Talland (Cornish: Tallan, lit. 'hill brow church site')[1] is a hamlet and ecclesiastical parish and former civil parish, between Looe and Polperro, now in the parish of Polperro, in the Cornwall district, on the south coast of Cornwall, England (the parish includes the eastern part of the village of Polperro, where there is a chapel of ease and formerly also the town of West Looe). It consists of a church, the Old Vicarage and a few houses. In 1931 the parish had a population of 768.[2] On 1 April 1934 the civil parish was abolished and merged with Lansallos, part also went to form Looe.[3]

View of the bay from the west
Talland
Talland Church
Talland is located in Cornwall
Talland
Talland
Location within Cornwall
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
List of places
UK
England
Cornwall
50°20′N 4°29′W / 50.333°N 4.483°W / 50.333; -4.483

On Talland Bay are two sheltered shingle beaches, Talland Sand and Rotterdam Beach, and the bay was once well known as a landing spot for smugglers. There are several small beaches in Talland Bay, served by a small car park and café. There is also Talland Bay Hotel.[4] Two towers mark one end of a nautical measured mile, the other end is marked by two towers near Hannafore, West Looe.[5]

Talland Parish Church

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The church at Talland, dramatically located on the cliff-top, is dedicated to St Tallan and as such is unique in Britain. Unusually it has a detached bell-tower on the south side which was joined to the main body of the church in the 15th century. There survives old woodwork in its fine wagon roofs; and the many benchends (partly ca. 1520, the rest ca. 1600) are of the usual Cornish type and among the finest examples of these.[6]

Landscape and development

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The environment, one of the most unspoiled in south-west England, is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a Heritage Coast. In October 2007 Caradon District Council granted planning permission for the building of 40 houses costing between £285,000 and £350,000. This controversial development is supposedly in keeping with the local area.

Talland Barton Farmland has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its assemblage of nationally rare and nationally scarce mosses; in particular for the many-fruited beardless moss (Weissia multicapsularis), which is known from only two sites worldwide.[7]

History and antiquities

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An important source for the history is Jonathan Couch's History of Polperro, (1871), issued after his death by his son, Thomas Quiller Couch and abridgements of it have been issued many times since: see History of Polperro

Talland Bay has been the scene of many shipwrecks including that of a French trawler, the Marguerite, in March 1922. Two private boats performed a dramatic rescue and all 21 people were saved. The remains of the ship's boiler can still be clearly seen on the beach at low tide.[8]

A stone cross was found in the 1920s at East Waylands Farm as part of farm buildings. On 12 May 1930 it was erected at Portlooe Cross, a road junction northeast of Portlooe Farm.[9]

Well-known occasional residents

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The television presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan own a holiday home in Talland.[citation needed]


The Talland School of Equitation in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, was named after Talland Bay.

References

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  1. ^ Place-names in the Standard Written Form (SWF) : List of place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel Archived May 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Cornish Language Partnership.
  2. ^ "Population statistics Talland CP/AP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Relationships and changes Talland CP/AP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  4. ^ www.tallandbayhotel.co.uk
  5. ^ Tony White (March 2003). "Nautical Measured Mile Markers". Polperro village website.
  6. ^ Allsopp, E. G. (1979) A Guide to Talland Parish Church
  7. ^ "Talland Barton SSSI" (PDF). Natural England. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  8. ^ The Talland Bay Wreck; Submerged; Peter Mitchell. Accessdate 12 June 2012
  9. ^ Langdon, A. G. (2005) Stone Crosses in East Cornwall; 2nd ed. Federation of Old Cornwall Societies; p. 67
  • Talland Church 500 Celebrations: Souvenir Programme (1490–1990).
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