor distinguishes the town fromSt Columb Minor, a village to the west, which now forms part of Newquay. As well as the town of St Columb Major itself, the parish also includes surrounding rural areas. At the2021 census the parish had a population of 4,688 and the built up area had a population of 3,679.
Twice a year the town plays host to "hurling", a medieval game once common throughout Cornwall but now only played in St Columb andSt Ives.[note 1] It is played onShrove Tuesday and again on the Saturday eleven days later. The game involves two teams of unlimited numbers (the 'townsmen' and the 'countrymen' of St Columb parish) who endeavour to carry a silver ball to goals set two miles (3 km) apart or across the parish boundary, making the parish, around 17.2 square miles (45 km2) in area,[4] thede facto largest sports ground in the world.[5]
Archaeological monuments from the Bronze and Iron Ages within the area includeCastle an Dinas, a substantialIron Agehillfort;"A Gazetteer of Arthurian Topographic Folklore".Arthuriana. Retrieved3 June 2025. theNine Maidens stone row, considered the longest extant alignment of standing stones in Cornwall;"Nine Maidens (Stone Row)".The Modern Antiquarian. Retrieved3 June 2025. and the Devil’sQuoit—also referred to as ‘’King Arthur’s Quoit’’—located in the hamlet ofQuoit."Devil's Quoit (Dolmen)".The Modern Antiquarian. Retrieved3 June 2025.
There are four Cornish crosses in the parish: two are in the churchyard, one is at the hamlet of Black Cross and another (defaced) at Black Rock.[6][7] (one of the crosses is illustrated below, under Church.)
In 1333Edward III granted a market in St Columb Major to Sir John Arundell. This was as a reward for supplying troops to fight the Scottish at theBattle of Halidon Hill nearBerwick-on-Tweed.
Following thePrayer Book Rebellion of 1549,William Mayow the Mayor of St Columb was hanged byProvost Marshal,Anthony Kingston outside a tavern in St Columb as a punishment leading an uprising in Cornwall.[8][9] The link between theCornish language and Catholicism was also exhibited in the activities of John Kennall, at St Columb, where he was still holdingMass as late as 1590.[10]
In 1645 during the English Civil War, SirThomas Fairfax's troops were advancing fromBodmin towardsTruro; on 7 March the army held a rendezvous, and halted one night, four miles (6 km) beyond Bodmin. The King's forces were quartered at this time near St Columb, where a smart skirmish took place between the Prince's regiment and a detachment of theParliamentary army underColonel Rich, in which the latter was victorious.[11]
The population was 1,337 by 1841.[12]
Royal visits were made to St Columb in 1909, 1977 and 1983. On 9 June 1909 the town was visited by the Prince of Wales (George V) and his wife, the Princess of Wales (Mary of Teck). The visit was to open theRoyal Cornwall Agricultural Show. The Prince gave 2 silver cups: one for the best bull and another for the best horse.[13] In August 1977The Queen andPrince Philip visited the town during theirSilver Jubilee tour of Cornwall. On 27 May 1983: The town was visited by the Prince and Princess of Wales (Charles andDiana). The visit was to commemorate the 650th anniversary of the signing of the town charter byEdward III.[14] A plaque commemorates this visit outside the former Conservative club in Union Square.
In 1992 Australianstuntman Matt Coulter aka The Kangaroo Kid set the record for the longest jump with a crash on a quad bike at Retallack Adventure Park, St Columb Major.[15]
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St Columb Major is a parish located in mid-Cornwall, approximately 8 miles (13 km) inland from the north coast nearPadstow Harbour.
The parish covers an area of 12,884 acres (5,214 ha; 20 sq mi; 52 km2).[16] Its highest point isCastle an Dinas, anIron Agehill fort located approximately 2 miles (3 km) east of the town, rising to 709 feet (216 m) above sea level.
The landscape is primarily agricultural, consisting of a mix of arable and pastoral farmland interspersed with small areas of woodland. Moorland is present in the generally higher ground to the north and east, including parts of theGoss Moor in the southeast,Castle Downs to the east, and moorland adjoiningRosenannon Downs in the northeast.
To the west of the town lies the Vale of Lanherne, a scenic valley through which theRiver Menalhyl flows. This area, known for its natural beauty, links St Columb Major withSt Mawganchurchtown.
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St Columb occupies a plateau at about 300 feet (91 m) elevation. The north part of the town (known as 'Bridge') descends into the Vale of Lanherne, having a minimum elevation of approximately 165 feet (50 m). It was originally alinear settlement built on the main road running north-east to south-west, but modern estates have since been built, extending the town to the south and east. In the older part of the settlement there is much high-density housing with relatively narrow streets, and a number of retail outlets and public houses; the more modern estates have housing which is generally lower in density. To the south there is an industrial estate.
Besides the town, there are numerous villages and hamlets in the parish, includingTalskiddy andGluvian in the north,Ruthvoes (southeast),Trebudannon (south),Tregaswith (southwest),Tregatillian (east) and a large number of smaller farming settlements and isolated dwellings. There are also Halloon, Lanhizey, Rosedinnick,Tregamere,Trekenning, Tresaddern, Trevarron, Trevolgas and Trugo.[17]
A number of small rivers and streams flow through St Columb parish, most rising in the eastern part and flowing west. One of the sources of theRiver Fal lies just within the boundary on theGoss Moor; this flows southwest to the South Coast. TheRiver Menalhyl, which flows through the north part of St Columb (Bridge), has three branches with a confluence at Gilbert's Water, just to the east of the town. The longest of these rises next to theNine Maidens standing stones in the north part of the parish. The Menalhyl was historically important in the area, powering a number of mills along its course. A smaller river rises nearWinnard's Perch (north ofTalskiddy), later joining the Menalhyl near its mouth atMawgan Porth. The other main river of the parish is the unnamed one (often called the River Porth) that rises to the east ofRuthvoes, and that in its latter course fills thePorth Reservoir and enters the sea atSt Columb Porth. This is the river that, according to legend, was begun by the blood of the murderedSaint Columba running down the valley.
Borlasevath and Retallack Moor (SSSI), noted for itsbiological characteristics, series of thin lakes and streams is directly north of spa/lodges resortRetallack; which occupies some of the thinner end, the north of the parish.[18][19]
TheA39 main road runs north to south through the parish. Until the late 1970s it went through the town but abypass now carries traffic east of St Columb. TheA30 dual carriageway also runs through the southeastern part of the parish north ofGoss Moor. A small part of the parish is occupied by a corner ofNewquay Airport, which is Cornwall's principal civil airport.
ThePar-Newquay railway line does not enter St Columb parish but forms part of its southern boundary.St Columb Road railway station opened in 1876 at the point where the railway crosses the main road towards St Columb. The station is some 2 miles (3 km) south of the centre of St Columb Major and is in the neighbouring parish ofSt Enoder. The separate settlement ofSt Columb Road subsequently grew up around the station.[20]
The older part of the town follows a linear layout along Fair Street and Fore Street. Many houses on the narrow main street are slate hung. Cornish architectSilvanus Trevail designed the former Lloyds Bank and the school. Private houses by Trevail include Ashleigh House (1896) and Treventon House (1897). There are some good examples of architectWilliam White's work including Bank House (circa 1857),[21] Rosemellyn House (1871)[22] Penmellyn House[23]Old Rectory and alterations toTrewan Hall.[24] The Retreat[25] was formerly St ColumbWorkhouse and was designed byGeorge Gilbert Scott.[16] In recent years, the town has seen numerous new developments, including Jenner Parc and Arundell Parc. Other buildings of note include the former Barclays Bank,[26] the Red Lion public house, Bond House, Hawkes shop[27] andSt Columb Major Town Hall.[28] The oldest house in St Columb is the Glebe House.[29]
The church is dedicated toColumba, a local saint: her well is at Ruthvoes. For most of the Middle Ages the church belonged to the Arundells ofLanherne and was lavishly endowed. Within the church were two chantry chapels served by six priests altogether (five for the Arundell chantry).[30] The tower is a fine example of a fifteenth-century building, consisting of four stages withbattlements andpinnacles. It is 80 feet (24 m) high and contains eight bells re-hung in 1950. In 1920 the chiming clock was added as a memorial to the men of St Columb who died in theGreat War. In 1860 plans were drawn up byWilliam Butterfield, in hope of St Columb church becoming the cathedral of the future diocese of Cornwall, but the cathedral was built at Truro.[31]
In the year 1676, the greatest part of the church was blown up withgunpowder by three youths of the town.[32]
The church is the venue for the "Classic Cornwall" music festival.[33]
50°24′22″N4°54′29″W / 50.406°N 4.908°W /50.406; -4.908The holy well dedicated toSaint Columba adjoins thehamlet of Ruthvoes, about two miles (3.2 km) from the town.[3][34] According to legend, she was beheaded here. The hamlet is near to theA30 dual carriageway and thePar to Newquay railway line.[35]
There are two tiers of local government covering St Columb Major, atparish (town) andunitary authority level: St Columb Major Town Council andCornwall Council. The town council is basedSt Columb Major Town Hall in the Market Place, which was completed in 1848.[36][28]
St Columb Major was anancient parish in thePydarshire Hundred of Cornwall.[37] In 1837 St Columb Major and several neighbouring parishes were grouped together as the St Columb Majorpoor law union to collectively deliver their functions under thepoor laws. Aworkhouse was built to serve the union at the northern end of St Columb Major.[38] When elected parish and district councils were established under theLocal Government Act 1894, St Columb Major was given a parish council and included in theSt Columb Major Rural District. In 1934 the rural district was abolished and the parish was transferred to theSt Austell Rural District instead.[37]
St Austell Rural District was abolished in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, when the area became part of the new borough ofRestormel.[39][40][41] As part of the 1974 reforms, parish councils were given the right to declare their parishes to be a town, allowing them to take the title of town council and giving the title ofmayor to the council's chairperson.[42] St Columb Major Parish Council exercised this right, becoming St Columb Major Town Council.[36]
Restormel was abolished in 2009. Cornwall County Council then took on district-level functions, making it a unitary authority, and was renamed Cornwall Council.[43][44]
The towncrest consists of a hand holding a silver hurling ball with the motto "Town and Country do your best". The design originally appeared on medals awarded to winners of the hurling game and were first awarded in the 1930s. Later the design was adopted by the town council as a symbol of civic pride. The emblem appears on themayoral chains and it is used on the uniform of St Columb School. Roadsigns at each end of the town also bear the design.
St Columb has been a major centre forCornish wrestling for centuries.
Places where tournaments for prizes have been held include the Red Lion Hotel,[45]a field at Bospolvens,[46]a field in New Road,[47]the recreation ground[48] andthe St Columb School playing field.[49]
Richard Parkyn (1772-1855), is perhaps the most famous champion Cornish wrestler. He was from St Columb Major and was known as "The Great Parkyn". He was dominant from 1795 through to 1811.[50][51][52] He was so famous that the hamlet of Parkyn's Shop was named after him.
James Polkinghorne (1788–1851)[53] was the landlord of the King's Arms pub[54] and then the landlord of the Red Lion pub[55] both in St Columb Major. He was one of the most renowned champion Corish wrestlers who had a number of famous contests against Devon fighters, including Flower, Jackman (1816)[56] andAbraham Cann (1826), which drew very large crowds of spectators (c17,000).[57][58] There is a large carved marble memorial of the Cann fight located on the front of the Red Lion pub.[59]
See alsoCornish wrestling at Talskiddy.
Currently there is a Cornish wrestling club, open to the public, which meets every Friday from 7pm to 9pm at the St Columba Centre.
St Columb Major is served, at primary level, by St Columb Major ACE Academy - part of the Atlantic Centre of Excellence Multi Academy Trust.
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