St Just
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 Market Square from the air | |
  St Just Location withinCornwall | |
 Interactive map of St Just | |
| Population | 4,695 (Parish, 2021)[1] 1,918 (Built up area, 2021)[2] |
| OS grid reference | SW371315 |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PENZANCE |
| Postcode district | TR19 |
| Dialling code | 01736 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Cornwall |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°07′26″N5°40′48″W / 50.124°N 5.680°W /50.124; -5.680 | |
St Just (Cornish:Lannust),[5] also known asSt Just in Penwith, is a town andcivil parish inCornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies along theB3306 road which connectsSt Ives to theA30 road. The parish encompasses the town of St Just and the nearby settlements ofTrewellard,Pendeen andKelynack: it is bounded by the parishes ofMorvah to the north-east,Sancreed andMadron to the east,St Buryan andSennen to the south and by the sea in the west. The parish consists of 7,622 acres (3,085 ha) of land, 12 acres (4.9 ha) of water and 117 acres (47.3 ha) of foreshore. The town of St Just is the most westerly town in mainland Britain and is situated approximately 8 miles (13 km) west ofPenzance along theA3071. At the2021 census the population of the parish was 4,695 and the population of the built up area was 1,918.
St Just lies within theCornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). St Just is one of only two towns included within theCornwall AONB.
The identity of Saint Just is not known.[6] Cornwall's long resistance to the edicts of Canterbury and Rome makes it most unlikely that the saint wasArchbishop Justus of Canterbury, as some sources claim.[citation needed] Another possibility is the 6th- or 7th-centurySaint Iestyn, who is said to have been the son ofGeraint ab Erbin, a ruler of Dumnonia.[citation needed] In 1478William of Worcester found that the church was believed to contain the bones ofJustus of Trieste.[7]
Among the prehistoric antiquities nearby isBallowall Barrow, a chambered tomb. St Just is one of the most ancient mining districts in Cornwall, and remains of ancient pre-industrial and more modern mining activity have had a considerable impact on the nearby landscape.
Bosworlas, in St Just parish, was said byHenry Jenner to have been named as'the Dwelling of Gorlois' afterGorlois, thelegendary duke of Cornwall, who he believed was a real fifth or sixth century figure, either a petty chief and vassal ofthe Royal House of Dumnonia, or of the line of the original chiefs of the Dumnonii if the kings of Dumnonia were the leaders of theBritons displaced by the Saxons. He notes its closeness toBosigran'the Dwelling ofIgerna', Gorlois's wife inArthurian legend.[8][9]
Theparish church of St Just is a fine 15th-century building. In 1336 the church was rebuilt and dedicated byJohn Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter; however only the chancel of this church survives and the nave and aisles are 15th-century in date.[7] There are two Methodist chapels.
St Just is the home ofCape Cornwall School which also serves Sennen, Sancreed, Pendeen, St Buryan and other places in the district.
There are eight Cornish crosses in the parish; there are two in the vicarage garden and one built into the church wall. Other crosses are at Leswidden, Nanquidno, Kenidjack (two) and Cot Valley.[10] Boslow Cross is 550 yds (500 m) NW of Boslow Farm (ref. no. 1003110).
The ancient settlement has a strongmining history and was during the 19th century one of the most important mining districts in Cornwall both for copper and for tin. Mines within the area included Boscaswell Downs, Balleswidden, Parknoweth, Boscean,Wheal Owles, Wheal Boys,Levant,Botallack andGeevor (which closed in 1990).[11] Geevor mine is now a tourist attraction which allows visitors to exploreCornish Mining heritage.[12] The boom in 19th-century mining saw a dramatic increase in the population of St Just, the 1861 census records the population figure as being 9,290; however, like other areas in Cornwall the population declined with the collapse in the tin trade in the 19th century. The town also suffered from the decision of theGreat Western Railway to abandon its plans to make St Just the terminus of the London mainline to Cornwall. It was announced in July 2006 that the St Just mining district and the rest of the historic mining areas of Cornwall had become theCornwall and West Devon Mining LandscapeWorld Heritage Site.[13]
The nearbyCot Valley has a stream which runs to thesea. The area has been heavily mined, as was the area around St Just. The round boulders in the Cot Valley Cove here are of specific scientific interest.[citation needed] Also nearby isCape Cornwall.
| Climate data for St Just in Penwith | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.9 (49.8) | 9.4 (48.9) | 10.6 (51.1) | 12.3 (54.1) | 14.8 (58.6) | 17.6 (63.7) | 19.5 (67.1) | 19.5 (67.1) | 17.8 (64.0) | 15.2 (59.4) | 12.2 (54.0) | 10.8 (51.4) | 14.1 (57.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.4 (41.7) | 5.0 (41.0) | 5.7 (42.3) | 6.7 (44.1) | 9.1 (48.4) | 11.7 (53.1) | 13.6 (56.5) | 13.7 (56.7) | 12.4 (54.3) | 10.6 (51.1) | 7.7 (45.9) | 6.4 (43.5) | 9.0 (48.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 141 (5.6) | 109 (4.3) | 105 (4.1) | 68 (2.7) | 69 (2.7) | 66 (2.6) | 62 (2.4) | 78 (3.1) | 89 (3.5) | 119 (4.7) | 135 (5.3) | 142 (5.6) | 1,227.1 (48.31) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 22 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 209 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 61.6 | 82.8 | 131.9 | 187.2 | 219.8 | 212.7 | 219.8 | 205.2 | 164.5 | 114.3 | 79.4 | 55.7 | 1,735 |
| [citation needed] | |||||||||||||
There are two tiers of local government covering St Just, atparish (town) andunitary authority level: St Just-in-Penwith Town Council andCornwall Council. The town council is based on Market Street, in the same building as the town's library.[14][15]
St Just was anancient parish in thePenwith Hundred of Cornwall.[16] In 1837 the parish became part of thePenzancepoor law union, a group of parishes which collectively administered their responsibilities under thepoor laws.[17] When elected parish and district councils were established under theLocal Government Act 1894, St Just was given a parish council and included in theWest Penwith Rural District, which covered the parts of the Penzance poor law union that did not have urban authorities.[16]
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In 1897 the parish was raised to the status of anurban district. It was therefore removed from the West Penwith Rural District. An urban district council replaced the parish council and took over district-level functions.[18] In 1939 the council acquired the formerdrill hall on Chapel Road and converted it into theirTown Hall, serving as the council's offices and meeting place, with the main hall being used for public entertainments.[19][20]
St Just Urban District was abolished in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, when the area became part of thePenwith district.[21][22] Asuccessor parish called St Just was created at the same time, covering the area of the abolished urban district.[23] 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.[24] The new parish council for St Just exercised this right. The parish's legal name is simply "St Just",[23] but the town council styles itself "St Just-in-Penwith Town Council".[14] The "in Penwith" suffix has long been used informally to distinguish this St Just fromSt Just in Roseland.[16]
Penwith district was abolished in 2009. Cornwall County Council then took on district-level functions, making it a unitary authority, and was renamed Cornwall Council.[25][26]
St Just is home to the popularLafrowda festival[27] a seven-day community and arts celebration usually held in mid July.
A more ancient celebration associated with the town is St Just Feast which is held every year to celebrate the dedication of the parish church on 13 July 1336. Feast celebrations were moved to the Sunday nearest to All Saints' Day in 1536 following an Act of Henry VIII which means it usually take place at the end of October / beginning of November. Feast itself is a two-day event with a church service and civic procession being held on Feast Sunday and a larger scale popular celebration being held on Feast Monday (which includes a meeting of the Western Hunt). A description of St Just Feast, from 1882, follows:[citation needed]
"Rich and poor still at this season keep open house, and all the young people from St. Just who are in service for many miles around, if they can possibly be spared, go home on the Saturday and stay until the Tuesday morning. A small fair is held in the streets on Monday evening, when the young men are expected to treat their sweethearts liberally, and a great deal of "foolish money" that can be ill afforded is often spent"
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St Just also has a 'Plen an Gwarry' (Cornish for "playing place"), locally pronounced 'Plain an Gwarry'. These sites were used historically forCornish wrestling,[28] open-air performance, entertainment and instruction. St Just's Plen an Gwarry occasionally hosts productions of the CornishOrdinaliamystery plays.[29]
St Just has a healthy artistic scene, including the painterKurt Jackson who has made several television appearances. Contemporary singer and comedianJethro from nearbySt Buryan played for St Just Rugby Club and has recorded a song entitled "St Just".
The folk singerMartha Tilston released an album in 2010 calledLucy and the Wolves. This features a range of songs inspired by Cornwall. The first song on the album is calledThe Cape and is based upon Cape Cornwall in St Just. She has performed in Penzance a number of times and now lives in Penwith.
The children's animated television seriesJungle Junction is produced by Spider Eye Productions of St. Just.
The localcommunity radio station isCoast FM (formerly Penwith Radio), which broadcasts on 96.5 and 97.2FM.[30]
The Star Inn is sometimes called the last proper pub in Cornwall. Its clientele includes bird watchers who are attracted by the local wildlife.[31]
The St Just Plen an Gwari was specifically used forCornish wrestling tournaments both traditionally[32][33] and more recently.[28][34]
James Warren (1786[35]-?) from St Just was a very famous Cornish wrestler, who became champion of Cornwall. He fought in tournaments throughout Britain, including London. He was known as 'Little Jem Warren' or 'Little Hercules' due to being 5 feet 7.5 inches high or 'Great Jem'[36] from having prodigious strength.[37][38] He distinguished himself in the rescue of survivors when theEast Indiaman ship, "Kent" caught fire.[39]
Thomas White from St Just was the original trainer ofJack Carkeek, in the US, who became world Cornish wrestling champion.[40]
St Just Cricket Club is an English amateurcricket club with a history of cricket in the village dating back to 1880.[41] Only 5 miles (8 km) from Land's End, St Just claim to be the most westerly ECB Premier League club in the country.[42] Most notable is the clubs significant success record, with 10 championship titles won in theCornwall Cricket League since 1990.[43]
St Just field three senior teams in theCornwall Cricket League and a Women's team in the Cornwall Women and Girls League.[44] They also have an established junior training section that plays competitive cricket in the Cornwall Youth Cricket League.[45]
St Just Rugby Football Club was established in 1967[46] and their ground is based north east of St Just, on the New Road leading out of the hamlet ofTregeseal.[41] The club competes in theCounties 2 Tribute, South West Division.[46]
St Just Football Club was established in 1894. The club fields two senior teams in theCornwall Combination League and a Youth section.[41]
St Just bus station is served by routes 7, 8, A3 and A17. Services 7 and 8 are provided byTransport for Cornwall. A3 is provided by First Kernow and the two providers jointly run the A17 service.
7: Penzance to Lands End via St Just8: Long Rock(Morrison’s) to St Just via SancreedA3: St Ives to Lands End via St Just (Atlantic Coaster)A17: St Ives to Pendeen via Penzance and St Just
St Just istwinned withHuelgoat, Bro-Gernev, Brittany.[47] The town is also twinned, in partnership with Penzance, with Bendigo in the State of Victoria, Australia and with Nevada City in California, USA as a result of the historical links through the many people from the area who emigrated to the two destinations, mostly in the late 19th century, to find a better life in the mines there. There is still an area of Bendigo known as St. Just Point.
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