Gorran Haven and Gorran Churchtown
Jane and I had been here in 2002 on a round walk from Porthluney Cove. Then we thought little of Gorran. I repeated the walk in March 2008 and lingered long enough to revise my impressions somewhat. Gorran Haven is attractive with nice old fishing related buildings clustered around the harbour. Facing south-east, the harbour dries out at low tide and provides a safe bathing beach with a seasonal caf�. Some narrow old streets climb the hill from the harbour and there is a lot of recent development beyond. Undoubtedly many of the houses are second homes and holiday rentals. On the way up the hill is the little St. Justus Church, a chapel of ease once used as a fish cellar and net store. Further up, the former Llawnroc Inn is now the boutiquey Lawnwroc Hotel. Keep going for another mile and you come to Gorran Churchtown. Here is the Barley Sheaf Inn (restored and re-opened 2012 by a descendant of the 1837 founder) and the handsome St. Goran's Church. St. Goran (or Goranus) is probably the Guron of Bodmin, who moved here when St. Petroc arrived there. His 13th to 15th century church is typically Cornish with its crenellated and pinnacled porch, a fine collection of original bench ends and some good modern wood carvings. Outside there is an unexpected vault dated WSG 1813 and, when I was there, a lovely display of daffodils.
Short round walk from Porthluney.
Short round walk incl. Gorran Haven.
Gorran Haven at low tide
From A390 at St. Austell, take B3273 through Mevagissey
More in Towns & Villages
Grampound
In early June 2016 I visited Creed Church, where my father's cousin Bertie - the Rev. Albert Edward Coulbeck - was rector for three years from 1947 before he moved to St. Just in Roseland. Creed is down a narrow country lane, a mile south of Grampound, so after looking around the church, I carried on to Grampound and parked by the Village Hall. I walked up one side of the long hill that is Grampound's Fore Street and back down the other, stopping for an excellent light lunch and coffee in the St. Austell Brewery's Dolphin Inn. A pleasant pub, with car park behind, with something of a gastro-menu but enough ordinary fare to appeal to me. I enjoyed an excellent, reasonably priced bacon butty. The name of the village is thought to derive from the Norman French Grand Pont, the great bridge over the little River Fal at the bottom end of the village. Grampound appears larger than its population of around 700 would suggest but, then, it is not much more than a one street village, climbing a moderate hill up from the river. For a village which lines a busy main road - the A390 from Truro to St. Austell - it is surprisingly attractive, filled with what appear to be 18th century houses and cottages but are probabaly, like the thatched Manor House, far older. But it can't be a lot of fun living on such a busy road. Grampound Revisited
Gulval
On New Year's Eve 2016 I headed down west to visit All Saints Church in Marazion to see an exhibition of works by a local artist - no sign of it. I didn't think much of the church either though I was impressed by a large collection of embroidered kneelers. I walked around Marazion and was tickled to see that three successive photos were all of buildings or shops with colours in their names - In the Pink, Out of the Blue and Silvermine! From there I went on to Gulval, an attractive late Victorian dormitory suburb of Penzance. I was there for the much older church of St. Gulval. It has an attractive painted chancel ceiling, two unusual reredos, a nicely carved wooden screen, a marble lectern, a carved pulpit on a marble plinth, and good memorials to members of the locsal Bolitho family. The particular interest to me, however was outside by the porch: an ancient Cornish Cross head and an inscribed stone. I wouild have liked to try the Coldstreamer Inn, named for a member of the Bolitho family killed serving in the Coldstream Guards, where Tom Franklin Pryce, formerly of Porthminster Beach Caf�, is a renowned chef, but time was pressing as I wanted to get on to Ludgvan.where the church has an attractive font and a wooden ceiling with carved bosses. In the churchyard are two Cornish Crosses. Adjacent is the simple but good White Hart Inn where I enjoyed a quiet coffee.
Gunnislake and Drakewalls
I was in these two villages, shortly before Christmas 2018, only by accident. My intention had been to visit the National Trust's Cotehele for the Christmas Garland and for the Chapel, favourably described by Pevsner. However, the queue for the Garland was 100 strong and not moving and the Chapel was firmly locked. So, I decided to take a look at St. Anne's Church in nearby Gunnislake. Frustrated again; this, too, was firmly locked. A pity because, to judge by Pevsner's description, St. Anne's is a good example of the work of of Victorian Cornish architect J P St. Aubyn. I had to make do with photos of the impressive exterior and the sight of three good examples of St. Aubyn's trademark boot-scraper. From the outside, the church is impressive, seeming to tower over you. There is a small tower at the north-east corner, by the road. The bell tower, at the north-west corner, has a circular stair turret. Slightly surprisingly there is a railway station, linking Gunislake, by the Tamar Valley branch line, with Plymouth, passing through the Bere peninsula and crossing the historic Calstock viaduct. Bealswood Road in Gunnislake leads towards the River Tamar where it meets the southern end of the Tamar Manure (really) Navigation Canal, constructed in the early 19th century as part of a plan, which never came to fruition, to link the Bristol Channel at Bude with the English Channel. Disused locks and a lock keepers cottage still stand. Drakewalls is the western continuation of Gunnislake. Just south of the main road through is the new Tamar Valley Centre, a modern building but of traditional local materials, acting as an information and research centre. To its north-east and south-east are remains of Drakewalls Mine, chimneys and parts of engine houses still standing. The mine produced tin, copper and arsenic there was also some lead, silver, wolfram and molybdenum mined.