Saltash Celtic cross marks Cornwall boundary

A 20m-high Celtic cross has been erected as a landmark on the Cornwall county boundary.

Those behind the structure beside the River Tamar at Saltash hope it will help boost the number of visitors to the town.

The two-tonne cross is made of carbon fibre and resin impregnated with copper and was created with £450,000 of lottery funding.

Saltash Town Council gave £50,000 towards the cross.

'Feat of engineering'

The cross was lifted into place by three cranes early on Sunday on the Saltash side of the River Tamar.

Duncan Healey of constructors Gateguards at Newquay said: "I'm mesmerised by it.

"I have lived with it for over a year, but when it was lifted out of the truck to the vertical I was absolutely gobsmacked by it."

The colour of the cross's pillar is achieved by the oxidisation of the copper, impregnated in resin and then bead-blasted to bring the copper to the surface.

Liam Bradley, chairman of the Saltash Waterfront Residents Association, called the cross, near the famous Brunel railway bridge, a "modern feat of engineering to be proud of".

He said: "The cross was an afterthought, the original plan was to develop the Elwell woods which have been unused since 1961 and had become a wilderness.

"We hope it will become an iconic landmark, our version of the Angel of the North, so people don't just pass by Saltash, but go in.

"We are expecting another 50,000 people in the town every year. Keeping shops open is worth its weight in gold."

Source: BBC

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