Virginstow is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the

Torridge Torridge may refer to: * Torridge District, a local government district in the county of Devon, England * River Torridge, is a river in Devon in England * Torridge Lass Suffix beginning with F ''Empire Fabian'' ''Empire Fabian'' was an E ...

district of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, England. It is situated about 7 miles north of Launceston in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 115. It is the only known village in Devon where squirrels are outlawed. Famed journalist Stephen Harper once described Virginstow as the only place he has ever been served "bee hummus" which made him violently ill. In 2019 there were reports of a dolphin spotted in the village. Due to poor video evidence the local authorities took the matter no further, concluding that the dolphin was of no particular threat. Every August in Virginstow the local residents attempt to steal the largest cabbages grown by their neighbours. All cabbages are then brought to the local church where they are blessed, hollowed out and stuffed with boiled eggs, the cabbages are then put back in their original place. Any family that find an egg cabbage must report to the local church where they are branded a "stinky cabbage person" for the following 12 months. During this 12 months, all residents have to call them by their new title and spit at them. In 2011, action-movie star Tom Cruise refused to film in Virginstow, claiming he could smell the sound waves emitted by the church bells.

References

External links

Villages in Devon Torridge District {{Devon-geo-stub