St Agnes

St Agnes grew up as a fishing and farming community which, from Roman times (and perhaps earlier) until the early part of the 20th century, relied heavily on tin mining as a source of income.

Old sepia photo of the historic village pub in St Agnes, Cornwall, showcasing classic architecture and traditional British charm.

With the demise of mining in Cornwall, St Agnes has become a popular tourist destination, offering excellent beaches at Trevaunance Cove and Chapel Porth.

St. Agnes has grown over the years and now includes once small hamlets such as Goonbell, Goonvrea, Goonown. “The Beacon”, is a local landmark now owned by the National Trust, it rises 629 feet in isolation from the surrounding landscape with the sea at its feet.

Beautiful seaside village with cliffs, beaches, and homes in St. Agnes, Cornwall UK.

St Agnes derives its old Cornish name, “Bryanick” (pointed or prominent hill) from this dominant landmark.

The top of the Beacon offers a panoramic view of the cliffs from St Ives in the south to Padstow in the North, as well as splendid inland views over much of Carrick and the eastern part of Penryn. On a clear day, 23 miles of coast and 32 church towers can be seen from the top.

The Giant Bolster

Bolster was a giant who fell in love with a young maiden called Agnes. As proof of his love, Agnes demanded that the giant fill a small hole at the edge of the cliff with his blood. Being such a small hole the giant willingly did so. However, he was unaware that the hole was bottomless and opened into a sea cave. Bolster continued to fill the cave until he was so weak that he fell into the sea to his death; the blood-stained cave can be found at Chapel Porth.

Each April/May the St Agnes Bolster Pageant re-enacts the story of Bolster with a number of special events.

Vibrant festival parade in the countryside featuring a giant character with expressive face and community musicians, celebrating local culture.

Porthtowan

Porthtowan lies on the north Atlantic coast about 1.2 miles west of St Agnes. Its name comes from the Cornish words ‘porth’ and ‘tewynn’ to mean Cove of Sand Dunes. Porthtowan has a Blue Flag beach consisting of wide soft white sands and dunes.

Porthtowan owes much of its present day character to its popularity as a local seaside resort in Victorian and Edwardian times when the local populous from Redruth and the surrounding areas went there, particularly on Bank Holidays. Overlooking Porthtowan are the remains of Wheal Towan, one of Cornwall’s most prolific 18th Century copper mines, which provided Ralph Allen Daniell of Trelisick with a fortune estimated at the time as a “guinea a minute” night and day.

Mount Hawke

Mount Hawke is an old copper mining village, Navvy Pit, as it was known locally, formed part of Wheal Music, the largest open cast copper mine in Europe. It is reported to have made profits of in excess of £100,000 by 1843.
Located approximately 2.5 miles from the coast, 7 miles from Truro, Mount Hawke is known locally as the “Golden Triangle”, which consists of Mount Hawke, St. Agnes and Porthtowan, and has stunning views across St Agnes’ ‘Beacon’ and glimpses of the sea.

The largest indoor skate park in Cornwall is in the village which also has a park called the “Millennium Green.

Mithian

The picturesque village of Mithian is said to be one of the oldest villages in Cornwall. Many of the houses are three to four hundred years old and built of cob (clay reinforced with straw and horse hair). The Miners Arms pub is reputed to have been built in 1577 and said to be haunted. It was also originally on the branch railway line from Chacewater to Newquay which was closed in 1963.

Blackwater

Blackwater is a small rural village situated between Truro (6 miles) and Redruth (4 miles) and close to the north coast and its sandy beaches (3 miles).

The Victorian philanphropist and journalist John Passmore Edwards was born here and the Institute in Blackwater (at the moment, undergoing restoration)endowed by John Passmore Edwards was opened in 1890. At the opening ceremony he said “Nothing has given me more pleasure than to give this to my native village and within a hundred yards of my old home.”

There are a number of barrows dating from the Bronze Age in the vicinity of the village. Two Burrows stand adjacent to the road leading from Chiverton Cross to Mount Hawke and Three Burrows can be seen in a field adjacent to the south side of the A30 just east of the Chiverton Cross roundabout. An ancient cross has also been reported in use as a boundary stone in the area of the Three Burrows.