Goonhavern

Summary

50°20′31″N 5°06′40″W / 50.342°N 5.111°W / 50.342; -5.111

Goonhavern
District
  • Carrick
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townTRURO
Postcode districtTR4
Dialling code01872
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireCornwall
AmbulanceSouth Western
List of places
UK
England
Cornwall

Goonhavern (Cornish: Goonhavar)[1] is a village in north Cornwall, England, UK. It is on the A3075 Newquay to Chiverton Cross road, about two miles east of Perranporth.[2] It is in the civil parish of Perranzabuloe

As well as a village store/post office, a garden centre and several campsites, there is a public house named 'The New Inn' in the centre of the village. Until recently, a model village[3] was a visitor attraction beside the B3285 just south-east of Goonhavern. A traditional village show is held in the community hall in July with prizes awarded for the local produce, flower arrangements, art, craft and photography.

The name Goonhavern comes from the Cornish language words goon, meaning 'downs', and havar, meaning 'summer fallow land'.[4]

History edit

A railway branch-line to Perranporth and St Agnes ran through Goonhavern from c.1905 but the line was closed by Dr Beeching's cuts in the 1960s and today there is little sign of its precise route through the village centre.

During World War 2, on 12 July 1940, three bombs were dropped on Rosehill Farm. Nobody was injured but a bullock was killed.[5]

Cornish wrestling edit

Goonhavern has hosted Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes in venues such as the field by the New Inn.[6]

John Collings (1783-1869) from St Minver was a celebrated wrestler in his early life.[7][8] He also had a famous wrestling brother called Thomas.[9] He lived at Porteath.[10]

References edit

  1. ^ Place-names in the Standard Written Form (SWF) Archived 15 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine : List of place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel Archived 2013-05-15 at the Wayback Machine. Cornish Language Partnership.
  2. ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 200 Newquay & Bodmin ISBN 978-0-319-22938-5
  3. ^ Ordnance Survey: Explorer map sheet 104 Redruth & St Agnes ISBN 978-0-319-24034-2
  4. ^ Akademi Kernewek place names - Goonhavar
  5. ^ ""When Bombs Fell" - The air-raids on Cornwall during WW2 : Part 2 - 1940". WW2 People's war. BBC. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  6. ^ The Royal Cornwall Gazette, Falmouth Packet, and General Advertiser, 18 October 1878, p1.
  7. ^ Death of a Cornish wrestler, Cornubian and Redruth Times, 17 December 1869, p4.
  8. ^ Death of a wrestler, Western Times - Tuesday 21 December 1869, p6.
  9. ^ Death of a Cornish wrestler, Royal Cornwall Gazette, 18 December 1869, p5.
  10. ^ 1841 Census: Transcript of Piece HO107/152 (Part 5): Book 12 Folio 10, p12.
 
The Methodist church and a house called "Central Cottage" on the main road to Newquay