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Cornwall has a very special and unique identity. Here are some of the things that make it so special. A separate page on the history of the Borough of Restormel might also be of interest.
Cornwall is renowned for its Cream Tea with clotted cream, Cornish pasties and saffron buns. Fresh local seafood is available all over the county, with oysters and guiness being a speciality in Falmouth in October. Smoked mackerel pâté is another particularly Cornish dish.
We have many festivals throughout the year. Shrove Tuesday will see the inhabitants of St. Columb out to cheer on the teams from town and country hurling a silver ball all around the village, while the Camborne inhabitants will  turn out on the last Saturday in April for Trevithick Day - which celebrates the invention of the steam locomotive. On the first of May there is the "Obby Oss" in Padstow, followed by Helston Flora Dance a week later.
Our local Daphne du Maurier week also takes place in May, while May bank holiday sees Run to the Sun, when Volkswagen Beetle owners from all over the world descend on Newquay.
In the summer months each village has its carnival or regatta week, while the local "White Gold" festival in July pays tribute to our china clay heritage.
Cornwall is the only region of the UK to have its own language - Kernewek (pronounced "k'noo-ik"). It is a Celtic language that predates English by around 1300 years, and has the same origins as Welsh and Breton. Although there are very few fluent speakers (around 1-2000), interest in the language has increased over the past few decades, with GCSE Cornish being taught in some schools for a period.
Up until the middle 1500's, the Cornish spoke their own language and at that time most were bi-lingual in Cornish and English. By the early 1800's very few people used Cornish as their first language, in fact the last known person to speak only Cornish as their native tongue died in 1777.
Tin mining and copper mining was at a hey-day in the mid-nineteenth centry, with some mines having over a thousand workers. Although none are in use any more, with the last mine in Geevor being closed only at the close of the 20th century, you can see the run down remains of the former industry strewn all over the county.
The other main industry in Cornwall historically is China Clay, currently owned by the French company, Imerys. Formed from decomposed granite, kaolin is used in porcelin, paper, plastic, rubber, car exhausts and a multitude of other uses. The area around St Ausell boasts the third largest natural resource of kaolin in the world, and Cornwall would be a completely different place without it.
Surfing is very popular in Cornwall, especially on the north coast in the summer. Numerous surf championships are held at Newquay, including the British championships, and most attract world-renowned surfers.
These days, tourism is one of the main sources of employment, and it has been quoted that the population of Cornwall quadruples in the summer with all the 'emits' ('ants') sojourning in the county. With modern developments like the Eden Project, more people than ever are coming to the county.
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Cornish food 
Modern-day Cornwall