Flushing, Cornwall

Flushing
Flushing
Flushing shown within Cornwall
OS grid reference SW811340
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town FALMOUTH
Postcode district TR11
Dialling code 01326
Police Devon and Cornwall
Fire Cornwall
Ambulance South Western
EU Parliament South West England
UK Parliament

Flushing (Cornish: Nanskersys)[1] is a coastal village in west Cornwall, England, UK, in the civil parish of Mylor. It is 3 miles (5 km) east of Penryn and 10 miles (16 km) south of Truro.[2] It faces Falmouth across the Penryn River, an arm of the Carrick Roads. The village is known for its yearly Regatta week in July.

Flushing lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Almost a third of Cornwall has AONB designation, with the same status and protection as a National Park.

History

The village was founded in 1661; there is disagreement about whether there are any houses of the late 17th century.[3] Originally named Nankersey, meaning valley of the reed swamp, the village was given its name by Dutch engineers from Flushing in the Netherlands who built the three main quays in the village. The grand houses on St Peter's Hill, the road that leads into the village, were owned by captains of the packet ships (mail-boats) that docked in nearby Falmouth.[4]

Henry VIII intended to build a castle on Trefusis Point, to accompany those built at Pendennis and St. Mawes, but due to the expensive wars was unable to finance it.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the village's economy mainly relied upon fishing, the two farms and former manors of Trefusis (the original seat of the Trefusis family,[5] Barons Clinton since 1791) and Tregew, together with Falmouth Docks. There was also briefly a copper mine on Jericho beach, but extracting the copper proved commercially unviable. Now Flushing is principally a commuter village for the nearby towns of Penryn, Falmouth and Truro, although some commercial fishing vessels are still based in the village. There are also several B&Bs to cater for tourists; many houses in the village now lie unoccupied for most of the year as they are used as holiday homes.

Housing and amenities

Most of Flushing's 670 residents live in the centre of the village, on Coventry Road, Kersey Road and St Peter's Hill, although there is limited housing along Trefusis Road out as far as Kiln Beach, and there are also some houses near Trefusis Farm near the border with Mylor Bridge.

The doctor's surgery is located in the Village Hall. There are two pubs, the Royal Standard on St Peter's Hill and the Seven Stars on Trefusis Road opposite Fish Cross. There is also a fish restaurant on Ferry Quay.

Churches and schools

Anglican church
St Peter's Church, Flushing

Flushing parish church (Anglican) is located on St Peter's Road and is dedicated to Saint Peter. It is built in the Norman style and was opened for divine worship in February 1842 (consecrated: August 1842). St Peter's was renovated in 1871 by subscriptions collected by Capt Nevill Norway RN, when a vestry was added.[4] It is now a Grade II listed building.[6] The parish is part of a united benefice with the parish of Mylor[7] in the Archdeaconry of Cornwall and Diocese of Truro.

There is a Cornish cross in the churchyard. It was found in a farm building at Porloe in 1891 and moved to the churchyard. The head has a crude crucifixus figure on the front and a Latin cross on the back.[8]

Methodist church

The Methodist chapel is located in Kersey Road and, built in 1816, is the oldest building in the Falmouth and Gwennap circuit.[4][9] There was also a Bible Christian chapel in Kersey Road (built in 1833) and a Primitive Methodist chapel in Coventry Road (built in 1866).[4]

In its 200th anniversary year (2016) the chapel was closed for public worship owing to declining membership. The chapel has now been declared as "purpose fulfilled" while community leaders – supported by the Methodist Circuit – seek a new purpose for the building.

Schools

The village Church of England school is located in Coventry Road and caters for a maximum of eighty pupils. It serves as a feeder school for the local secondary school, Penryn College, although some pupils have gone on to Penair School in Truro or the fee-paying Truro School and Truro High School for Girls. Due to its cramped location in the middle of the village it has no playing field or school hall; organised games are held on the Bowling Green at the top of the village, and school meals and plays take place in the Village Hall on Coventry Road.

Culture

Flushing harbour from Fish Strand Quay, Falmouth
Houses in Flushing, from Fish Strand Quay, Falmouth

Flushing Regatta Week is held annually during late July or early August, and features water-based activities such as bathtub racing, rowing, swimming and sailing races, sand-castle building contests, a mini-marathon through Mylor and Flushing, an open-air church service, a pub quiz, crab catching, and a carnival on Saturday night, and has achieved marked popularity locally. Every year, two residents of Flushing who have contributed to the life of the village over a period of time are selected to be the Presidents; their responsibilities include judging competitions and opening events.

The Nankersey Male Choir perform regular concerts throughout the year, raising money for local good causes, and classical concerts and recitals are often held in the Methodist chapel. The village has two gig clubs, Nankersey Rowing Club and Flushing & Mylor Pilot Gig Club.

Due to its position, Flushing is said to be one of the warmest villages in the United Kingdom.[10][11][12] The beaches at Kiln are extremely popular in the summer months, particularly with tourists, offering superb views of Falmouth Docks, the Carrick Roads and St Anthony's Head. There is also another beach further around the coast known as Jericho, which is only accessible from the houses directly above the beach or by rowing boat, and is therefore popular with locals.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ Place-names in the Standard Written Form (SWF) : List of place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel Archived 15 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine.. Cornish Language Partnership.
  2. ↑ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 204 Truro & Falmouth ISBN 978-0-319-23149-4
  3. ↑ Clonmore and Clinton House are said to be 17th century by Nikolaus Pevsner, but he quotes the opinion of Lady Redwood that they are 18th. 22 Treyew Road and New Quay House are also of architectural interest according to her.--Pevsner, N. (1970) Cornwall; 2nd ed., revised by Enid Radcliffe. Harmondsworth: Penguin; p. 69, 69n
  4. 1 2 3 4 "GENUKI website; Flushing". Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  5. ↑ Vivian, J. L., The Visitations of Cornwall: comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1530, 1573 & 1620; with additions by J.L. Vivian, Exeter, 1887, pedigree of "Trefusis of Trefusis", pp.463-8
  6. ↑ "Parish church of Flushing website". Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "Parish church of Mylor website". Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  8. ↑ Langdon, A. G. (1896) Old Cornish Crosses. Truro: Joseph Pollard; pp. 287-89
  9. ↑ "Flushing Methodist Church website". Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  10. ↑ "Holiday Cottages in Flushing". Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  11. ↑ "Flushing ... said to enjoy the mildest climate in England"--Ward, C. S. & Baddeley, M. J. B. (1908) South Devon ... and South Cornwall .... (Thorough Guide Series; VII.) London: Thomas Nelson & Sons; p. 173
  12. ↑ "Flushing ... much frequented by invalids suffering from chest complaints"--Guide to South Cornwall; 14th ed. London: Ward, Lock, [c. 1955]; p. 51
  13. ↑ http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2ba4a33aa4

Further reading

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