Calstock

Calstock is a village and parish in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, on the border with Devon. The village is situated on the River Tamar six miles south west of Tavistock and ten miles (16 km) north of Plymouth. The parish has a population of 6,095ref|pop. The village is part of the Tamar Valley AONB, lies on the scenic Tamar Valley railway, and is overlooked by Cotehele house and gardens. The parish consists of 5,760 acres (23 km²) of land, 70 acres of water, and 44 acres of the tidal Tamarref|area.

Calstock railway station opened on 2 March 1908.

The hamlets of Albaston, Chilsworthy, Gunnislake, Harrowbarrow, Latchley and Metherell are also part of the parish.

History

There is evidence of human settlement in Calstock from Roman, or pre-Roman times, settlers attracted by the rich source of minerals, such as tin, in the area. In Saxon times Calstock was in the kingdom of Dumnonia, which resisted the spread of Wessex from the east. In 838 CE Wessex had spread as far as the Tamar, and the last battle for independence was fought near Calstock. Following the Norman Conquest Calstock manor was recorded in the Domesday Book. The Saxon manor was taken over, and in the 14th century became part of the Duchy of Cornwall.Mining was certainly important in Calstock from Mediaeval times, with the Duchy mining silver. The industry was booming in the late 19th century and the discovery of copper, and coupled with nearby granite quarrying made Calstock a busy port. The rapid population boom due to the growth of industry led, in 1849, to an outbreak of cholera. The industry declined in the early 20th century due to foreign competition, and now only the ruined pump houses that dot the landscape remain.

The Tamar is navigable to boats past Calstock some convert|3|mi|km upstream to Morwellham Quay with some 10 or even convert|20|ft|m of water at extreme spring tides. Calstock Quay was once important for transporting goods, and in the Victorian Era when steamers brought tourists to the village, Calstock was visited by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1846. The importance of the river as a transport route declined with the construction of the convert|14|mi|km|sing=on Tamar Valley railway at the start of the 20th century. The village is still dominated by the railway's viaduct, which was first crossed by truck on 8th August 1907 and first used by passengers on 2nd March 1908.

[http://www.calstock.cornwall.sch.uk/ Calstock Community Primary School] was built in 1901 opening its doors to the then Head Mistress and her pupils for the first time on 6 January 1902. At that time the school consisted of just two main classrooms. It has since been extended with the addition of the infant suite plus the Head Teacher's office which has to be shared with the school secretary. The infant suite extension won an award for architectural design, in keeping with the remainder of the school. The centenary of the school was celebrated in the summer of 2002.Calstock Community Primary School, Calstock, Cornwall, PL18 9QL

Twinning

*

ee also

* East Cornwall Mineral Railway
* Tamar Valley Line

External links

* [http://www.minebydesign.co.uk/calstock/index.htm Calstock Online Parish Clerk]
* [http://www.calstock-history.org.uk/ Calstock History]
* [http://crocat.cornwall.gov.uk/dserve/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=Overview.tcl&dsqSearch=((text)='calstock') Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Calstock]
* [http://www.calstock.cornwall.sch.uk/ Calstock Community Primary School]

References

# Office for National Statistics & Cornwall County Council, 2001. [http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=7630 Parish population statistics] .
# Calstock Online Parish Clerk, 2005. [http://www.minebydesign.co.uk/calstock/calstock/parish_intro.htm Calstock Parish] .