Slaughterbridge

Slaughterbridge
Cornwall
The Old Mill at Slaughterbridge
Location
Grid reference:	SX105855
Location:	50°38’17"N, 4°40’41"W
Data
Local Government
Council:	Cornwall
Parliamentary constituency:	North Cornwall

Slaughterbridge is a village in north Cornwall, just over a mile north-west of the market town of Camelford. It is at a bridge over the River Camel (just a minor river at this stage) which carries the B3314 road, running from the A39 "Atlantic Highway" west to Delabole. The B3314, though not a trunk road, is a route to some of the resorts of the North Cornwall coast and Tintagel and so it has become a busy route in the holiday season.

At Slaughterbridge the B3314 road drops dramatically into the valley of the River Camel, describing a steeply graded 'S' bend and narrowing over the eponymous single-track bridge over the river.

History and legend

Slaughterbridge is a very old settlement and is said to take its name from two battles which reputedly took place nearby during the Dark Ages: however 'slaughter' is not uncommon as a place-name element, and is probably from 'slough' (marsh) rather than form the doing to death of livestock or of men. There is no evidence that battles were fought here, though signs by the bridge boldly point to the battlefield.

The Ogham stone

Worthyvale Manor mentioned in the Domesday Book, although the current building is 17th century: it stands to the north of the bridge and there are several other sites of archaeological interest to the north and east of the river.

Not far from Worthyvale, beside the river at Slaughterbridge, is a memorial stone which bears Ogham and Latin inscriptions read as Latini [h]ic iacit fili Macari, meaning "Here lies Latinus son of Macarus". The stone lies in the remains of an 18th-century garden created by Charlotte Boscawen, Dowager Lady Falmouth (the daughter of Hugh Boscawen). It dates from the sixth century and is thought to commemorate an unknown Celtic chieftain.

winding into Slaughterbridge

Legendary and folk associations link this stone with the place where King Arthur met Mordred for the decisive Battle of Camlann in 537. Often referred to as 'King Arthur's Stone', it was first recorded by Cornish antiquary Richard Carew in 1602 but had lain on the river bank for at least a thousand years prior to that.

The identification of this bridge as a meeting place is taken from a narrative of King Arthur's life in the Historia Regum Britanniae ("History of the Kings of Britain") by Geoffrey of Monmouth, completed around 1138. Geoffrey wrote "Arthur was filled with great mental anguish by the fact that Mordred had escaped him so often. Without losing a moment, he followed him to that same locality, reaching the River Camlann, where Mordred was awaiting his arrival." Geoffrey claimed to have based his account on a 'very ancient book' in the British language, but much of his 'History' is pure invention, as was known even in his time.

Close by too, on the coast, is Tintagel Castle, long associated with Arthurian legend.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson described King Arthur's Stone after a visit to Slaughterbridge in June 1848. Among Tennyson's best-known works is Idylls of the King, a work devoted to the legend of King Arthur.

Local businesses insist that Camelford was the site of Arthur's fabled court of Camelot, both because of the similarity of name and the proximity of Slaughterbridge.

Treague

The hamlet of Treague is on the north side of the B3314 road, at the top of the hill up from Slaughterbridge. There is a commercial Arthurian Centre at Treague with car parking, a gift shop and tea rooms. It features a display of Arthur memorabila.

To the east of Treague are the earthworks and enclosure of a small mediæval settlement called Old Melorne. A mediæval village is first recorded here in 1296 but by the 18th century, documents refer only to a farm at the site. The name is commemorated by present-day Melorne Farm, a few hundred yards west at Camelford Station crossroads.

Archeologist Nick Hanks, currently working for English Heritage with the National Monument Record Centre, runs an archaeological project called 'Slaughterbridge Training Excavation Project' (STEP) in the area around Slaughterbridge and Treague.

Camelford Station

The road sign for Camelford Station

Camelford Station is half-a-mile east of Treague at the junction of the B3314 and the B3266 from Camelford to Boscastle at SX099855. The former station gives its name to the crossroads. The hamlet here consists of a farm (Melorne) and its buildings, the former station building and a few other properties including a Methodist chapel.

The former Camelford railway station was on the ex-LSWR North Cornwall line which ran from Halwill to Wadebridge and Padstow. Camelford Station was opened in 1893 and it closed in October 1966 when services on the line from Halwill to Wadebridge ended.

Although named after nearby Camelford, the station was in Minster parish well over a mile from the town it served. It was located "at a road junction in wild country almost devoid of trees" which remains an apt description of the exposed location. Camelford railway station served not only Camelford, but also Tintagel and Boscastle (which did not have a closer rail link) with bus services connecting the villages with the station.

The main station building was substantially built from local stone and provided accommodation for the stationmaster. It is now a private residence and home to the British Cycling Museum. This small museum was a private enterprise set up by an enthusiastic couple and consists of a comprehensive collection of over 400 vehicles, cycling memorabilia and an old cycle repair workshop. The museum is now closed.

West of Camelford Station are a few isolated dwellings, and beyond them the village of Delabole.

Pictures

• 
  The bridge carrying the B3314 road over the River Camel at Slaughterbridge.
• 
  The former main building at Camelford Station later became a cycling museum.
• 
  Approaching Slaughterbridge
• 
  The gates to Worthyvale Manor near the River Camel, Slaughterbridge

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Slaughterbridge)

• North Cornwall Railway