St Columb Major

In 1860 William Butterfield, drew up plans in hope of St Columba’s Parish Church becoming the cathedral of the future diocese of Cornwall, but the town lost out to Truro. However, the town’s claims for this prestigious prize were not unfounded as the St Columba’s Parish Church is unusually large and cathedral-like in appearance. The tower is a fine example of a 15th century building, consisting of four stages with battlements and pinnacles. It is 80 feet high and contains eight bells re-hung in 1950. In 1920 the chiming clock was added as a memorial to the men of St. Columb who died in the Great War. It is also home to some of the finest 16th and 17th century monumental brasses in the county - those dedicated to the influential Arundell family. Sir John Arundell, who died in 1379, lies buried in the church. It was several centuries earlier that Sir John Arundell, having supported Edward III in his wars against the Scots, was rewarded by the granting of a Royal Charter, in 1333, which gave St Columb Major market town status.

There has been much conjecture about who St Columba was. Some say he is the same Irish saint who crossed to Iona in Scotland, though why his influence should have stretched so far south is unclear. Others say that the St Columba commemorated here was in fact St Columba the Virgin, who was either French or Irish. According to legend, she scorned the advances of an unbeliever who wanted her to marry his son. When she resisted, he killed her at Ruthvoes, a couple of miles to the south of the town.

So sure were the town’s officials of having Cornwall’s cathedral sited here, that in the 1850s a moated, medieval tower house was rebuilt as a possible bishop’s palace. Now called the Old Rectory, it retains much of its grandeur. Another interesting building here is the Red Lion Inn, which is renowned for its former landlord, James Polkingborne, a famous Cornish wrestler who is depicted in action on a plaque on one of the inn’s external walls.

‘Hurling the Silver ball’, is a rowdy medieval game still played today, a cross between hurling and football, it is played twice a year, on Shrove Tuesday then on the Saturday eleven days later. It involves two teams of several hundred people - the ‘townsmen’ and the ‘countrymen’ - who endeavour to carry a ball made of apple wood and encased in sterling silver through goals set two 2 miles apart. Once a common pastime throughout the county, this ancient game is now only played here and in St Ives. Such is the passion for the St Columb Major event that windows of houses and shops in the locality are boarded up for the occasion.

A couple of miles southeast of the town, on Castle Downs, lie the remains of a massive Iron Age hill fort. Called Castle-an-Dinas, this was the major fort of the Dumnonia tribe who were in the area in around the 2nd century BC and, from here, they ruled the whole of Devon and Cornwall. The earthwork is generally thought to be one of the most significant hillforts in the British Isles. The three earthwork ramparts enclose an area of over six 6 acres and those climbing to the gorse-covered remains, some 700 feet above sea level, will be rewarded with panoramic views over the leafy Vale of Lanherne, and over Goss Moor to the clay deposits to the south.

At Winnards Perch, on the A39 between St Columb Major and Wadebridge, the Cornish Birds of Prey Centre is situated in 15 acres of beautiful countryside with glorious views. Visitors can watch the swooping falcons, the soaring buzzards, the comical vulture, the owls, the hawks and the redtails; and as well as the birds the site is home to ponies, deer, zebu, emus, waterfowl and pheasants. Within the centre, Meadowside Fisheries offers prime coarse fishing for carp, roach, tench, bream, perch and rudd. For those looking for a more active family day out, at the St Columb Major roundabout follow the brown tourist signs for Springfields Fun Park and Pony Centre, home to different breeds of pony, including Dartmoor, Shetland and DalesWelsh. Children can pet, feed and ride the ponies as well as mmeetingeet various other animals such as lambs, calves, goats, chickens and rabbits. Other attractions in the fun park include a large boating lake, go-karts, trampolines, aerial gliders and an outdoor indoor activity play area.