Padstow
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 Padstow Inner Harbour & quayside | |
  Padstow Location withinCornwall | |
| Population | 2,993 (Civil parish, 2011) |
| OS grid reference | SW918751 |
| Civil parish |
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| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PADSTOW |
| Postcode district | PL28 |
| Dialling code | 01841 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Cornwall |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°32′17″N4°56′17″W / 50.538°N 4.938°W /50.538; -4.938 | |
Padstow (/ˈpædstoʊ/;CornishStandard Written Form:Lannwedhenek[2]) is a town,civil parish and fishing port on the north coast ofCornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of theRiver Camel estuary, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest ofWadebridge, 10 miles (16 km) northwest ofBodmin and 10 miles (16 km) northeast ofNewquay.[3] The population of Padstow civil parish was 3,162 in the2001 census,[4] reducing to 2,993 at the 2011 census.[5] In additionan electoral ward with the same name exists but extends as far asTrevose Head. The population for this ward is 4,434.[6]
The geology of the low plateau west of Padstow has resulted in such features as Tregudda Gorge where erosion along the faultline has caused sheer cliffs to form; and Marble Cliffs which has alternating dark grey and light grey strata. The Round Hole is a collapsed sea cave.[7]
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In English, Padstow was originally namedAdelstow afterÆthelstan who was reported byJohn Leland to be 'chief governor of privileges onto it'.[8]Adelstow was commuted intoPetroc-stow,Petroc-stowe, or 'Petrock's Place', after the Welsh missionarySaint Petroc, who landed atTrebetherick around AD 500. After his death a monastery (Lanwethinoc, the church of Wethinoc, an earlier holy man) was established here which was of great importance untilPetroces stow (probably Padstow) wasraided by the Vikings in 981, according to theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle.[9] Whether as a result of this attack or later, the monks moved inland toBodmin, taking with them the relics of St Petroc.[10] The cult of St Petroc was important both in Padstow and Bodmin.
Padstow is recorded in theDomesday Book (1086) when it was held byBodmin Monastery. There was land for 4 ploughs, 5villeins who had 2 ploughs, 6 smallholders and 24 acres of pasture. It was valued at 10shillings (half of apound sterling).[11]
In the medieval period, Padstow was commonly calledAldestowe ('old place' in contrast to Bodmin, the 'new place').[12] orHailemouth (heyl being Cornish for 'estuary'). The modern Cornish formLannwedhenek derives fromLanwethinoc and in a simpler form appears in the name of the Lodenek Press, a publisher based in Padstow.
Padstow had considerable importance in the middle ages as a manor belonging to Bodmin monastery and as the site of a safe haven (one of the few on the north coast). So it became a busy fishing port and the site of nine chapels in addition to the parish church. The manor was leased to the family of Prideaux by the last prior before thedissolution inHenry VIII's reign. The town prospered through trade with Ireland and the English and Welsh ports on theBristol Channel. Later trade was the export of tin, copper, lead, slate, cured fish and dairy produce, as well as the importing of timber from Norway and Sweden, salt and wine from France, and hemp, iron andjute from Russia. In the first half of the 19th century it was a significant port of embarcation for emigrants, particular those bound for Canada. Later on a shipbuilding industry developed with five shipyards though by 1900 this had declined. TheNorth Cornwall Railway reachedPadstow in 1899, a large hotel was built and there was a revival of the fishing industry.[13]
The seal of the borough of Padstow was a ship with three masts, the sails furled and an anchor hanging from the bow, with the legend "Padstow".[14]
The TV archaeology programmeTime Team filmed in Padstow for the episode "From Constantinople to Cornwall," broadcast on 9 March 2008.
There are twoCornish crosses in the parish: one is built into a wall in the old vicarage garden and another is atPrideaux Place (consisting of a four-holed head and part of an ornamented cross shaft). There is also part of a decorated cross shaft in the churchyard.[15]
DuringWorld War II, in 1940, a single aircraft dropped some bombs on the town, one of which hit and demolished a terrace of houses in New Street, killing three.[16]
The church ofSt Petroc is one of four said to have been founded by the saint, the others beingLittle Petherick (or St Petroc Minor), Parracombe andBodmin. It is quite large and mostly of 13th- and 14th-century date. There is a fine 15th-century font ofCatacleuse stone; the pulpit of c. 1530 is also of interest. There are two fine monuments to members of the Prideaux family (Sir Nicholas, 1627. and Edmund, 1693): there is also a monumental brass of 1421.[17] The benefice is a rectory: Padstow (St Petroc),St Merryn andSt Issey with St Petroc Minor now form a group within the deanery ofPydar.
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Traditionally a fishing port, Padstow is now a populartourist destination. Although some of its former fishing fleet remains, it is mainly a yachting haven on a dramatic coastline with few easily navigable harbours. The influence of restaurateurRick Stein can be seen in the port, and tourists travel from long distances to eat at his restaurant and cafés. This has led to the town being dubbed "Padstein", by food writers in the British media.[18][19]
Plans to build a skatepark in Padstow were proposed and funds were raised to create this at the Recreation Ground (Wheal Jubilee Parc). Construction was completed in 2019.[20]
Padstow had considerable importance in the Middle Ages as a manor belonging to Bodmin monastery and as the site of a safe haven (one of the few on the north coast). So it became a busy fishing port. Padstow prospered through trade with Ireland and the English and Welsh ports on theBristol Channel, and during the early 18th Century returned over £100 in duties related to coal imports for both the periods 1708-1710 and 1710-1713, more than any other cornish port exceptFalmouth.[21] Later trade was the export of tin, copper, lead, slate, cured fish and dairy produce, as well as the importing of timber from Norway and Sweden, salt and wine from France, and hemp, iron and jute from Russia.
In the first half of the 19th century Padstow was a significant port of embarcation for emigrants, particularly those bound for Canada, and during the mid-19th century ships carrying timber from Canada such as thebarquesClio,Belle andVoluna; and thebrigDalusia were making the journey across the Atlantic.[13][22][23]Quebec City was a specific destination recorded and while such vessels brought timber, the offer of cheap travel to passengers wishing to emigrate enticed some to make the journey to Canada. Local shipbuilders also benefited from the quality of incoming cargoes, although shipbuilding had been practiced in Padstow for centuries and the town provided ships for the siege ofCalais in 1346.[24] The practice continued, aided by the imported materials, and there five shipyards recorded in the late 19th century though by 1900 this had declined.[13]
The approach from the sea into the River Camel is partially blocked by theDoom Bar, abank of sand extending across the estuary which is a significant hazard to shipping and the cause of manyshipwrecks.A lifeboat station was established in 1827.[25]
For ships entering the estuary, the immediate loss of wind due to the cliffs was a particular hazard, often resulting in ships being swept onto the Doom Bar. A manual capstan was installed on the west bank of the river (its remains can still be seen) and rockets were fired to carry a line to ships so that they could be winched to safety.
There have been ferries across the Camel estuary for centuries and the current service, theBlack Tor Ferry, carries pedestrians between Padstow andRock daily throughout the year.
In 1964, the harbour commissioners regained control of the harbour from theBritish Transport Commission and then made some improvements to it.[26] The harbour comprises a tidal outer harbour that is used by ships and commercial vessels, and a smaller inner harbour that is popular withyachtsmen. This inner harbour is ahalf tide dock that uses a "gate-flap" to maintain water levels on an ebbing tide, so that the yachts within stay afloat at all stages of the tide.
From 1899 until 1967,Padstow railway station was the westernmost point of the formerSouthern Railway. The railway station was the terminus of an extension fromWadebridge of the formerBodmin and Wadebridge Railway andNorth Cornwall Railway. These lines were part of theLondon & South Western Railway (LSWR), then incorporated into the Southern Railway in 1923 andBritish Railways in 1948, but were proposed for closure as part of theBeeching cuts of the 1960s.
The LSWR (and Southern Railway) promoted Padstow as a holiday resort; these companies were rivals to theGreat Western Railway (which was the larger railway in the West of England). Until 1964, Padstow was served by theAtlantic Coast Express, a direct train service to/fromLondon Waterloo, but the station was closed in 1967. The old railway line is now theCamel Trail,[27] a footpath and cycle path which is popular owing to its picturesque route beside the River Camel. One of the railway mileposts is now embedded outside the Shipwright's Arms public house on the Harbour Front.
Today, the nearest railway station is atBodmin Parkway, three miles southeast of Bodmin.Go Cornwall Bus operates buses to the station.
Padstow is served by bus services 56 fromNewquay and 11/11A fromPlymouth which also serves Bodmin Parkway as noted above. Both are operated byGo Cornwall Bus and run hourly Monday to Saturday, less frequent on Sundays and Bank Holidays. There is also the Atlantic Coaster from Newquay, run with open top buses and provided byFirst Kernow.
TheSouth West Coast Path runs on both sides of the River Camel estuary and crosses from Padstow to Rock via the Black Tor ferry. The path gives walking access to the coast withStepper Point andTrevose Head within an easy day's walk of Padstow.
TheSaints' Way long-distance footpath runs from Padstow toFowey on the south coast of Cornwall.
TheCamel Trail cycleway follows the course of the former railway (see above) from Padstow. It is open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders and suitable for disabled access. The 17.3-mile (27.8 km) long route leads toWadebridge and on toWenford Bridge andBodmin, and is used by an estimated 400,000 users each year,[28] generating an income of approximately £3 million a year.[28]
The "'Obby 'Oss" festival is a major tourist attraction. The festival starts at midnight onMay Eve when townspeople gather outside the Golden Lion Inn to sing the "Night Song." By morning, the town has been dressed with greenery and flowers placed around themaypole. The excitement begins with the appearance of one of the 'Obby 'Osses. Male dancers cavort through the town dressed as one of two 'Obby 'Osses, the "Old" and the "Blue Ribbon" 'Obby 'Osses; as the name suggests, they are stylised kinds of horses. Prodded on byacolytes known as "Teasers," each wears a mask and black frame-hung cape under which they try to catch young maidens as they pass through the town. Throughout the day, the two parades, led by the "Mayer" in his top hat and decorated stick, followed by a band of accordions and drums, then the 'Oss and the Teaser, with a host of people – all singing the "Morning Song" – passing along the streets of the town. Finally, late in the evening, the two 'osses meet, at the maypole, before returning to their respective stables where the crowd sings of the 'Obby 'Oss death, until its resurrection the following May Eve.
OnBoxing Day and New Year's Day, it is a tradition for some residents to donblackface and parade through the town singing 'minstrel' songs. This is an ancientmidwinter celebration that occurs every year in Padstow and was originally part of the pagan heritage of midwinter celebrations that were regularly celebrated all over Cornwall where people wouldguise dance and disguise themselves by blackening up their faces or wearing masks. Recently (since 2007), the people ofPenzance have revived its midwinter celebration with theMontol Festival which like Padstow at times would have had people darkening or painting their skin to disguise themselves as well as masking.)
Folklorists associate the practice with the widespread British custom of blacking up for mumming and morris dancing, and suggest there is no record of slave ships coming to Padstow. Once an unknown local charity event, the day has recently become controversial, perhaps since a description was published.[29] Also some now suggest it is racist for white people to "black up" for any reason.[30] Although "outsiders" have linked the day with racism, Padstonians insist that this is not the case and are incredulous at both description and allegations. Long before the controversy Charlie Bate, noted Padstow folk advocate, recounted that in the 1970s the content and conduct of the day were carefully reviewed to avoid potential offence.[31] The Devon and Cornwall Constabulary have taken video evidence twice and concluded there were no grounds for prosecution.[32] Nonetheless protests resurface annually. The day has now been renamedMummers' Day in an attempt to avoid offence and identify it more clearly with established Cornish tradition.[33] The debate has now been subject to academic scrutiny.[34]
Other similar traditions that use the black-face disguise and are still celebrated within the United Kingdom are theBorder Morris dancers, andMolly dancers of theEast Midlands andEast Anglia.
There have beenCornish wrestling tournaments held in Padstow for at least the last 200 years.[35][36] Tournaments have been held at the Drill Hall,[37] the "Lawn" overlooking the harbour[38] and at the Commercial Hotel.[35]
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