Rame Head (Cornwall)

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Rame Head with the Michaelskapelle

Rame Head is a headland on the Rame Peninsula in Great Britain . It is the southeasternmost headland in the county of Cornwall and forms the western boundary for the Plymouth Sound .

geography

The 93 m high, conical headland is located southwest of the hamlet of Rame . It is a landmark that can be seen from afar and for seafarers it is often the first and last piece of land in Great Britain they see. About 14 km from the headland is the famous Eddystone lighthouse , which can be seen from the headland when the visibility is good.

history

In the past, the headland was also called Pen den Har , which means "fortified rock" in Cornish . The current name is first mentioned as Ramyshed in the 15th century.

On the headland are the remains of an Iron Age hill fort around 2500 years old . The narrow transition from the headland to the mainland was provided with a rampart and ditch, which can still be seen today. Due to its exposed location, the fortress was probably not permanently inhabited, but served as a retreat for the population and as a status symbol for around 1000 years.

The Michaelskapelle

In the Middle Ages, a chapel dedicated to Archangel Michael was built on the tip of the headland . The chapel has been occupied since 1397, but perhaps of older origin. The current building dates from the 15th century. It is made of slate and has a stone barrel roof. The building, visible from afar, was plastered white in the Middle Ages and also served as a navigation mark. There was a beacon next to the chapel. The small chapel has been renewed and rebuilt several times, most recently in 1882 by the 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe .

In the 15th century and also during the feared arrival of the Spanish Armada in 1588, the headland was manned by guards who were supposed to keep an eye out for pirates and enemy ships. During the First World War, a hydrophone and a gun for anti-submarine defense were set up on the headland , and during the Second World War the summit was also equipped with a gun emplacement and later with a mobile radar antenna. Over the centuries, numerous ships, including the Coronation, failed on the cliffs of Rame Head and Penlee Point to the east . The English sailing warship sank in a storm in 1691, killing over 500 crew members.

In 1959, an 800 acre area at Rame Head was designated as part of the Cornwall AONB as the Area of ​​Outstanding Natural Beauty . The headland has been part of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park since 1971 . At the headland is a station for the National Coastwatch Institution , a volunteer coast guard. About 500 m north of Rame Head is Queener Point Polhawn Fort , a 19th century former coastal fortification .

Flora and fauna

The slopes and the top of the cliffs are covered with dense shrubbery, especially gorse , blackthorn , blackberries and bracken . In addition to ribwort , sorrel and numerous other plants, the meadows along the coast also contain rare plants such as narrow horn clover and spring bluegrass .

Rame Peninsula with Queeners Point and Rame Head

Buzzards , kestrels and peregrine falcons live in the cliffs at Rame Head , as well as the rare Provence warblers . The Hamoaze is an important habitat for little egrets and numerous waders and seabirds , making Rame Head a popular place for bird watching . The coast is recognized as the Heritage Coast .

Rame Head in the movie

The headland and the chapel were used as the location for the 2009 Rosamunde Pilcher film Love Against the Rest of the World .

Web links

Commons : Rame Head, Cornwall  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The National Heritage List for England: St Michael Chapel. Retrieved March 18, 2013 .
  2. ↑ What is Cornwall AONB? (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 29, 2013 ; Retrieved March 18, 2013 .
  3. ↑ National Coastwatch: Rame Head QAVS. Retrieved March 18, 2013 .
  4. ↑ Pilcher Locations: Rame Head Chapel. Retrieved February 23, 2013 .

Coordinates: 50 ° 18 ′ 39.6 ″  N , 4 ° 13 ′ 22.8 ″  W.