Minions, Cornwall
Coordinates: 50°30′50″N 4°27′14″W / 50.514°N 4.454°W
Minions (Cornish: Menyon) is a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the eastern flank of Bodmin Moor northwest of Caradon Hill approximately four miles (6 km) north of Liskeard.[1] Minions is first recorded in 1613 and its meaning is unknown.[2]
A stone circle known as the Hurlers is located on the west side of the village. Several other tumuli are also in the area, including Rillaton round barrow, where a Bronze Age gold beaker was discovered. The Cheesewring, a distinctive rock formation, is a mile northwest.
Geography
Minions is in the former Caradon administrative district and in the parish of Linkinhorne. At 300 metres (980 ft) it is said to be the highest village in Cornwall.
The village is dominated by Caradon Hill, standing at 371 metres (1,217 ft) high, on which there is a TV transmission mast on the summit. As a result, there is a road leading up to the summit from Minions.[1] On the western flank of the hill, a quarry recently started up again, cutting granite boulders.
As well as this working quarry, there is many other disused quarries and mine buildings in the area due to the village's mining heritage.[3] Unlike in the west of Cornwall, there is no plans to reopen the tin and copper mines in the area.
Climate
The climate of Minions is Oceanic but, like the rest of Bodmin Moor, due to its higher altitude, it is often cooler, windier and wetter. However, there is a good balance of fair days too, which can get warm in the summer. In winter frosts are common and even though it snows most years, it is never prolonged or severe.
Winter:6c/1c
Spring:14c/6c
Summer:20c/12c
Autumn:12c/3c
Rainy days:173
Snowfalls:2-4 [4]
Community facilities
The village has two main car parks, located on the western and eastern edges on the village.[1] There are two tearooms, a pub with B&B, and a general store which also holds a post office, one of the tearooms and a B&B. A museum dedicated to the mining history of the local area is located to the north of the village in a disused engine house.
Gallery
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Engine house of a disused mine
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Disused granite quarry on the moor
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Minions, Cornwall. |
- 1 2 3 Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 201 Plymouth & Launceston ISBN 978-0-319-23146-3
- ↑ Weatherhill, Craig (2009) A Concise Dictionary of Cornish Place-names. Westport, Mayo: Evertype; p. 49
- ↑ "Crow’s Nest" (PDF). Natural England. 1999. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ↑ "Annual average temperature for the United Kingdom". Met Office. 2000. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
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