The Tallest Church Tower In Cornwall

Probus Parish Church, dedicated to St. Probus and St Grace, is noted for having the tallest church tower in Cornwall at 126 feet (38.35m). It is believed that there has been a Christian community on this site since the 5th Century.

The building of the actual church tower began circa 1523.

In the photo above you can see a Royal Coat of Arms above the door to the left of the picture. I have another photo below showing this in more detail.

The Royal Coat of Arms is that of King James II and is dated 1685, which was the year he came to the throne.

The old coaching inn, the Hawkins Inn, is nearby the church as can be seen from the photo below.

The church though is always looking on - whatever is happening!

A Glimpse of Lanhydrock House, Cornwall In 14 Photos

A few days ago my post mentioned  Lanhydrock House and the estate's links going way back to King Charles and the English Civil Way. 

Unfortunately the house had a serious fire in the 1880s and had to be completely refurbished. The occupants tragically died in the fire.

The house now illustrates a late Victorian country house and estate.

The photo above is the dining room ready for a sumptuous meal. The kitchen was where the magic was created, so we start with photos of the kitchen. Lots of pots and pans ...

... and utensils.

The scullery though wasn't quite so plush. Scullery maids  weren't on a par with the cooks.

Tea would have been served to the lady of the house.

As for the gentleman, I don't think I'd have got on with him too well, because of that 'trophy' on the floor. Times have fortunately moved on in that respect.

There is somewhere to have a glass of port ...

... while in the meantime work carried on in the ironing room

... and the Victorian dolls waited attention.

Looks like someone was thinking of heading off on a journey.

And so to bed ...

... and in the morning the bath would ready - at the right temperature.

That's about it, a quick tour of Lanhydrock House.

Lots of space outside - about 890 acres I believe. The house is now run by the National Trust. Entrance is free to members. but for non members it is 15.35 for adults and 7.70 for children.

Mevagissey The Two Saint Village and Harbour - 10 Photos

It had been a rough night with high winds and drifting rain but by morning everything seemed more settled. We drove down to  Mevagissey to have a wander around the harbour - always an interesting place to visit.

Because of the bad weather during the night all of the boats were sheltered in the inner part of the harbour. The sea still got a little moody as we walked.

The attractive old cottages along the edge of the harbour have lovely views. It is said that the village dates back to the beginning of the 1300s.

There's always fishing paraphernalia on the harbour side. 

The photo below shows the entrance to the inner harbour, where the boats are protected from adverse weather conditions. The shed-like building to the left is where - once through the harbour - the fishing boats unload their catch. Fresh fish is usually for sale.

Various pots and floats are piled high on the harbour side - can just see the lighthouse in the background.

Looking across from one outer harbour side wall to the other.

And Mevagissey is looking good! The name, by the way, is derived from two Irish saints: St Meva and St Issey.

A final photo of harbour side shops, one of them being She Sells. Remember the old tongue twister?

She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore.
The shells she sells are surely sea-shells!
So if she sells sea-shells on the sea-shore,
Then I'm sure she sells sea-shore shells!

Cornwall's Streets Are Filled With Money Waiting To Be Picked Up!

A different sort of post today - so no photos of Cornwall's wonderful beaches, cliffs, harbours and so on. Just a pile of money instead.

The coins in the photo are just a few that my wife has found. She finds them on a regular basis when we are out walking (in Cornwall). I never see them but she'll bend down suddenly and it'll be another coin found.

I put this down to the fact that she expects to find coins - so she does! My wife's father died when she was only four but he had a saying that the streets are full of money just waiting to be picked up. So perhaps he's sending her a reminder that he's still about - who knows!

Oh, and another thing, the coins usually arrive in batches of three. Many people say 'things' come in threes. If she finds two, she says that she'll find a third - and does. It's that word expect again working the magic!

I think on a much bigger level that we often tend to get from life what we expect to get from life.

South West Coast Path Walking From Trenarren, Cornwall

The photos are from last year. We parked the car near Trenarren with the aim of walking for a while along the South West Coast Path - photo as above.

But first we had to walk along a lane and through the mixture of cottages of the small hamlet of Trenarren. There was a Post Box  - some people still use them! When you look back how exciting it was to receive handwritten letters - much more intimate than the emails of today.

The cottages were alive with pretty flowers

And some people hope to receive post.

The lane turned into the path, as below - and at the end of the path there was a steep slope leading to the Coastal Path - as per the first photo.

I never get tired of the Coast Path and find it strange that so few people seem to actually walk the path.

Lanhydrock House, Cornwall - Gatehouse Dates Back To 1651

In yesterday's post about Respryn Bridge I mentioned Lanhydrock House. So today a quick look at the outside of the aforementioned house.

The gatehouse, as above, dates back to 1651. 

The photo below is looking at the house through the gatehouse.

Though in yesterday's post I was talking about the 1600s the house was completely refurbished in the 1880s following a fire, which destroyed parts of the building and tragically ended the lives of its then current occupants.

It is often said that, despite the fire, Lanhydrock is the finest house in Cornwall. The estate covers some 1000 acres.

Lanhydrock is open to the public and is now part of the National Trust. There are 49 rooms to explore plus gardens and woodland. I'll write a post, with photos, of the inside of the house at a later date.

The 15th Century Respryn Bridge And The English Civil War

Other than being built in the 15th century Respryn Bridge may not otherwise appear very special - but it made it's mark during the English Civil War (1642–1651).

Respryn Bridge was guarded by Royalists at the outbreak of the Civil War and played an important part in the Battle of Lostwithiel in 1644. The bridge then lay between two estates Lanhydrock and Boconnoc - one side Royalist (King Charles) and the other in Parliamentarian hands.

Following success at Lostwithiel, King Charles rode over Respryn bridge in 1644, on his way from Boconnoc to Lanhydrock.

After the war, an avenue of trees leading up to Lanhydrock House from Respryn Bridge was planted by Lord Robartes to celebrate the King's victory.

Moving on from the Civil War. It can be seen from the photo above that Respryn Bridge is very narrow - only seven feet wide to be precise. There are many such narrow roads in Cornwall and these can take the uninitiated by surprise. An example of this was when the bridge was damaged in 2006 by a 40 tonne lorry that got stuck between the parapets while trying to cross!

I wonder what on earth the driver was thinking? Perhaps it was his Sat Nav that led him astray but, whatever, the mishap caused £30,000 worth of damage,

Hopefully warning signs will now keep the bridge safe.

The photo below is another view from the bridge.

 
See also: The 500 Plus Year Old bridge, St,Austell, Cornwall