Torpoint

Torpoint () is a town and civil parish on the Rame Peninsula in southeast Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated opposite the city of Plymouth across the Hamoaze which is the tidal estuary of the River Tamar.
Torpoint had a population of 8,457 at the 2001 census, decreasing to 8,364 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards also exist ( Torpoint East and Torpoint West). Their combined populations at the same census were 7,717.

Torpoint is linked to Plymouth (and Devonport) by the Torpoint Ferry. The three vessels that operate the service are chain ferries – that is, they are propelled across the river by pulling themselves on fixed chains which lie across the bed of the river. The journey takes about seven minutes.

Origin of name

It is said that Torpoint's name is derived from Tar Point, a name given because of the initial industry on the west bank of the Hamoaze. However this is actually a nickname given by workers, Torpoint meaning "rocky headland".

History

Torpoint is an eighteenth-century planned town. The grid-based design for the town was commissioned by Reginald Pole Carew in the Parish of Antony in 1774. His family continue to have a strong influence in the area, having become the Carew Poles in the twentieth century, and still reside at their family seat, Antony House.

In 1796 Torpoint was the setting for a shooting battle between the crew of a government vessel, the ''Viper'', and a large party of armed liquor smugglers, in which one person was killed and five people seriously wounded.

Due to the presence of Devonport Dockyard, the town grew as Dockyard workers settled there. The establishment of the Royal Navy's main training facility, HMS ''Raleigh'' also increased the population of Torpoint.

Parish churches

Torpoint has four parish churches known at "Maryfield Church", "Torpoint Cornerstone Church" , "Catholic Church of Saint Joan of Arc" and "St James Church"

Notable people from Torpoint

''See :People from Torpoint''
* John Langdon Down was born in Torpoint in 1828. He later described the medical condition which is now referred to as Down syndrome. He was called back on a number of occasions to help his father in his local business until his father's death in 1853.
* Jack Stephens a footballer for Southampton F.C.

Education

Educational institutions in Torpoint include:

*Torpoint Infant School — a medium-large infant school.
*Carbeile Junior School — a large primary school.
* Torpoint Community College, a small secondary school.

Sport and leisure

Torpoint has a non-league football club, Torpoint Athletic F.C., which plays at The Mill.

Cornish wrestling

Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes, were held in Torpoint in the 1700s.Tripp, Michael: ''PERSISTENCE OF DIFFERENCE: A HISTORY OF CORNISH WRESTLING'', University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2009, Vol I p2-217.

Twinning

Torpoint is twinned with Benodet (Benoded) in Brittany, France.

Town Council

1894 The Torpoint Town Council was established with Joseph Shepheard as its chairman.

Ron Widdecombe was the first Mayor of Torpoint.

The Town Council has Gary Davis as the town mayor and Julie Martin as the deputy mayor.

The Town Council is made up of 15 East Ward councillors and 1 West Ward councillor.

Town Events and Holidays

Freedom of Torpoint march

St Piran's day

Armed Forces Day

Commonwealth Day

Day of Accession Council and Principal Proclamation

Merchant Navy Day

St George's Day

Christmas Lights Switch On

Civic Service

References

External links

Torpoint website

Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Torpoint

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Towns in Cornwall
Civil parishes in Cornwall
Populated coastal places in Cornwall