St John, Cornwall
Encyclopedia
St John is a coastal civil parish and a village in south-east Cornwall
, United Kingdom
3 miles (4.8 km) south of Saltash
and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-east of Torpoint
.
, separated from it by St John's Lake, an inlet of The Hamoaze
in Plymouth Sound
. St John parish is in the St Germans Registration District and the population in the 2001 census was 375. To the north, the parish is bordered by St John's Lake and to the south by the sea. To the east, the parish is bordered by Millbrook
, to the south-east by Maker-with-Rame
and to the west by Antony
parish.
A few hundred metres north of St John village is an area of high ground called Vanderbands, the site of an Iron Age
castle mentioned by John Norden
(an English topographer who wrote a series of county histories) in his description of Cornwall published in 1728.
The St John's Lake SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest
) is designated mainly for its bird interests, with 6000 wildfowl and 10000 waders owerwintering on the mudflats.
The church was a Norman foundation but only the low western tower survives from the Norman period. The chancel and nave were rebuilt in the 15th century and subsequently restored.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
3 miles (4.8 km) south of Saltash
Saltash
Saltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by...
and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-east of Torpoint
Torpoint
Torpoint is a civil parish and town on the Rame Peninsula in southeast Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated opposite the city of Plymouth across the Hamoaze which is the tidal estuary of the River Tamar....
.
Geography
The parish is opposite PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, separated from it by St John's Lake, an inlet of The Hamoaze
Hamoaze
The Hamoaze is an estuarine stretch of the tidal River Tamar, between the River Lynher and Plymouth Sound, England.The Hamoaze flows past Devonport Dockyard, which belongs to the Royal Navy...
in Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a bay at Plymouth in England.Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point on Devon, a distance of about 3 nautical miles . Its northern limit is Plymouth Hoe giving a north-south distance of nearly 3 nautical miles...
. St John parish is in the St Germans Registration District and the population in the 2001 census was 375. To the north, the parish is bordered by St John's Lake and to the south by the sea. To the east, the parish is bordered by Millbrook
Millbrook, Cornwall
Millbrook is a civil parish and village in southeast Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated on the Rame Peninsula four miles south of Saltash....
, to the south-east by Maker-with-Rame
Maker-with-Rame
Maker-with-Rame is a civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Rame Peninsula, approximately four miles south of Saltash and two miles west of Plymouth....
and to the west by Antony
Antony, Cornwall
Antony is a coastal civil parish and a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.The village is situated on the Rame Peninsula about three miles west of Torpoint and has a shop, a pub and a garage....
parish.
A few hundred metres north of St John village is an area of high ground called Vanderbands, the site of an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
castle mentioned by John Norden
John Norden
John Norden was an English cartographer, chorographer and antiquary. He planned a series of county maps and accompanying county histories of England, the Speculum Britanniae...
(an English topographer who wrote a series of county histories) in his description of Cornwall published in 1728.
The St John's Lake SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
) is designated mainly for its bird interests, with 6000 wildfowl and 10000 waders owerwintering on the mudflats.
Parish church
The parish church is dedicated to St John (originally it was dedicated to St John the Evangelist but from 1912 the dedication was changed to St John the Baptist). It stands in St John village at .The church was a Norman foundation but only the low western tower survives from the Norman period. The chancel and nave were rebuilt in the 15th century and subsequently restored.