Grampound

Grampound is a village in Cornwall, England, with 638 residents as of the 2001 census, and little growth in the last ten years. It lies on the A390 road, between Truro and St Austell, and also on the River Fal. Its name comes from the bridge over the river.

Together with the nearby hamlet of Creed, the village forms a civil parish, named Grampound with Creed. It is part of the borough of Restormel. Formerly Grampound was in the parishes of Creed, with part in the parish of Probus.

Grampound's linear layout is medieval, with long thin burgage plots extending away from the main street, Fore Street (A390). Most of the village core is a Conservation Area, and there are many listed buildings on Fore Street, for example the local school and Post Office. There is a range of buildings of different ages, including houses built in the 1980s, but these were executive style, and many local people, particularly young families, are unable to afford them.

It was formerly considered a town, having been granted a charter some time before the 1334. The Grampound constituency elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons from the reign of Edward VI until it was disenfranchised in 1821, after a corruption scandal that led to the conviction and imprisonment of several people for bribery.

MPs to have represented the town include William Noye, John Hampden, Grey Cooper and Charles Wolfran Cornwall.

About 1.5 miles north west of the town proper is a railway town named Grampound Road, this does not form part of the Grampound with Creed parish, but is instead part of the Ladock parish, which is part of the Carrick district. The railway station of that name was situated here; it was opened on 4 May 1859 and closed in October 1964.

New housing proposal

In 2005, plans were submitted for a two-phase redevelopment of the Manor Tannery, which included a mixture of housing and possibilities for commercial and retail units in the preserved tannery buildings. A local building company, Rosemullion Homes, has an option to develop the site and adjacent land. Another company, LHC Urban Design, was commissioned to develop a master plan for the site. Its intention is to include; some social housing to rent or buy, and some low market-value housing suitable for first-time buyers.

The plan is to have a mix of housing, which would be sympathetically designed to blend in with the existing village character. However, some local people have expressed concern about the impact on the landscape. The area is designated as being of 'very high landscape value', which is one category away from Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Another concern is the biodiversity. Various ecological surveys have been taken to ensure the conservation of open space and endangered species such as bats and dormice. Movement patterns and access points is also a concern. The A390 is busy and hazardous, and funding for a bypass is unlikely. At present vehicular access to the site is at three points, all of which are narrow lanes.

The Grampound Furry

Recently a group of people of all ages set up a music workshop to come up with a piece of music called a "furry" to perform on St. Pirans day. The ages of the group ranged from 6 to 52. With the help of musicians from Dalla we set up our own tune, wriiten by us and performed by us. It was a great experience and one I hope to have again!

Controversy in Grampound

In 2008 Grampound resident Colin Terry, a Chief Superintendent in the [http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/ local police service] on secondment to the Home Office, appeared in a fancy dress parade at the Grampound Carnival dressed in a comical cartoon costume of Osama bin Laden.

The police service promptly issued a [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4725532.ece statement] deploring his actions as "misguided" and "inappropriate", and reported him to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

This prompted a storm of protest in media including e.g. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4725532.ece The Times] , [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1054289/Chief-Superintendent-dresses-Bin-Laden-village-carnival--leave-Afghanistan.html Daily Mail] , [http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Outrage_at_carnival_policeman_dressed_as_Osama&in_article_id=302509&in_page_id=34 Metro] , and the [http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/news/Senior-police-officer-dresses-Osama-village-carnival/article-319194-detail/article.html local paper] . Many people responded the stories by suggesting that this was an example of inappropriate political correctness, an infringement of free speech, and possibly a breach of Terry's human rights.

Problems

The main A390 road that runs through the village is an issue for residents. It is one of Cornwall's few major roads, and in summer when the A30 is congested, the A390 is an alternative route. Pavements in some parts of the village are narrow or non-existent. The village is on a steep hill and vehicles travelling at speed have been known to come off the road and hit houses on Fore Street. A bypass was considered in 1996, when a route north of the village was favoured, but the plans were rejected, partly due to local protests and partly because Grampound is not large enough to warrant a bypass.

ervices

In the past 20-30 years, the village has lost a number of services, and the remaining ones suffer from a lack of parking on the main road. However, the primary school has recently been extended, and the new village hall was opened in 2004 with National Lottery funding. An hourly bus service runs to Truro, the county town, 13km to the west and St Austell 10km to the east. Many people commute to work in these two towns.

ee also

* Grampound (UK Parliament constituency) (1553–1821)

External links

* [http://www.grampound.org.uk/ Grampound with Creed Parish Council]
* [http://crocat.cornwall.gov.uk/dserve/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=Overview.tcl&dsqSearch=((text)='grampound') Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Grampound]