PROFILE: Launceston

LAUNCESTON, once the capital of Cornwall, has grown steadily in the past 40 years with major housing developments to both north and south. Steeped in history, Launceston was not only a wealthy ecclesiastical foundation in Saxon times, it also had a Royal mint.

The English Heritage Castle which dominates the town was built following the Norman conquest.

Launceston relinquished its capital status in 1838 when the Right of Assize passed to Bodmin. It is defined by the surrounding areas of natural beauty common to all North Cornwall.

Launceston has a good range of shopping facilities in line with its importance as a service centre for the rural surroundings and especially the needs of the farming community.

The town centre has a mix of architectural jewels, while three of the four supermarkets and the retail park lie on the outskirts.

In addition to agriculture, tourism and food manufacturing play a major role in the life of North Cornwall and Torridge districts — being ably assisted by the closeness of the A30 dual road link to the M5.

There is a wide choice of sporting and leisure facilities.

The Cornish & Devon Post, based in Launceston, has existed since 1856 and also charts happenings in and around the seaside resort of Bude, the market town of Holsworthy, and historic town of Camelford.

Bude is mainly Edwardian in character and started to become a fashionable resort in the middle of the 19th century. It is packed with holiday-linked shops and businesses, plus tourist attractions from the historic canal, which is being restored, to the array of sandy beaches, and Project Limelight — housing a cafe/bistro, historic displays, visiting exhibitions, and local studies centre.

Camelford is designated a historic settlement — the earliest remains are the Roughtor stone circles which date from the Bronze Age, although a settlement is not documented until medieval times.

Holsworthy is mentioned in the Domesday Book and has a thriving weekly pannier market and one of the largest cattle markets in the region. The annual St Peter’s Fair runs for a week and attracts hundreds of visitors.