CORNWALL |
| Antony House |
Off A374, at Torpoint |
One of the attractions of this house is its continuous association with a
single family - the Carews - since it was built in the 18th century. Much of the furniture
bought for the house when it was built is still there - and still in use. To walk into the
bedrooms, or the oak-panelled dining room or salon, is to step back into the 18th century,
and into the atmosphere of gracious living. Family portraits and other paintings include
many by Sir Joshua Reynolds. |
| Bodmin Moor |
Crossed by A30 |
High on this wild moor, the 'roof' of Cornwall, the landscape has remained
almost untouched by man for thousands of years. In prehistoric times the moor was the most
heavily populated part of Cornwall, before metal tools were developed to clear the wooded
valleys. Evidence of early man's presence is all around in the form of hut circles, sacred
sites and burial grounds. The granite tors offer spectacular views over the moor and are
well worth the sometimes fairly steep scramble needed to reach them. |
| Chysauster Ancient Village |
Off B3311, 4 miles north of Penzance |
The oldest identifiable village street in England runs through the centre of
this 2000-year-old Iron Age settlement. Four pairs of oval stone houses, with 15ft thick
walls, are set on opposite sides of the street. Each house consists of a number of
circular rooms opening onto a central courtyard, with stone-lined terrace gardens. Now
open to the sky, the houses were originally roofed with turf of thatch. One house, twice
as big as the rest, probably belonged to the chief. |
| Cotehele |
Off A390, 6 miles north of Saltash |
The house, one of the finest medieval and Tudor manor houses in England, has
been the home of the Edgcumbe family for 600 years, and its rooms are filled with the
family's furniture, passed down through the generations, unaltered and carefully
preserved. The hall where in medieval times the whole household dined is one of the most
splendid interiors in the West Country. Many rooms are decorated with tapestries. |
| Flambards Triple Theme Park |
On A394, 1 mile east of Helston |
The aero collection in this varied theme park offers a special attraction:
visitors can do more than just stand and look at the aircraft on show, they can climb
aboard several of them to inspect the flight deck, sit in the pilot's seat and operate the
flying controls. Flambards Village, in the same park, is a realistic re-creation of a
Victorian village. Britain in the Blitz, another attempt to re-create the past, shows what
ordinary life was like in Britain during the Second World War. |
| Godolphin House |
Off B3302, 7 miles north-west of Helston |
This early Tudor and Elizabethan house was home until the end of the 18th
century of the Godolphin family, who could trace their ancestry back to the Normans. Its
most striking feature is the great north front, supported on massive granite columns. The
house was built around two main courtyards. There is a fine 'King's Room' in which Prince
Charles, later Charles II, is believed to have stayed after his escape from Pendennis
Castle on his way to the Isles of Scilly, of which Sir Francis Godolphin was then
Governor. |
| Land's End |
On A30, 8 miles west of Penzance |
England comes to a dramatic conclusion of sheer granite cliffs. This is the
troubled meeting place of the Atlantic, the Irish Sea and the English Channel. For some,
Land's End is the most spectacular section of the South-west Peninsula Coastal Path; to
others it proffers craft shops, Cornish cream fudge, a restaurant, ice cream, and an
amusement arcade. The Land's End Heritage Centre illustrates the more serious aspects of
the place. |
| Lanhydrock |
On B3268, 2 miles south of Bodmin |
Originally a 17th century house, much of it was badly damaged by fire in 1881.
It was rebuilt in grandiose style by the owner, Lord Robartes. The 36 'upstairs and
downstairs' rooms open to today's visitors include the kitchen, the main bedrooms and the
north wing gallery. |
| Launceston Castle |
In Launceston town centre |
The principal castle of Robert of Mortain, half brother of William I,
Launceston overlooked the ford at Polson, which was the chief landward entry into
Cornwall. Now much reduced, only the stone keep, gatehouses and some of the curtain
walling survive. The keep consists of an outer stone wall, used as a fighting platform
against attacks, a shell keep which once had rooms inside it, and the High Tower, which
was used as a prison in the late Middle Ages. The surrounding bailey, or courtyard, would
once have been crowded with the principal buildings of the castle. |
| Pencarrow |
Off A389, 3.5 miles east of Wadebridge |
This Georgian country mansion contains one of the finest collections of
paintings, furniture and china in the West Country. It also has 50 acres of woodland
gardens, a Palm House, and ice house, and a children's corner. The house, which has been
occupied by the Molesworth-St Aubyn family since it was built, has some outstanding rooms,
including the music room with its rococo ceiling, the panelled entrance hall, and the
dining room which has a series of family portraits painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. |
| Pendennis Castle |
Pendennis Point, 1 mile south-east of Falmouth |
Henry VIII built Pendennis Castle on Pendennis Point as part of his coastal
defences against the Pope's threatened reprisal for refusing to bow to his authority.
Together with St Mawes Castle on the opposite shore, it guards the entrance to the Carrick
Roads. Only the inner keep and curtain wall were built by Henry. The large enclosure and
its bastions are Elizabethan, built to guard against the later threatened full-scale
invasion from Spain which foundered with the Armada. |
| Poldark Mine |
On B3297, 3 miles north of Helston |
At Poldark the mine, which has been worked since Roman times, has been
converted into an underground museum, in which visitors descend by a walkway and steps to
a depth of more than 200ft. The site of the main tin lode can be clearly seen; here 18th
century miners worked by candlelight, breaking the rock by hand. The nine underground
museum chambers contain many relics found in the mine, including the seal of an 18th
century beer bottle. On the surface are several Cornish beam and hoisting engines. |
| Restormel Castle |
Off A390, 1.5 miles north of Lostwithiel |
Crowning a hill overlooking the River Fowey and surrounded by a deep 60ft wide
moat, Restormel is one of the oldest and most romantic ruins in Cornwall. Built in the
12th century, on ground falling steeply away on three sides, it had formidable defences
which were last tested in the Civil War, when it was garrisoned by the Parliamentarian
army of Lord Essex and fell to the Royalists led by Sir Richard Grenville. The remains
include the gate, keep, kitchens, great hall, private rooms and bed chamber and private
apartment of the lord of the castle. |
| St Mawes Castle |
On A3078, in St Mawes |
'St Mawes lieth lower and better to annoy shipping, but Pendennis standeth
higher and stronger to defend itself.' So wrote Carew in his Survey of Cornwall written in
the reign of the first Queen Elizabeth. He was referring to the two castles built by Henry
VIII guarding the opposite sides of the entrance to Falmouth Harbour. His assessment
proved right, for later, in the Civil War, Pendennis withstood a Parliamentarian siege for
five months, while St Mawes yielded without a shot. |
| St Michael's Mount |
At Marazion, near Penzance |
Walking out along the causeway, which at low tide links St Michael's Mount to
the mainland village of Marazion, is like stepping into a scene from a fairytale. The
little island rises like a giant sandcastle 300ft from the waters of Mount's Bay, capped
with real castle buildings dating from the 12th century. The Mount was an important
trading station in Roman times. It was given to monks from Mont St Michel in Normandy in
1070, and a Benedictine priory built on the summit in 1135 became an important place of
pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. The priory was rebuilt in the 14th century and the property
is now owned by the National Trust. |
| Tintagel Castle |
At Tintagel, 5 miles north-west of Camelford |
The ruins of this famous castle seem to be swathed in a mist of legend and
romance like no other in Britain. Out of the mist, the ghost of King Arthur looms large,
conjuring up pictures of brave knights in shining armour and England's dim and distant
past. Legend has it that King Arthur was born here, which is by no means impossible, since
the earliest identifiable settlement is Celtic, and dates from about AD 400. The remains
now standing are of a royal castle built in the 12th century, with later additions in the
13th and 14th centuries. |
| Trelowarren |
Off B3293, 3.5 miles south-east of Helston |
The earliest-known owner of the Manor of Trelowarren was Earl Harold, who later
achieved lasting fame as the king killed at the Battle of Hastings. The Vyvyan family, who
till occupy part of the manor house, have lived on the site since 1427. The earliest part
of the present building is 15th century. It is a handsome house, full of family portraits
of people who were part of the local history of Cornwall down the centuries. |
| Trerice |
Off A3058, 2.5 miles south-east of Newquay |
This Elizabethan manor house is one of the few in Cornwall which has not
suffered substantial alteration over the centuries. It lies in a quiet valley in which a
tributary of the River Gannel runs down to the sea. Features of the house include a great
mullioned hall window with 576 panes of mostly 16th century glass; much fine plasterwork;
and a facade with highly decorative scrolled gables. |
| Tresco Abbey Gardens |
Tresco, Isles of Scilly |
The gardens were created by Augustus Smith, who in 1834 was made Lord
Proprietor of the Isles of Scilly, and the development of the gardens has been continued
by succeeding generations of his family. They contain an enormous variety of plants from
all over the world, which grow out of doors on Tresco because of its exceptionally mild
climate. The gardens also contain an outstanding collection of ships' figureheads from
vessels wrecked on the vicious reefs of the Scillies in the 19th century. |
| Trewithen Gardens |
On A390, 5 miles east of Truro |
This woodland garden is internationally famous for its rare trees and shrubs
from all over the world. In all, 28 acres of mature garden surround an 18th century
mansion which has been home for generations to a succession of keen gardeners. The result
of their efforts, and many plant-hunting expeditions, is a superb display of trees, shrubs
and flowers which varies from season to season. Adjoining Trewithen is the County
Demonstration Garden at Probus which covers more than 7 acres. |
| Truro Cathedral |
In centre of Truro |
The building is, in fact, a recent creation, completed in 30 years between 1880
and 1910 with typical Victorian energy and industry, but its architectural inspiration is
unmistakably that of the great medieval churches. It was the first cathedral to be built
in England since St Paul's and was in a sense an assertion of the county's independence,
since it had previously been part of a joint Cornwall and Devon diocese. |
| Zennor Quoit |
Off B3306, 4.5 miles west of St Ives |
Zennor Quoit is the largest stone quoit, or burial chamber, in the country. It
has seven stones, each 10ft high, capped with a massive slab 6yds long. Originally it may
have been covered in earth, to form a barrow or mound. Remains found in the chamber
indicate that it was built during the Stone Age, between 3200 and 2500 BC. |
