Par, Cornwall

Par
The Par Inn
Par is located in Cornwall
Par
Par
Location within Cornwall
OS grid referenceSX072536
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townPAR
Postcode districtPL24
Dialling code01726
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireCornwall
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cornwall
50°21′02″N 4°42′40″W / 50.3505°N 4.7111°W / 50.3505; -4.7111

Par (Cornish: An Porth, meaning creek or harbour[1]) is a village and fishing port with a harbour on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated in the civil parish of Tywardreath and Par, although West Par and the docks lie in the parish of St Blaise.

Par is approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) east of St Austell.[2] Par has a population of around 1,600 (in 2012).

It became developed in the second quarter of the 19th century when the harbour was developed, to serve copper mines and other mineral sites in and surrounding the Luxulyan Valley; china clay later became the dominant traffic as copper working declined, and the harbour and the china clay dries remain as distinctive features of the industrial heritage; however the mineral activity is much reduced.

Par Harbour and the beach at Par Sands are south of the village, and the latter includes a large static caravan holiday park; another small beach is at Spit Point west of the harbour. Between these two beaches the South West Coast Path takes an inland diversion through the village.

Par lies in a triangle of streets which form a one-way traffic system. There is a variety of shops, a post office, a public house and other businesses.

  1. ^ Henry Jenner, A Handbook of the Cornish Language: Chiefly in Its Latest Stages, with Some Account of its History and Literature, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1904 reprinted 2012, ISBN 978 1 108 04702 9
  2. ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 200 Newquay & Bodmin ISBN 978-0-319-22938-5