Portal:Cornwall

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Cornwall (/ˈkɔːrnwɔːl, -wəl/; Cornish: Kernow; Cornish pronunciation: [ˈkɛrnɔʊ]; or [ˈkɛrnɔ]) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised by Cornish and Celtic political groups as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, Devon to the east, and the English Channel to the south. The largest urban area in the county is a conurbation that includes the former mining towns of Redruth and Camborne, and the county town is the city of Truro.

The county is rural, with an area of 1,375 square miles (3,562 km²) and population of 568,210. Outside of the Redruth-Camborne conurbation the largest settlements are Falmouth, Penzance, Newquay, St Austell, and Truro. For local government purposes most of Cornwall is a unitary authority area, with the Isles of Scilly having a unique local authority. The Cornish nationalist movement disputes the constitutional status of Cornwall and seeks greater autonomy within the United Kingdom.

Cornwall is the westernmost part of the South West Peninsula, and the southernmost county within the United Kingdom. Its coastline is characterised by steep cliffs and, to the south, several rias, including those at the mouths of the rivers Fal and Fowey. It includes the southernmost point on Great Britain, Lizard Point, and forms a large part of the Cornwall National Landscape. The national landscape also includes Bodmin Moor, an upland outcrop of the Cornubian batholith granite formation. The county contains many short rivers; the longest is the Tamar, which forms the border with Devon. (Full article...)

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Distinctive Cornish face, high cheekbone and large ears.

The Cornish Rex is a breed of domestic cat. The Cornish Rex only has down hair. Most breeds of cat have three different types of hair in their coats: the outer fur or "guard hairs", a middle layer called the "awn hair"; and the down hair or undercoat, which is very fine and about 1 cm long. Cornish Rexes only have the undercoat. The curl in their fur is caused by a different mutation and gene than that of the Devon Rex. The breed originated in Cornwall, Great Britain. (Full article...)

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Portrait by Thomas Phillips, 1821

Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet, FRS, MRIA, FGS (17 December 1778 – 29 May 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He is also remembered for isolating, by using electricity, several elements for the first time: potassium and sodium in 1807 and calcium, strontium, barium, magnesium and boron the following year, as well as for discovering the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine. Davy also studied the forces involved in these separations, inventing the new field of electrochemistry. Davy is also credited with discovering clathrate hydrates.

In 1799, he experimented with nitrous oxide and was astonished at how it made him laugh. He nicknamed it "laughing gas" and wrote about its potential as an anaesthetic to relieve pain during surgery.

Davy was a baronet, President of the Royal Society (PRS), Member of the Royal Irish Academy (MRIA), Fellow of the Geological Society (FGS), and a member of the American Philosophical Society (elected 1810). Berzelius called Davy's 1806 Bakerian Lecture "On Some Chemical Agencies of Electricity" "one of the best memoirs which has ever enriched the theory of chemistry." (Full article...)

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Richard Trevithick William Bligh Richard Lemon Lander Mark of Cornwall Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall John Arnold (watchmaker) Cuthbert Mayne Daphne du Maurier Edward Boscawen

Did you know?

...that Cornish miners first brought football to Mexico, and the Cornishman Alfred C. Crowle was once manager of the Mexico national football team?
...that Tregenna Castle (pictured) in St Ives was the Great Western Railway's first holiday destination hotel?
...that the town of St Columb Major in Cornwall is used as a sports pitch for the game of Cornish hurling, making it the largest pitch in the world?
...that Cornish bagpipes, once common in Cornwall, feature two long chanters which are played independently?
...that a bowling green and a monument now occupy the site of Helston Castle in Cornwall?

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Photo credit: WordRidden

An aerial view of Carrick Roads, with Falmouth in the top right and Truro in the bottom right. The Roads are a large natural harbour and waterway, created after the Ice age from an ancient valley that flooded.

General images

The following are images from various Cornwall-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Bal maidens at work, showing traditional dress (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 2Boscawen-Un stone circle looking north (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 3Stargazy pie, with sardines looking skywards before it is baked in the oven
Image 4The Roman milestone in St Materiana's Church, Tintagel (from History of Cornwall)
Image 5Cornwall seen from the International Space Station (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 6The cross at the end of Higher Bore Street, Bodmin (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 7The Minack Theatre, carved from the cliffs (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 8Boscawen-Un stone circle looking north (from History of Cornwall)
Image 9Land's End (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 10A map of camps and earthworks in Cornwall (from History of Cornwall)
Image 11Flag of St Piran, used as a flag of Cornwall (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 12Rough seas off Trebarwith Strand on the north coast (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 13Three Holes Cross (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 14The War Memorial, in the churchyard, Constantine, Kerrier, carved from local stone by Elkana Symons (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 15Cornish dancers (from Music of Cornwall)
Image 16Remains of Tintagel Castle, according to legend the site of King Arthur's conception (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 17Entrance at Truro Cathedral has a welcome sign in several languages, including Cornish. (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 18A Cornish pasty, known traditionally as an oggy, can be found all over the world. (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 19An aerial view of Carrick Roads (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 20Lady of Cornwall and flower girls at the 2007 Gorseth (Penzance) (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 21Low tide at Bedruthan Steps (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 22Stanhope Forbes, A Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach (1884-85); also showing traditional dress (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 23Cornish wrestling (Omdowl Kernewek) (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 24The font of St Nonna's church, Altarnun (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 25Penryn, Prayer Book Rebellion Memorial, near the site of Glasney College (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 26A map of inscription stones, with and without Ogham inscriptions. (from History of Cornwall)
Image 27Atlas of Cornwall by Christopher Saxton from 1576 (from History of Cornwall)
Image 28Cornwall's national tartan, bracca (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 29Lanner Band Room (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 30Wheal Owles, example of a historic Cornish tin mine (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 31Bluebells on the Cornish coast (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 32The view northwest from Carn Brea, Penwith (from Geography of Cornwall)
Image 33Millennium Cross, Landrake (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 34The 9th-century Men Myghtern Doniert (King Doniert's Stone) commemorating the last independent King of Cornwall (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 35Will of Alfred the Great, AD 873–888 (11th-century copy, British Library Stowe MS 944, ff. 29v–33r) (from History of Cornwall)
Image 36Celebrating Saint Piran's Day (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 37The cross on the grave of Charles Bowen Cooke, St Just in Roseland (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 38St German's priory church, St Germans (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 39Lime-washed and slate-hung domestic vernacular architecture of various periods, Polperro (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 40Church of St Morwenna, Morwenstow (from Culture of Cornwall)
Image 41Harlyn Bay (from Geography of Cornwall)