Cape Cornwall ( kw, Kilgoodh, meaning "goose back") is a small headland in West Cornwall, England. It is north of Land's End near the town of St Just.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' Until the first Ordnance Survey in the early 19th-century, Cape Cornwall was believed to be the most westerly point in Cornwall.Joseph, Peter. 2006. ''Cape Cornwall Mine. British Mining No. 79.'' Sheffield: Northern Mine Research Society; p. 111. . Most of the headland is owned by the National Trust. National Coastwatch has a look-out on the seaward side. The only tourist infrastructure at present is a car park (owned by the National Trust), public toilets, and a refreshments counter during the summer. The Brisons, two offshore rocks, are located approximately southwest of Cape Cornwall. They mark the starting line of the annual swimming race ending at Priest Cove.

Etymology

The name Cape Cornwall appeared first on a maritime chart around the year 1600. The original Cornish name, ''Kilgoodh Ust,'' dates back to 1580. In English it translates to "goose-back at St Just", a reference to the shape of the cape. Later versions of the name dropped the 'Ust'. An alternative name, ''Pen Kernow,'' is a recent translation back to Cornish of the English. A cape is the point of land where two bodies of water meet. Cape Cornwall is one of only two capes in the United Kingdom, the other being

Cape Wrath Cape Wrath ( gd, Am Parbh, known as ' in Lewis) is a cape in the Durness parish of the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It is the most north-westerly point in mainland Britain. The cape is separated from the rest of the mai ...

in North West Scotland.

Early history

Pottery found in cists on the Cape have been dated to the Late Bronze Age. The presence of another cliff castle nearby (Kenidjack) may indicate that the area was important in the Iron Age. On the landward side of the Cape is the remains of the medieval

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, which replaced a 6th-century church. A

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now installed in the porch of St Just church may be from this building.

19th-century to present

Cape Cornwall Mine Cape Cornwall Mine was a tin mine on Cape Cornwall, a cape at the western tip of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It operated intermittently between 1838 and 1883, after which time it closed permanently and the engine house was demolished. The ...

, a tin mine on the cape, was operated intermittently between 1838 and 1883. The mine's 1864 chimney near the peak of the cape was retained as an aid to navigation. In the early 20th-century, the former ore dressing floors were for a time converted for use as greenhouses and wineries. In 1987, the mine site was purchased by the H. J. Heinz Company of the United States (and British plants) and donated to the nation. The remains of Cape Cornwall Mine are designated as part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

References

External links

Cape Cornwall at DMOZ
{{Headlands of Cornwall National Trust properties in Cornwall Headlands of Cornwall Penwith St Just in Penwith