Torpoint Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located in the county of Cornwall, and directly opposite Plymouth on the west bank of the River Tamar, is the town of Torpoint (or Penntorr in Cornish).

The first recorded mention of Torpoint dates from 1734. It developed as a planned town with a grid-based street layout due to its role as a naval maintenance base and ferry point on the River Tamar.

Torpoint's growth was fuelled by the demand for workers at Plymouth Royal Dockyard, or HMNB Devonport as it is known today. Housing in Plymouth close to the River Tamar was limited at the time, thus a settlement on the west bank of the river was seen as a practical solution. Other sources of work in the area became available, including lime kilns, a wharf, a warehouse and a quay.

In 1791 the first regular ferry service across the River Tamar was introduced. Initially these were either rowed or sailed across. This changed in the 1830s when engineer James Meadows Rendel introduced a steam-powered chain ferry crossing, i.e. where chains secured on both ends of the river link up to the boat to guide it across. This is also referred to as a floating bridge. Regular ferry services run between Torpoint and the Devonport suburb of Plymouth to this day. These are free to use for pedestrians and cyclists, and a toll applies to motor vehicles.

In 1897 James Benjamin Ellis, a Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy from Torpoint responded to a cry for help when four boys had got into difficulties whilst swimming. Ellis ran to the water and swam to their aid. Two boys managed to get to safety and Ellis held onto the other two. A passing boat picked up the two boys but Ellis drowned. A monument was placed in his memory at the intersection of Fore Street, Harvey Street and Antony Road, which stands to this day.

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Filmed: 6th November 2022

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/YPMnabVZXu48XbTy9

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 River Tamar
0:27 Ferry Street
1:47 River Tamar
3:11 Ferry Street
6:10 Torpoint Ferry to Plymouth
6:27 Ferry Street
8:49 Tamar Street
10:07 St James Church
10:14 Tamar Street
10:39 Fore Street
12:52 Ellis Memorial
13:06 Harvey Street
13:29 Antony Road