Kelly Bray (Cornish: Kellivre) is a village in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated one mile (1.6 km) north of Callington, immediately west of Kit Hill[1] in a former mining area. Kelly Bray is in the parish of Callington and lies within the St Dominick, Harrowbarrow and Kelly Bray division on Cornwall Council. The population was 3,949 at the 2011 census.[2] Kelly Bray is first recorded ca. 1286 as Kellibregh (Cornish "Kellybregh", meaning "dappled grove").[3]

Kelly Bray
Old mine buildings near Kelly Bray
Kelly Bray is located in Cornwall
Kelly Bray
Kelly Bray
Location within Cornwall
OS grid referenceSX359715
Civil parish
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCALLINGTON
Postcode districtPL17
Dialling code01579
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireCornwall
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cornwall
50°31′12″N 4°18′58″W / 50.5201°N 4.3160°W / 50.5201; -4.3160
Kelly Bray post office

Kelly Bray was formerly the venue for the Royal Cornwall Show until it was moved to Wadebridge. The village was the location of Callington railway station - terminus of a branch line to Plymouth via Gunnislake. The line was closed beyond Gunnislake in 1966.

Industrial history

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Prior to the industrialisation in the 19th century agriculture was the main activity in the land surrounding Kelly Bray.

During the 1820s and 1830s a significant capital investment enabled the development of tin copper and lead mines in the area. In 1843 the mine at Kelly Bray amalgamated with the neighbouring mines of Holmbush and Redmoor to form the Callington Mining Company employing a workforce of over 250 people. The mining activity around Kelly Bray continued until 1946.[4]

In the present day various light industrial businesses are situated in the Florence Road Business Park area of the village.

Cornish wrestling

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Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes have held at Kelly Bray[5] with a first prize of a silver cup.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 201 Plymouth & Launceston ISBN 978-0-319-23146-3
  2. ^ "ward of Kelly Bray 2011 census". Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  3. ^ Weatherhill, Craig (2009) A Concise Dictionary of Cornish Place-names. Westport, Mayo: Evertype; p. 42
  4. ^ "Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative | Historic Cornwall" (PDF). 11 December 2020.
  5. ^ West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 2 June 1927.
  6. ^ Western Morning News, 21 August 1926.
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  Media related to Kelly Bray at Wikimedia Commons