Wadebridge
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 Looking along The Platt towardsWadebridge Town Hall | |
  Wadebridge Location withinCornwall | |
| Population | 6,811 (Parish, 2021)[2] 5,625 (Built up area, 2021)[3] |
| OS grid reference | SW990725 |
| Civil parish |
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| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WADEBRIDGE |
| Postcode district | PL27 |
| Dialling code | 01208 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Cornwall |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°31′01″N4°50′06″W / 50.517°N 4.835°W /50.517; -4.835 | |
Wadebridge (/weɪˈbrɪdʒ/;Cornish:Ponswad[5]) is a town andcivil parish in northCornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town straddles theRiver Camel five miles (eight kilometres) upstream fromPadstow.[6] At the2021 census the population of the parish was 6,811 and the population of the built up area as defined by theOffice for National Statistics (which excludes theEgloshayle part of the parish) was 5,625.
Originally known asWade, it was a dangerous fording point across the river until a bridge was built here in the 15th century, after which the name changed to its present form. The bridge was strategically important during theEnglish Civil War, andOliver Cromwell went there to take it. Since then, it has been widened twice and refurbished in 1991.
Wadebridge was served by a railway station between 1834 and 1967; part of the line now forms theCamel Trail, a recreational route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. The town used to be a road traffic bottleneck on theA39 road until it was bypassed in 1991, and the main shopping street, Molesworth Street, is now pedestrianised.
The town has asecondary school where several notable sports-people were educated. TheRoyal Cornwall Show is a three-dayagricultural show held at the nearby Royal Cornwall Showground every June, and the 5-day Cornwall Folk Festival takes place around the August Bank Holiday.
The initial settlement of Wade (the name of Wadebridge before the bridge was built)[7] came about due to a ford in the River Camel (Camel probably meaning "crooked one"[8]). The early crossing had a chapel on each side of the river, "King's" chapel on the north side and "St Michael's" on the south side. People would pray for a safe crossing at one of the chapels before wading across at low tide, once they had made it the other side they would give thanks to God in the other chapel. In 1312, a licence was granted for a market at Wade byEdward II who also granted two fairs annually; on the feast ofSaint Vitalis and atMichaelmas.[9] Wade was part of the parish of St Breock and the river separated it from the neighbouring parish of Egloshayle.[citation needed]
At some time the ford was supplemented by a ferry[10] until the Reverend Thomas Lovibond (the vicar ofEgloshayle) became distressed at the number of humans and animals that died during the crossing of the River Camel so he planned the building of a bridge which was completed in 1468. Wade then became known as Wadebridge. WhenJohn Leland travelled through Cornwall in the early 16th century he wrote that the piers were resting on packs of wool.[11] Begun in 1468 and completed in 1485, the bridge was traditionally known as the "Bridge on Wool" because it was reputedly built on wool sacks. In fact, however, it has been proven to be founded directly on the underlying bedrock.[12]
The bridge was a strategic position in theEnglish Civil War as in 1646Oliver Cromwell came with 500Dragoons and 1,000 horsemen to take the bridge.[13] When the bridge was first completed tolls were charged for its maintenance. In 1853, it was widened from 3 to 5 metres (10 to 16 feet). A second widening took place in 1952[10] and then in 1963 it was again widened taking it to 12 m (39 ft).
TheBodmin and Wadebridge Railway from Wadebridge toWenfordbridge with branch lines toBodmin and Ruthernbridge[14] was built at a cost of £35,000 following a study commissioned in 1831 by local landownerSir William Molesworth ofPencarrow. The line was intended to carry sand from theCamel Estuary to inland farms for use asfertiliser. It was opened on 30 September 1834 with the locomotiveCamel pulling a train load of 400 passengers (one of the first railways in Britain to carry passengers). When the company ordered its second locomotive it came with a name plate already affixed. It had been named theElephant as the makers had failed to realise that the first engine had been named after the river and not an animal.[15]
The last passenger train leftWadebridge railway station in 1967 following railway cutbacks. The old railway trackbed is now theCamel Trail, and theBodmin and Wenford Railway heritage railway runs on part of the route.
Wadebridge was the highest navigable town on theRiver Camel providing the main trade route before the building of the railway, and coasters would bring goods fromBristol and coal fromSouth Wales. Timber was also imported from theBaltic,[16] while stone from inland was sent to destination throughout England. The first locomotives used on the railway were also imported through the quay, being manufactured by Neath Abbey Ironworks,[15] and the railway initially linked with river traffic well having been designed to distribute sand from the river to the local farms via a "sand dock" constructed upstream of the bridge at the point where the Treguddick Brook (Polmorla Brook) flows into the River Camel. This commodity, brought up fromPadstow in barges, had previously been taken as far asMichaelstow andBlisland using pack animals.[17]
In 1843 apart from the dock for the barges bringing sand for onward movement there was another dock capable of holding five vessels and construction of a breakwater was considered, while in 1880 there were quays on both sides of the river below the bridge with that on the west bank being served by the railway although the "sand dock" had been filled in by 1895.[18][19][16] In the 1900s vessels such as MVFlorence brought cargoes including slag (for fertiliser), grain and coal, and flour was also a regular cargo brought from Ranks at Avonmouth. However, in the 1950s the river silted badly so that the ketchAgnes was possibly the last vessel to bring cargo to Wadebridge when she was recorded there in 1955.[16]
In 1877, after cracks appeared in the rock on which theEddystone Lighthouse was positioned, a new lighthouse was commissioned fromJames Nicholas Douglass. Granite quarried fromDe Lank quarry was brought down to Wadebridge where stonemasonsdovetailed each segment of stone not only to each other but also to the courses above and below. As each layer was completed and checked to fit with the layer above, it was sent out to the Eddystone rocks by sea. The lighthouse was completed in 1882. This resulted in the road where the masons worked being called Eddystone Road.
DuringWorld War I Wadebridge was home to refugees from theNetherlands andBelgium. In order to support them, a property in Park Street was converted into aCalvinist chapel.[20]
Despite the rural nature of the area and the lack of military installations, duringWorld War II there was a single recordedair raid when three bombs were dropped on the hill above Fernleigh Road. Residents report hearing the bombs whistling as they fell and landed in a field above the nearest houses. There were no casualties and only minor damage.[21]
In 2003, thePerch Garage murders occurred outside the town on theA39 road (Atlantic Highway).[22]
The town straddles theRiver Camel, five miles (eight kilometres) upstream fromPadstow;[6] the town centre being on the west bank of the river.
On St. Swithin's day 1965, there was a flood in Wadebridge town centre after five and a half inches of rain fell in four and a half hours around high tide. The Swan Hotel on The Platt was flooded to a depth of one and a half feet.[17]
There are two tiers of local government covering Wadebridge, atparish (town) andunitary authority level: Wadebridge Town Council andCornwall Council. The town council is based atWadebridge Town Hall on The Platt.[23] The Town Hall was originally known as the Molesworth Hall, and was opened by Sir Paul Molesworth on 23 May 1888.[24]
Wadebridge is in theNorth Cornwall constituency, which is currently held by theLiberal Democrat MPBen Maguire.
Wadebridge historically straddled the parish ofSt Breock in Cornwall'sPydar Hundred (west of the River Camel) and the parish ofEgloshayle (east of the Camel) in theTrigg Hundred. When elected parish and district councils were established under theLocal Government Act 1894, Egloshayle parish was included in theBodmin Rural District and St Breock parish was included in theSt Columb Major Rural District.[25][26]
Shortly afterwards, it was decided to create a newurban district of Wadebridge, which came into effect on 1 April 1898, taking territory from both St Breock and Egloshayle parishes, including the settlement of Egloshayle itself from the latter.[27][28]
Wadebridge Urban District was abolished in 1934. Its area was reclassified as arural parish and given a parish council. The parish was included in the newWadebridge Rural District, which also covered numerous surrounding parishes. Wadebridge Rural District was replaced in 1968 by the largerWadebridge and Padstow Rural District.[27]
Wadebridge and Padstow Rural District was abolished six years later in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, becoming part of the newNorth Cornwall district.[29][30] As part of the 1974 reforms, parish councils were given the right to declare their parishes to be a town and take the title of town council,[31] which Wadebridge Parish Council took, becoming Wadebridge Town Council.[23]
North Cornwall district was in turn abolished in 2009. Cornwall County Council then took on district-level functions, making it a unitary authority, and was renamed Cornwall Council.[32][33]
For many years, Wadebridge was a traffic-congested town, through which the route of theA39 trunk road passed; however, in 1991, the Wadebridge bypass was opened, together with theEgloshayle bypass, enabling the two settlements to regain much of their former charm. The main shopping street in Wadebridge (Molesworth Street) has subsequently been pedestrianised through construction of an inner link road, allowing traffic-free shopping.
Local bus services are operated byGo Cornwall Bus andKernow, with routes toBoscastle,Bude,Launceston,Padstow andTruro.
Wadebridge no longer has its own nationalrailway station, since its closure in 1967. The nearest is nowBodmin Parkway, on theCornish Main Line, which is served by services toPlymouth,Cardiff,London Paddington andPenzance.
TheMolesworth Arms is one of the oldest Inns in Wadebridge. Previously known as The Fox, The King's Arms and The Fountain, this coaching Inn received its current name in 1817.
Since 2014 the first of the annual events in and around Wadebridge has been theMayPlay festival, a weekend of free children's activities.
TheRoyal Cornwall Agricultural Show is held at the Royal Cornwall Showground,1+1⁄2 miles (2.5 kilometres) west of Wadebridge over three days in early June each year. The show began in 1793 at Bodmin and was then held every year in East and West Cornwall alternately until 1960 when it came to its present site. The showground, run by the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association, is used for many different functions fromScoutJamborees to point-to-point horse racing.
The Big Lunch, organised by the local chamber of commerce, is a free street party in the pedestrianised part of Molesworth St in the centre of Wadebridge, where around 500–750 people get together to share food, chat, and enjoy music and other entertainment. The idea grew out of a project by the Eden Project, and was started by a former local councillor, Harriet Wild. In 2012 it also served as a celebration of the Queen's Jubilee.
Later in June, the Wadebridge Lions organise aBeer Festival, with brews from across Cornwall, and plenty of live music.
July sees theRock Oyster Festival on fields just outside the town on the Camel River. Oysters are also available at the event, along with bands from the local area, the South West and further afield.
Wadebridge Carnival is held annually in August, with a Carnival Queen and there is theEglos Craft Fayre at Egloshayle Church.
TheCornwall Folk Festival,[34] one of the UK's longest-running folk festivals started in 1972, now runs for fives days around the August Bank Holiday. The focus is oncontemporary folk music,bluegrass music,Americana (music),celtic music and acoustic music.Sam Lakeman andSean Lakeman) Geoff Lakeman are the festival's patrons. The festival was featured in the German travel documentary Wunderschön in Spring 2023.[35]
Depending on the tides, theCamel River Festival is held around August or September. The main attraction is a set of raft races on the river, with bar, food, stalls and more live music.
In October, TheBikelights procession through the town centre showcases decorated bicycles and involves many youngsters.
In November thePrime Stock Show and theGarden Produce Association and Chrysanthemum Show are held.
A footbridge called theChallenge Bridge links the Egloshayle playing fields to the Jubilee fields on the other side of the river. The bridge was constructed in 1991 byAnneka Rice and her team for the TV series "Challenge Anneka".
The newspaper is a local edition of the weeklyCornish Guardian.
The town istwinned withLangueux (Langaeg) inBrittany, France.[36]
In April 2013 Wadebridge was short-listed as one of Britain's top eco-towns[37] and is home toWadebridge Renewable Energy Network a grass roots enterprise aiming to make the town the first solar powered and renewable energy powered town in the UK.[38]
Wadebridge and District Museum opened in 2007 and moved to their current location on Chapel Lane in 2013.[39]
The town has two primary schools which have academy status, Wadebridge Primary Academy which OfSTED graded as a ‘GOOD’ school in November 2012 and St. Breock Primary School. There is also asecondary school,Wadebridge School.
There are two health care practices: the Wadebridge and Camel Estuary Practice and the Bridge Medical Centre. There has been a group practice in Wadebridge since the early 20th century; many of the early doctors had their surgeries operating from their homes.
In the 1901 census the population of Wadebridge was 3470,[16] while in 2001 the population was 6222.[40]
Wadebridge has been a centre forCornish wrestling for centuries.[41] Places used for Cornish wrestling tournaments include:
Wadebridge hosted the Interceltic games in 1965,[42] 1967,[43] 2006,[44] 2008[45] and 2010.
Wadebridge is home to sporting clubs includingWadebridge Town Football Club who play at Bodieve park,Wadebridge Camels, who play at the Molesworth Field inEgloshayle, and Wadebridge Cricket Club, whose main ground has been in Egloshayle Park since the 1950s. The town has a leisure centre with a programme of sports and pursuits includingCornish wrestling.
The Camel estuary offers a range of water sports, includingsailing,water skiing,windsurfing,surfing andkite surfing. Golf courses close by includeTrevose andSaint Enodoc andSt Kew.
Media related toWadebridge at Wikimedia Commons
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