Kingsand

Kingsand and Cawsand are twin villages on the Rame Peninsula located in South East Cornwall, United Kingdom, across the sound from Plymouth. Until 1844 Kingsand was in Devon, but Cawsand was always in Cornwall. On the old county boundary between the two villages there is still a house called Devon Corn, which has the marker on the front of the house. The villages are popular with tourists, but so far retain their traditional character - however the population has declined over recent years due to the increased popularity of holiday homes.

Local services

There are a few shops and many pubs in the villages. Kingsand is home to the Village Store for buying groceries. There is also the Top Drawer Gallery where you can buy gifts and souvenirs, Panache for jewellery and pictures and a Post Office. The villages contain no fewer than 5 pubs that serve both drinks and food. Moran's is a deli/cafe that now occupies the old bakery and the Shop in the Square serves take away food and sells beach goods. There is also the fairly new Westcroft gallery where paintings and sculptures by local artists can be viewed and bought. Accommodation for visitors is usually takes the form of renting one of the cottages or staying in a B&B. The Halfway House Inn also offers accommodation and there is the Cawsand Bay Hotel along The Bound.

As far as transport is concerned there is a bus route through the villages going to Plymouth via Torpoint. In Summer, the Weston Maid passenger ferry runs between Cawsand Beach and the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth for those who fancy a daytrip to the Barbican.

History

The villages are well known for their smuggling and fishing past. Although the known smuggling tunnels have been sealed up, there are still old fish cellars and boat stores to be seen along the coast.

One famous former resident was John Pollard RN. He was a midshipman (later a Commander) in the Navy who served under Nelson and is the man credited with being "Nelson's avenger", since it was he who shot the French sailor who killed the Admiral. Nelson himself has also been said to have visited the village and dined at The Ship Inn (now closed).

Local landmarks

Perhaps the most recognisable feature of the villages is the Clocktower along the seafront of Kingsand. It was erected to commemorate the coronation of King George V and the building it is attached to (locally referred to as the Institute) is used as a community hall. The Institute also contains a large cross-stitch tapestry picture of the 2 villages which was made by residents to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Within the parish of Maker-with-Rame, there are 3 churches. Rame Church which is near Rame Head, St Andrews Church in Cawsand, and Maker Church (which is located along the road towards Cremyll). Maker is the largest of the three and is a highly visible position so it can be seen from Torpoint and Plymouth.

The beaches

There are 3 main beaches in the villages, which are separated by areas of rocks with interesting rockpools. Kingsand Beach is a mixture of sand and shingle which is located along The Cleave. Girt Beach is mainly shingle, but with some sand and can be found along Market Street. Cawsand Beach is mainly sand and is found along The Bound. A fine swimming beach known as Sandways lies a short walk out of the village across the rocks towards Fort Picklecombe

The water quality has vastly improved over recent years thanks to extensive sewerage works and so all beaches are safe for swimming.

External links

* [http://www.cornwall365.co.uk/cornwall/places,76,Kingsand.html Photos of Kingsand]