{{Short description|Headland in Cornwall, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Use British English|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox UK place | country = England | static_image_name = Cape Cornwall and Porth Ledden.jpg | static_image_caption = Headland of Cape Cornwall looking towards Porth Ledden | coordinates = {{coord|50.127|-5.706|display=inline,title}} | official_name = Cape Cornwall | cornish_name = Kilgoodh | population = | population_ref = | unitary_england= Cornwall | lieutenancy_england = Cornwall | metropolitan_borough = | metropolitan_county = | region = South West England | constituency_westminster = St Ives | post_town = PENZANCE | postcode_district = TR19 7 | postcode_area = TR | dial_code = 01736 | os_grid_reference = SW371315 }} '''Cape Cornwall''' ({{langx|kw|Kilgoodh}}, meaning "goose back")<ref name=Akademi>{{cite web |url=https://www.akademikernewek.org.uk/place-names/content/cape-cornwall |website=Akademi Kernewek |title=Cape Cornwall}}</ref> is a small headland in West Cornwall, England. It is {{convert|4|miles}} north of Land's End near the town of St Just.<ref name="Ordnance">Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' {{ISBN|978-0-319-23148-7}}</ref> Until the first Ordnance Survey in the early 19th-century, Cape Cornwall was believed to be the most westerly point in Cornwall.<ref name ="Joseph">Joseph, Peter. 2006. ''Cape Cornwall Mine. British Mining No. 79.'' Sheffield: Northern Mine Research Society; p. 111. {{ISBN|978-0-901450-60-9}}.</ref>
Most of the headland is owned by the National Trust. National Coastwatch has a look-out on the seaward side. The only tourist infrastructure at present is a car park (owned by the National Trust), public toilets, and a refreshments counter during the summer.
The Brisons, two offshore rocks, are located approximately {{convert|1|mile|abbr=on}} southwest of Cape Cornwall. They mark the starting line of the annual swimming race ending at Priest Cove.<ref name="Ordnance"/><ref name ="Joseph"/>
==Etymology== The name Cape Cornwall appeared first on a maritime chart around the year 1600. The original Cornish name, ''Kilgoodh Ust,'' dates back to 1580. In English it translates to "goose-back at St Just", a reference to the shape of the cape.<ref>Weatherhill, C. (2007) ''Cornish Place Names and Language''. Ammanford: Sigma Press.</ref> Later versions of the name dropped the 'Ust'.<ref name=Akademi></ref> An alternative name, ''Penn Kernow,'' is a recent translation back to Cornish of the English.
==Early history== [[File:Cape Cornwall (Judithili) edit.jpg|thumb|180px|Heinz Monument (the 1864 chimney of the former Cape Cornwall Mine visible in the centre) commemorates the purchase of Cape Cornwall for the nation by H. J. Heinz Company. The ruins of St. Helen's Oratory can be seen on the left, with the two offshore rocks called The Brisons in the distance.]]
Pottery found in cists on the Cape have been dated to the Late Bronze Age. The presence of another cliff castle nearby (Kenidjack) may indicate that the area was important in the Iron Age. On the landward side of the Cape is the remains of the medieval St Helen's Oratory, which replaced a 6th-century church. A font now installed in the porch of St Just church may be from this building.<ref name ="Joseph"/>
==19th-century to present== Cape Cornwall Mine, a tin mine on the cape, was operated intermittently between 1838 and 1883. The mine's 1864 chimney near the peak of the cape was retained as an aid to navigation. In the early 20th century, the former ore dressing floors were for a time converted for use as greenhouses and wineries.
In 1987, the mine site was purchased by the H. J. Heinz Company of the United States (and British plants) and donated to the nation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://businesscornwall.co.uk/news-by-industry/charity/2017/05/trust-remembers-heinz-gesture/ |website=Business Cornwall |title=Trust remembers Heinz gesture |date=2017-05-25 |access-date=2023-04-16}}</ref> The remains of Cape Cornwall Mine are designated as part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall/cape-cornwall |website=National Trust |title=Cape Cornwall |access-date=2023-04-16}}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery> File:Cape Cornwall from air.jpg File:Cape Cornwall Golf Club.png|Cape Cornwall Golf Club File:Cape Cornwall 2.jpg </gallery>
==References== {{Portal|Cornwall}} {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} * [https://archive.today/20121220134920/http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?search=Cape+Cornwall Cape Cornwall at DMOZ]
{{Headlands of Cornwall}}
Category:National Trust properties in Cornwall Category:Headlands of Cornwall Category:Penwith Category:St Just in Penwith