The blob on the map marks the location of Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose on the outskirts of Helston. One of the functions of the station is to provide search and rescue services for the south west of England. It is also the place where the Olympic flame was landed yesterday.
The name derives from Cornish cul ros meaning “narrow heathland” and is pronounced kəlˈdrəʊz, unless you happen to be David Bond, the BBC’s sports editor, who seems convinced that it is pronounced ˈkʊldrəʊz.
As cull means
“To gather, pick, pluck (flowers, fruits, etc.)” OED
Culdrose and ‘culled rose’ make a nice minimal pair
for folks like me at least — who dont know the local tradition and interpret the first syllable as having /ʌ/ for its vowel.
kʌld`rəʊz
Went to see an air show there as a youngster. My mother and I were mulling over the idea of a helicopter trip. It was pretty expensive. As we stood there a £20 note blew past and stopped at my feet. We took it as a sign and put it towards the cost of a flight out over the coast and back. I got to sit in the front next to the pilot. Yippee!
@JWL
You hear the pron. with ʌ quite a lot here too.
@Paul
Rather you than me! When it comes to helicopters and such, I am a fully paid up member of the Cowardice Society.
Does the d also come from Cornish? A fosilized mutation? Or an intrusive element during anglicization? I have an 18th c spelling of the surname Penrose – Pengrowse. Same question, this time about the g.
Like Culdrose, Penrose has nothing to do with roses, or even drawing roses. The English romantic dream is Roseland, but you’ll have to look in the landscaped cemetery of St Just or the front gardens of St Mawes or Porthscatho to see larger numbers of roses.