cornish bed breakfast,cornwall holiday uk, st austell hotel, cornish bed breakfast, seaside coastal walks, sea fishing myths and legends, cornish bed breakfast

LISKEARD

This powerful and impressive church, which towers over the huddle of streets and houses down in the old heart of Liskeard, is the second largest parish church in Cornwall, after Bodmin. The bustling market town of Liskeard is one of the oldest towns in Cornwall, and in the 15th century, when much of the present church was built, it was also one of the wealthiest The Norman church which stood here before possibly resembled St. Germans, with two towers flanking the west front The sole tower standing today is modern but contains Norman remains which go to make up a west doorway and upper windows. Other Norman work includes the font in the north porch and a deeply splayed opening in the west wall of the present north aisle, its apex only 7 1/2ft from the ground.

LOSTWITHIEL

At first sight It is hard to believe you are in Cornwall, or even in Britain The distinctive octagonal spire of Lostwithiel church imparts a curiously foreign air to the ancient Cornish town from which it rises so magnificently. The church's peculiarity is not confined to its spire; inside the nave is unexpectedly high, with clerestory windows (rare in Cornwall) above the 'lean-to' aisles, and the piers of Pentewan stone are octagonal and smooth, the line of the arches unbroken by capitals - overall It feels strangely like a French monastery. This is not entirely inexplicable, for in the 13th and 14th centuries from which time much of the church dates, Lostwithiel was the capital of Cornwall, a busy port with overseas links, and the church belonged to the alien Priory of Tywardreath. During the Civil War, in which Lostwithiel was much embroiled, Roundhead soldiers are said to have baptised a horse in the font, and to have blown up part of the church with gunpowder.

MORVAL

Morval Church has a strong sense of seclusion and privacy due, no doubt, to its proximity to Morval House, a superb, largely Tudor building which is not open to the public Although not far from Looe and a busy main road here you are in another century, another world. Typically, the church is mainly 15th century and was harshly restored, but some old woodwork remains in the north aisle roof. A row of hat pegs, a lively Sunday School board and the simple benches give it the air of a Victorian schoolroom.

PELYNT

This church, with its 14th century tower, dominates the busy village of Pelynt, but unhappily it was harshly treated by its Victorian restorers. The interior is dominated by a fine classical arcade of granite columns, erected c. 1680 to replace the Medieval pillars. Perhaps the chief attraction of the church is its association with the renowned Trelawny family. The Trelawny chapel contains many relics and an excellent brief history of the family is on sale in the church. ST. KEYNE

This small crowded church with a slender tower overlooking the village of St. Keyne, is largely 15th century, although part of a Norman doorway remains to suggest that an earlier building stood here. The church suffered an unfortunately ruthless restoration by the infamous J.P. St. Aubyn between 1868 and 1877, and no old woodwork remains. The parish is chiefly famous for its holy well (signposted from the church).