Chapel Amble

Chapel Amble (Cornish: Amaleglos, meaning church on the river Amble) is a village in the civil parish of St Kew, north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Wadebridge next to the River Amble, a tributary of the River Camel.[1] The oldest part of the village lies on rising ground facing south-east across the river.

For other uses, see Amble (disambiguation).

Chapel Amble
Chapel Amble is located in Cornwall
Chapel Amble
Chapel Amble
Location within Cornwall
Civil parish
  • St Kew
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWADEBRIDGE
Postcode districtPL27
Dialling code01208
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireCornwall
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
Houses in Chapel Amble

History

Despite being a small village, Chapel Amble appeared in the national press in 2002 after the murder of a local farmer.[2] The fact that a newspaper reporter was a local resident probably assisted in this receiving so much attention. The article dates the village back to at least 1373,[3] although the earliest written mention of Chapel Amble is in the Domesday Book where 'Amal' was held by Thurstan from Robert, Count of Mortain.[4]

The earliest record of the name "Amaleglos" is in 1284. The name "Amble" is derived from the Cornish "Amal", i.e. "edge" or "boundary" and is the name of a tributary of the Camel.[5] As "eglos" is the Cornish for "church" there must already have been a chapel here; in 1383 a chapel of St Aldhelm was licensed.[6]

Despite the indications of an earlier chapel, a Methodist society started in Chapel Amble in 1784 and 50 years later had 30 members. There were groups of two different streams of Methodism; Bible Christians and the United Methodist Free Church, and as a result there were two separate Methodist chapels in the village with a total capacity of 250. The chapels, which are both Grade II listed,[7][8] closed between 1987 and 1991 and have since been converted for residential use.[9][10] Apart from the old chapels, there are three other listed building in Chapel Amble. The oldest is an 18th-century house in the village itself, and slightly later are the old forge and a 19th-century barn located across the river from the village.[11][12][13]

River Amble

The River Amble was once navigable up to the village on high spring tides, with seaweed, sand and coal being taken up to the village and grain brought out again.[14]

Access to the River Amble for vessels is not now possible after construction of the tidal barrage which prevents the tide entering the river in 1963. The area at the foot of the slope below the village was once known as "the beach" and was used for leisure activities such as cricket.[15]

Despite the tidal barrage preventing salt water from being pushed up by the tide, this low-lying area regularly floods in winter and this plus the wet meadows around the River Amble near the village are good for birdwatching, with the location regularly appearing on lists of bird sightings published by the Cornwall Birdwatching and Preservation Society[16]

References

Citations
  1. Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 200 Newquay & Bodmin ISBN 978-0-319-22938-5
  2. "Dead St Kew Highway farmer Leslie Bate 'known to carry cash'". BBC News. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  3. Alderson, Andrew (5 May 2002), "Murder mystery grips sleepy Cornish hamlet", The Daily Telegraph, London, retrieved 22 November 2010
  4. "Cornwall A-K". The Domesday Book Online. domesdayonline.co.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
  5. Weatherhill, Craig (2009) A Concise Dictionary of Cornish Place-names. Westport, Mayo: Evertype
  6. Cornish Church Guide (1925) Truro: Blackford; p. 121
  7. "Chapel Amble Methodist Church". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  8. "Old Methodist Chapel 15 Metres North East of Chapel Amble Methodist Church". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  9. Felgett & Godden 1997, pp. 73–76.
  10. Genuki: St Kew; accessed 23 April 2012.
  11. "St Aldhelm". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  12. "Chapel Amble Forge Shop". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  13. "Granary 50 Metres to North East of Penpont Farmhouse". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  14. Duxbury, Brenda; Williams, Michael (1987). The River Camel. St Teath: Bossiney Books. p. 43. ISBN 0-948158-26-3.
  15. Hawken & Platten 1999, p. 38.
  16. "Recent sightings". cbwps.org.uk. Cornwall Birdwatching and Preservation Society. Retrieved 4 May 2019.

References
  • Felgett, Mary; Godden, James (1997). The parish of St. Kew, North Cornwall. Mary Felgett & James Godden. ISBN 0-9530426-0-X.
  • Hawken, Burnard; Platten, Hilary (1999). St. Kew. A second parish album. Burnard Hawken & Hilary Platten.

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