Cornish Jubilee Time Line Commemoration 1981 to 1990

The major events that have taken place in or relating to Cornwall 1981 to 1990

1981

1982 -

1983 -

1984 -

1985 -

1986 -

1987 -

1988 -

1989 -

1990 -

Begun as a Platinum Jubilee project covering the period of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II reign, following conclusion of the Jubilee this project will continue adding to the years covered and also to the content for each year with events from throughout Cornwall. This is an ongoing project, a positive working legacy of the 2022 Jubilee.

Click the year link above to go to that years event

1981

Penlee Lifeboat Disaster. On 19 December 1981’s stormy evening, the crew of the Penlee lifeboat Solomon Browne battled heavy seas and hurricane force winds to reach the Union Star but they were lost attempting to rescue the crew and passengers onboard a stricken coaster. 

1982

The BBC's first purpose-built radio station opens in Truro Initially, Radio Cornwall shared an afternoon programme with BBC Radio Devon, however in the last 30 years has a full day programme. Radio Cornwall broadcasts on DAB, FM, TV and online, formally on AM and MW that closed in 2020. 

1983

Cornishman William Golding wins the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his novels which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today. 

1984

Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway in September 1984 Bodmin and Wadebridge 150 John R. Smith takes a final trip over one of Cornwall’s pioneer lines and commemorates its 150th anniversary. 

1985

A Storm in the Calm Season was able to raise water levels around the UK coast by up to half a metre in places. At Newlyn in Cornwall, the return period was 1 in 28 years, meaning the sea level elevation was so extreme that events of that scale are only seen approximately every 30 years! The areas were Affected areas included Wadebridge, Padstow, Newquay, Hayle, Mousehole, Flushing, Mevagissey, St Blazey, Fowey, Lostwithiel, Looe, Torpoint and Calstock. This included 25 properties flooded in Hayle, 11 in Fowey, 9 in Looe, 33 in Wadebridge and 35 in Padstow. 

1986

Run to the Sun is a showcase of custom cars and Volkswagen vehicles, held in the style of a dance festival each year in Newquay. Thousands join up to cruise to Newquay en-masse.  More Custom Car and VW enthusiasts join the procession from various service stations on the journey down to Cornwall. The line of traffic can reach over eight kilometres, with more than a thousand cars present. 

1987

Cornwall Has Britain's First Air Ambulance ServiceCornwall became the first place in the UK to launch an air ambulance helicopter service. The trust has attended more than 31,000 incidents since the service launched, and now attends about 1,000 emergency missions every year.

1988

The Camelford Water Pollution has involved the accidental contamination of the drinking water supply to the town of Camelford, Cornwall, in July 1988. Twenty tonnes the of aluminium sulphate was inadvertently added to the water supply, raising the concentration to 3,000 times the admissible level. As the aluminium sulphate broke down it produced several tonnes of sulphuric acid which "stripped a cocktail of chemicals from the pipe networks as well as the lead and copper piping into people's homes. 

1989

Martin Potter is a Champion became a pro in 1981 and in 1989 after claiming 6 tour victories from 25 events he became "World Surfing Champion". This would come fourteen years after learning to stand on a surfboard. His best year was ranked 1st on the ASP World Tour. 

1990

Newquay’s Nightclub sees the Town Painted “Britains Ibiza” Tall Trees nightclub was one of Newquay's top nightclubs during the 1990s, attracting partygoers from all across the country when the resort itself was dubbed 'Britain's Ibiza'. 

The club, located on Tolcarne Road, is one of the oldest venues in the town and has operated for more than 50 years. For more than a decade, starting in the early '80s, Tall Trees enjoyed unparalleled success as the number one nightclub destination in Newquay and one of the best in the South West. It was the leading light in a town which was once the busiest nightlife resorts in the country.