, 1810
St Columb Major is a parish located in mid-
Cornwall, approximately inland from the north coast near
Padstow Harbour. The parish covers an area of . Its highest point is
Castle an Dinas, an
Iron Age hill fort located approximately east of the town, rising to above sea level. The landscape is primarily agricultural, consisting of a mix of arable and pastoral farmland interspersed with small areas of woodland. Moorland is present in the generally higher ground to the north and east, including parts of the
Goss Moor in the southeast,
Castle Downs to the east, and moorland adjoining
Rosenannon Downs in the northeast. To the west of the town lies the Vale of Lanherne, a scenic valley through which the
River Menalhyl flows. This area, known for its natural beauty, links St Columb Major with
St Mawgan churchtown.
Town St Columb occupies a plateau at about elevation. The north part of the town (known as 'Bridge') descends into the Vale of Lanherne, having a minimum elevation of approximately . It was originally a
linear settlement built on the main road running north-east to south-west, but modern estates have since been built, extending the town to the south and east. In the older part of the settlement there is much high-density housing with relatively narrow streets, and a number of retail outlets and public houses; the more modern estates have housing which is generally lower in density. To the south there is an industrial estate.
Settlements Besides the town, there are numerous villages and hamlets in the parish, including
Talskiddy and
Gluvian in the north,
Ruthvoes (southeast),
Trebudannon (south),
Tregaswith (southwest),
Tregatillian (east) and a large number of smaller farming settlements and isolated dwellings. There are also Halloon, Lanhizey, Rosedinnick,
Tregamere,
Trekenning, Tresaddern, Trevarron, Trevolgas and Trugo.
Rivers A number of small rivers and streams flow through St Columb parish, most rising in the eastern part and flowing west. One of the sources of the
River Fal lies just within the boundary on the
Goss Moor; this flows southwest to the South Coast. The
River Menalhyl, which flows through the north part of St Columb (Bridge), has three branches with a confluence at Gilbert's Water, just to the east of the town. The longest of these rises next to the
Nine Maidens standing stones in the north part of the parish. The Menalhyl was historically important in the area, powering a number of mills along its course. A smaller river rises near '''Winnard's Perch''' (north of
Talskiddy), later joining the Menalhyl near its mouth at
Mawgan Porth. The other main river of the parish is the unnamed one (often called the River Porth) that rises to the east of
Ruthvoes, and that in its latter course fills the
Porth Reservoir and enters the sea at
St Columb Porth. This is the river that, according to legend, was begun by the blood of the murdered
Saint Columba running down the valley.
Protected areas Borlasevath and Retallack Moor (
SSSI), noted for its
biological characteristics, series of thin lakes and streams is directly north of spa/lodges resort
Retallack; which occupies some of the thinner end, the north of the parish.
Transport The
A39 main road runs north to south through the parish. Until the late 1970s it went through the town but a
bypass now carries traffic east of St Columb. The
A30 dual carriageway also runs through the southeastern part of the parish north of
Goss Moor. A small part of the parish is occupied by a corner of
Newquay Airport, which is Cornwall's principal civil airport. The
Par-Newquay railway line does not enter St Columb parish but forms part of its southern boundary.
St Columb Road railway station opened in 1876 at the point where the railway crosses the main road towards St Columb. The station is some south of the centre of St Columb Major and is in the neighbouring parish of
St Enoder. The separate settlement of
St Columb Road subsequently grew up around the station. ==Architecture==