Kilkhampton
| Kilkhampton Cornish: Kylgh | |
| Cornwall | |
|---|---|
 Kilkhampton parish church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SS253113 |
| Location: | 50°52’30"N, 4°29’2"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,368 (2011 (parish)) |
| Post town: | Bude |
| Postcode: | EX23 |
| Dialling code: | 01288 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Cornwall |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North Cornwall |
Kilkhampton is a village in the very northeast corner of Cornwall.
The village is on the A39 'Atlantic Highway' about four miles north-northeast of Bude.
Kilkhampton is mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Chilchetone". The population of the parish was 1,193 in the 2001 census, which increased to 1,368 at the 2011 census.
About the village
The remains of a late Norman period motte-and-bailey castle known as Penstowe Castle are located 500 yards west of the village.
Further west, at Stowe is the site of Stowe House, the grand mansion of John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath, built in 1680 but demolished in 1739: some of the stonework was reused at Penstowe, also in the parish.[1]
Kilkhampton has a post office, a primary school, and a community centre called the Grenville Rooms. There are three general stores, two pubs, and a selection of shops. There is also an MOT test station and an agricultural supply depot. The village was surveyed for the Survey of English Dialects.
History
The manor of "Chilchetone" was very valuable at the time of Domesday Book. It had paid tax on 7 hides in the previous reign and there was land for 40 ploughs. 26 villagers and 23 smallholders had 26 ploughs between them and there was also 30 acres of meadow, 20 square furlongs of pasture and a considerable woodland. The livestock were 50 cattle, 600 sheep, 20 pigs and 40 goats; the annual value was £18.[2]
Kilkhampton Church
Kilkhampton Church, with its magnificent Norman south doorway and lofty buttressed Perpendicular tower of eight bells, is dedicated to St James the Great and is at least 450 years old. It is one of many churches dedicated to this saint on a pilgrims' route, which leads ultimately to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. The church contains an impressive monument to the Cornish hero Sir Bevil Grenville. Other features of interest are the south porch (dated 1567), a fine series of benchends of the first half of the 16th century. (The benchends are from the same workshop as those of Launcells and Poughill.)[3]
The tenor bell was found to be cracked in 2006: after repairs, it was re-hung and the full peal of eight bells were first heard again on Sunday 23 September 2007.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Kilkhampton) |
References
- ↑ Pevsner, N. (1970) Cornwall, 2nd ed. Penguin Books
- ↑ Thorn, C. et al. (eds.) (1979) Cornwall. Chichester: Phillimore; entry 1, 4
- ↑ Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Cornwall, 1951; 1970 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09589-0
