Lostwithiel (⫽lɒsˈwɪðiəl⫽; Cornish: Lostwydhyel[4]) is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739, increasing to 2,899 at the 2011 census.[2] The Lostwithiel electoral ward had a population of 4,639 at the 2011 census.[5] The name Lostwithiel comes from the Cornish "lostwydhyel" which means "tail of a wooded area".[6]
Origin of the name
The origin of the name Lostwithiel is a subject much debated. In the 16th century it was thought that the name came from the Roman name Uzella, translated as Les Uchel in Cornish. In the 17th century popular opinion was that the name came from a translation of Lost (a tail) and Withiel (a lion), the lion in question being the lord who lived in the castle.[citation needed]
Current thinking is that the name comes from the Old Cornish Lost Gwydhyel meaning "tail-end of the woodland".[7] The view from Restormel Castle looking towards the town shows how this may have come to be.[citation needed]
The Lostwithiel constituency elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons, but was disenfranchised by the Reform Act 1832. It remained a municipal borough until the 1960s, when it became a civil parish. The seal of the borough of Lostwithiel was a shield charged with a castle rising from water between two thistles, in the water two fish, with the legend "Sigillum burgi de Lostwithyel et Penknight in Cornubia".[10] Its mayoral regalia includes a silver oar, signifying its former jurisdiction over the River Fowey.[11]
The town contains the suburbs of Bridgend to the east and Rosehill and Victoria to the west of the River Fowey.[13]
To the south of the town is the Shirehall Moor nature reserve which follows the course of the River Fowey and opens out to a wide salt marsh.[15] The reserve is a haven for birdlife including swans, ducks, egrets, herons, kingfishers and Canada geese.[16]
Lostwithiel looking from the west
Buildings
Lostwithiel's most notable buildings are St Bartholomew's Church and Restormel Castle. Once a stannary town, and for a period the most important in Cornwall, it is now much reduced in importance. There is a fine early fourteenth-century bridge with six pointed arches, and nearby the remains of the Stannary Palace, with its exchequer hall.[17]Lostwithiel Guildhall in Fore Street has an arcaded ground floor and contains the local museum.[18]
The old Stannary Palace
The old Fire Station
The Methodist Church in Queen Street
Lostwithiel Guildhall
Culture
The town has a playing field known as King George V Playing Field. Lostwithiel has several large parks including Coulson Park which was named after Nathaniel Coulson (the San Francisco property magnate) who was raised in Lostwithiel after being abandoned by his father.
The town is host to a number of annual cultural activities including an arts and crafts festival, a beer festival, a week-long carnival in the summer, food and cider festivals in October, and a Dickensian evening in December.[19]
Lostiwithiel Sculpture for the Queens Diamond Jubilee
Sport
Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes, have been held in Lostwithiel for centuries.[20][21] Venues have included the grounds of Lanwithan,[22] Coulson Park[23] and the King George V Playing Field.[24]
Lostwithiel hosted the Interceltic Games in 1982.
Education
There are two primary schools in Lostwithiel: St Winnow C E School and Lostwithiel Primary School. Both schools are academies. Lostwithiel Primary School is part of the Peninsula Learning Trust Multi Academy Trust and St Winnow C E School is part of The Saints Way Multi Academy Trust. The majority of children aged between 11 and 16 attend Fowey River Academy or Bodmin College.
Lostwithiel Educational Trust is a local charity which makes "grants to local schools and churches, as well as to individuals, for educational purposes"[25]
National Express provides a regular coach service to London which runs via Plymouth for connections to other destinations. The coach stop is located outside the Royal Talbot Hotel.
Bus stops in Lostwithiel are outside the Royal Talbot Hotel and Cott Road phone box.
Twinning
Lostwithiel was twinned with Pleyber-Christ in Brittany, France in 1979. The people in the Twinning Associations of both towns usually meet up every year, alternating between Lostwithiel and Pleyber Christ.[27]