Torpoint

Torpoint (Cornish: Penntorr) is a town in the far South East of Cornwall, United Kingdom, separated from the City of Plymouth by a stretch of water referred to as the Hamoaze, which itself is the mouth of the River Tamar. It is on the Rame Peninsula and has a population of 8,457 (2001 Census).

Torpoint's link to Plymouth (and Devonport) is facilitated by three passenger and vehicle ferries. The current ferries are propelled across the river by pulling themselves on chains. These chains sink to the bottom to allow shipping movements in the river. The ferry journey takes approximately 7 minutes.

Torpoint is an eighteenth century planned town. The grid-based design for the town was commissioned by Reginald Pole Carew in the Parish of Antony in 1774. His family continued to have a strong influence in the area, having become the Carew Poles, and still reside at their family seat, Antony House.

Due to the presence of Devonport Dockyard, the town grew as Dockyard workers settled there. The establishment of the Royal Navy's main training facility, HMS Raleigh, on the west side of Torpoint, boosted the number of inhabitants.