Talland


Talland is a hamlet and ecclesiastical parish between Looe and Polperro on the south coast of Cornwall. It is in the civil parish of Lansallos and consists of a church, the Old Vicarage and a few houses.
On Talland Bay are two sheltered shingle beaches, Talland Sand and Rotterdam Beach, and the bay was once well known as a landing spot for smugglers. There are several small beaches in Talland Bay, served by a small car park and café. There is also Talland Bay Hotel. Two towers mark one end of a nautical measured mile, the other end is marked by two towers near Hannafore, West Looe.

Talland Parish Church

The church at Talland, dramatically located on the cliff-top, is dedicated to St Tallan and as such is unique in Britain. Unusually it has a detached bell-tower on the south side which was joined to the main body of the church in the 15th century. There survives old woodwork in its fine wagon roofs; and the many benchends are of the usual Cornish type and among the finest examples of these.

Landscape and development

The environment, one of the most unspoiled in south-west England, is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a Heritage Coast. In October 2007 Caradon District Council granted planning permission for the building of 40 houses costing between £285,000 and £350,000. This controversial development is supposedly in keeping with the local area.
Talland Barton Farmland has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its assemblage of nationally rare and nationally scarce mosses; in particular for the many-fruited beardless moss, which is known from only two sites worldwide.

History and antiquities

An important source for the history is Jonathan Couch's History of Polperro,, issued after his death by his son, Thomas Quiller Couch and abridgements of it have been issued many times since: see
Talland Bay has been the scene of many shipwrecks including that of a French trawler, the Marguerite, in March 1922. Two private boats performed a dramatic rescue and all 21 people were saved. The remains of the ship's boiler can still be clearly seen on the beach at low tide.
A stone cross was found in the 1920s at East Waylands Farm as part of farm buildings. On May 12, 1930 it was erected at Portlooe Cross, a road junction northeast of Portlooe Farm.

Well-known occasional residents

The television presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan own a holiday home in Talland.