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Proper job! 12 facts which make the Cornish special

As Cornish people celebrate their newly-announced identity, here are 12 lesser-known gems about Britain’s coastal county

After 15 years of rigorous campaigning, the Cornish will be recognised as a national minority and given the same protections as the Welsh, Scottish and Irish, it was announced today.

Campaigners on the peninsular have long argued the region deserves special measures - including economic concessions, such as reductions in fuel duty - in recognition of its geographical location and cultural heritage.

As Cornish people celebrate their newly-announced identity, here are 12 lesser-known gems about Britain’s coastal county.

Proper ‘ansome!

OUT ON ITS OWN
The Cornish are completely cut off from the rest of the UK by the Tamar River, which forms the border between Devon and Cornwall. The 50-mile long waterway starts four miles from Bude on the Cornwall coast, and reaches the sea at Plymouth Sound in south west Devon.



SAINTLY SURROUNDINGS

Not content with one, Cornwall has three patron saints. There’s Saint Piran, the patron saint of tin miners (he discovered tin), who is celebrated on Saint Piran’s Day on March 5.

There’s also Saint Michael, who is associated with Saint Michael’s Mount, 400 yards off the Cornwall coast. Saint Michael the Archangel is said to have appeared before fishermen in the fifth century AD.

Finally, there’s Saint Petroc, a fifth century British prince and Christian saint who is associated with the Cornish town of Padstow.

COASTING ALONG
Speaking of coastline, Cornwall has the longest stretch of any county in the UK. Of the 11,300 miles (18185km) of coastline in Britain, 433 miles (697km) are in Cornwall.



IT'S IN THE GENES

Cornish people can claim to be the most ‘genetically distinct’ in mainland Britain. Tests have shown that the Cornish (along with the Welsh) carry more DNA linking back to the tribes who conquered Britain after the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago.

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MEATY MATTERS
Cornwall is very proud of its most famous food export - the Cornish pasty. Unsurprisingly, a team of bakers from Bodmin, Cornwall, hold the record for the world’s biggest Cornish pasty. The meaty beast weighed 1900 pounds and packed a staggering 1,750,000 calories.




'THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS CONSERVATORY'


Let’s not forgot the Eden Project - the world’s most famous conservatory and is among the top ten tourist attractions in the UK. The scaffolding used to build it was the biggest freestanding scaffolding structure in the world, and it’s largest ‘biome’, at 50m high, is big enough to house the Tower of London.

LET'S 'AVE A WRASSLE!


Cornwall has its own sports - Cornish wrestling and Cornish rugby. The wrestling (or ‘wrasslin’ in Cornish dialect) sees competitors wear tough jackets, and has referees called ‘sticklers’.

TARTAN YOURSELF UP
Thought tartan was reserved for those north of the border? Think again. Cornwall was one of the seven ancient Celtic nations, and as such has its own tartan. It’s usually made in a delightful red, yellow and black pattern, with Cornish kilts first produced in the early 20th century.

SAY THAT AGAIN?
Cornwall has its own dialect - although very few use it much these days. The Cornish language - Kernowek - predates English, but is thought to have died out in the eighth century. Dolly Pentreath, the last fluent native speaker of Cornish, died in 1777. The dialect has been resurrected by the Cornish population in recent years, however, and still features on road signs and place names.

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A HOME FOR ROCK ROYALTY
Sawmills Studios, in Fowey, Cornwall, has hosted some of the biggest names in UK music. The likes of Oasis, Muse, Robert Plant, The Stone Roses, The Verve and Catatonia have all recorded there.

FAMOUS FACES
Cornwall also has its fair share of famous faces. Actresses Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient, Four Weddings and a Funeral), and Thandie Newton (Crash, ER) chef Rick Stein and Queen drummer Roger Taylor all have connections to the area.