Chapel Amble


Chapel Amble is a village in the civil parish of St Kew, north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated north of Wadebridge next to the River Amble, a tributary of the River Camel.

History

Despite being a small village, Chapel Amble appeared in the national press in 2002 after the murder of a local farmer. The fact that a newspaper reporter was a local resident probably assisted in this receiving so much attention. The article dates the village back to at least 1373, although the earliest written mention of Chapel Amble is in the Domesday Book where 'Amal' was held by Thurstan from Robert, Count of Mortain.
The earliest record of the name "Amaleglos" is in 1284. The name "Amble" is derived from the Cornish "Amal", i.e. "edge" or "boundary" and is the name of a tributary of the Camel. As "eglos" is the Cornish for "church" there must already have been a chapel here; in 1383 a chapel of St Aldhelm was licensed. The Methodist chapel was a United Free Methodist chapel before the reunions of Methodist churches.

River Amble

The River Amble was once navigable up to the village on high spring tides, with seaweed, sand and coal being taken up to the village and grain brought out again. Access to the River Amble for vessels is not now possible after construction of the tidal barrage which prevents the tide entering the river in 1963.
The wet meadows around the River Amble near the village are good for birdwatching, and the location regularly appears on lists of bird sightings published by the Cornwall Birdwatching and Preservation Society