Helston (Standard Written Form: Hellys)[1] is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.

[2] Helston is the most southerly town on the island of Great Britain and is around 1+1⁄2 miles (2.5 kilometres) farther south than Penzance.

The name comes from the Cornish "hen lis" (or "old court") and "ton" added later to denote a Saxon manor; the Domesday Book refers to Henliston (which survives as the name of a road in the town).

[5] It was granted its charter by King John on 15 April 1201,[6] for the price of forty marks of silver.

A document of 1396 examined by Charles Henderson shows that the old form "Hellys" was still in use[7] The manor of Helston in Kerrier was one of the seventeen Antiqua maneria of the Duchy of Cornwall.

[8] The seal of the borough of Helston was St Michael his wings expanded and standing on a gateway.

[10] A common belief is that in the 13th century Loe Bar formed a barrier across the mouth of the River Cober cutting the town off from the sea.

Geomorphologists believe the bar was most likely formed by rising sea levels, after the last ice age, blocking the river and creating a barrier beach.

The beach is formed mostly of flint and the nearest source is found offshore under the drowned terraces of the former river that flowed between England and France, and now under the English Channel.

He also mentions that the River Cober makes a tolerable good harbour and several ships are loaded with tin, [between Lowertown and Helston, but not to the sea]; although over one hundred years before Defoe, Richard Carew (1602) described Loe Bar as "The shingle was relatively porous and fresh water could leave and seawater enter depending, on the relative heights of the pool and sea".

[12][13] Defoe's description seems to be the first and possibly the origin of other sources claiming Helston to be a port in the historic period.

[14] Leland's description of the Loe Pool is thus:"Lo Poole is a 2 miles in lenght, and betwixt it and the mayn se, is but a barre of sand: and ons in 3 or 4 yeres, what by the wait of the fresch water and rage of the se, it brekith out, and then the fresch and salt water metyng makith a wonderful noise.

"[17]However, contributing to the belief of a port at Helston was the discovery of what some people believe to be slipways and mooring rings, during excavations around 1968.

[16][18] There was no known shipping from the sea after 1260, but before 1200, in 'the 1182 record of Godric of Helleston paying a fine of ten marks for exporting his corn out of England from Helston without a licence.'

This could be considered the most significant piece of documentary evidence signifying Helston's former port days, though it does not prove the case.

[19][20] At the time of Domesday Book, Gweek had no inhabitants whilst Helston was the largest settlement in the west of Cornwall, with 113 households.

[23] A free chapel of ease perhaps also built for Edmund, Earl of Cornwall before 1283 was dissolved by the chantries act 1547 and turned into Helston's coinage hall.

[24] This was later demolished by public subscription raised by Helston's sitting M.P., Charles Abbot, following his return in the 1796 general election.

The nearest Met Office weather station is RNAS Culdrose, approximately 1 mile south-east of the town centre.

It is a moving street theatre that appears to have its origins in the Middle Ages, and the themes tend to be more English than uniquely Cornish.

The festival is initially based in The Old Cattle Market, next to Coronation Park and Boating Lake, and features some of the best artists in their field.

The band enjoyed steady progress at this time, which culminated in 1951 when it reached the National Third Section Finals at Belle Vue, Manchester.

Edward led the band to numerous successes in both local and regional contests, until his retirement in November 2002 after an incredible 35 years.

These excellent results meant that Helston Town Band earned promotion and competed in the Championship Section in 2009 for the first time in its history.

In the surrounding graveyard there is a monument to Henry Trengrouse, the inventor of the rocket fired safety line — a device for aiding in the saving of lives in a shipwreck.

[48] In 1885 the annual custom of the beating the Helston Borough Bounds was undertaken, followed by a scrimmage for 15 dozen buns and the throwing of the hurling ball.

[53] The town has a King George V Playing Field, the home ground for the rugby club and finish line of An Resek Helys.

These include: the Helston Downs,[57] Gweal Folds farm,[58] the Lower Green[59] which became Coronation Park[60] where tournaments continued to be held, Field near While Hill, Meneage Street,[61] Bullock Lane,[55] Coronation Park,[60] Monument Road,[62] Field at the rear of the Angel Hotel[63] which became the Sunken Gardens[64][65] where tournaments continued to be held, Grange Road[66] and Penrose Amenity Area.