Torpoint

Torpoint is a town in south-east Cornwall, on the western shore of the River Tamar at the base of the Rame Peninsula. Compared to most Cornish settlements, Torpoint is relatively young - the town was laid out to formal plans drawn up in 1774, though the name, probably meaning “rocky headland,” appears in earlier records.

The Torpoint chain ferry has linked Cornwall to Plymouth across the Tamar since 1791. In 1831, engineer James Meadows Rendel introduced the chain-hauled design that pulls the vessels along fixed riverbed chains - a system still in use today. The current ferries, among the largest chain ferries in the world, cross every 10 minutes and carry vehicles and foot passengers free of charge.

The town’s character changed significantly with the arrival of HMS Raleigh in 1940, the Royal Navy’s main new-entry training establishment. Generations of sailors have passed through the base, and the naval presence continues to shape local life. The Torpoint Archives and Heritage Centre, inside the Library and Community Hub, documents over 250 years of the town’s development through photographs and local records.

Antony House, a National Trust property built in 1721 for the Carew family, sits just north of the town. The Queen Anne-style house is set in grounds landscaped by Humphry Repton and was used as a filming location for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. South of Torpoint, the Rame Peninsula opens up into a quieter stretch of coast - the twin villages of Cawsand and Kingsand are a few miles along the shore, and Mount Edgcumbe Country Park covers 800 acres of formal gardens, deer park, and coastal woodland accessible on foot or by ferry from Plymouth’s Barbican.

Where to Stay

On Penlee Point, south of Torpoint, 1 The Old Signal House is a historic 3-bedroom apartment sleeping 6, built for the families of Eddystone Lighthouse staff. Three bedrooms each have their own bathroom, and both a wood burner and open fire are included - the South West Coast Path runs past the front door. Dogs are welcome.