Gweek
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Gweek is a village and civil parish in the Kerrier district of Cornwall, England renowned for its Seal Sanctuary.
The Civil Parish of Gweek was created from part of the parish of Constantine by boundary revision in 1986.
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[edit] Music
[edit] Gweek Silver Band
Like many Cornish villages, it features a brass band[1] that performs in the local community and provides backing at some Anglican services in the Gweek Mission Church. The band also organises a yearly "band week". This starts with a concert of three local brass bands in a field overlooking the Helford River. Afterwards, there is a pig roast with stalls and entertainment and at the end of the week a clay pigeon shoot.
[edit] The Cornwall Fiddle Orchestra
The Cornwall Fiddle Orchestra[2] was formed in 2007 by fiddle player Hudson Swan. He was a member of Scottish band, The Tannahill Weavers but now lives in Cornwall and works as a violin teacher for the Cornwall Music Service.[3] The orchestra meet on a weekly basis on a Monday evening in Room M1 at Helston School at 7.00pm where they rehearse their repertoire of Celtic traditional music.
[edit] Visitor facilities and attraction
The village is served by the Gweek Inn,[4] a convenience store, a tea garden and a restaurant; the village is home to the British National Seal Sanctuary.
[edit] Ancient harbour
Gweek is at the head of navigation of the Helford River. It has been a port since Roman times and was a thriving port in the Tudor period, with its own Customs House.[5]
During the mining boom, a tin-smelting blowing house operated at the quayside.[6]
In a Topographical Dictionary of England published in 1848, it was described as:[7]
GWEEK, a small port, in the hundred of Kerrier, W. division of Cornwall, 3½ miles (E. by S.) from Helston. The pilchard-fishery is carried on extensively, 200 boats being employed in taking the fish, which are cured in the various creeks and coves within the limits of the port. In addition to the fishery, the chief trade consists in the exportation of copper-ore, corn, moorstone, and oysters, and the importation of timber, coal, and limestone.
[edit] Current activities
Gweek is the home to Gweek Quay Boatyard,[8] which houses several boatbuilding, repair and maintenance companies, namely Hardman Jones Marine Services, A2 Rigging, Working Sail (builders of classic pilot cutters),[9] and David Walkey Yachtbuilders. Also here is Seacore, a marine drilling contractor,[10] which was acquired by Dutch Company Fugro NV to form Fugro Seacore, and as of 2007 is planning to move to Falmouth.[11]
A directory of business in Gweek, Constantine and Mawnan parishes is published each year.[12]
[edit] Location
Map resources for Gweek at grid reference SW7026
[edit] Trivia
The Meaning of Liff offers this definition: GWEEK (n.) A coat hanger recycled as a car aerial.
[edit] References
- ^ Gweek Silver Band
- ^ CFO website with music clips.
- ^ Cornwall Music Service
- ^ The Gweek Inn
- ^ Bill Scolding Five walks around Constantine: heritage, landscape, Wildlife; Constantine Enterprises Company, 2006 ISBN 0-9552816-0-1
- ^ D.B.Barton A history of tin mining and smelting in Cornwall; Revised edition 1969; Cornwall Books, reprint 1989 ISBN 1-871060-03-6, Page 20 (Footnote)
- ^ 'Gunthorpe - Gyhirn', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 360-62. Date accessed: 4 July 2007.
- ^ Gweek Quay Boatyard
- ^ Working Sail company website
- ^ http://www.seacore.co.uk/
- ^ Falmouth Packet 23 July 2007
- ^ Who's where in Constantine ...
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