Tag: Zennor

A – Z of Locations: Z is for Zennor

During this year I shall be posting photographs from places around the UK, many of which have not been published before. Where I have previously blogged about a location I will provide a link to the post, though you won’t be able to comment on it as I restrict comments to six months.

Z is for Zennor

The last letter in the alphabet just happens to be only six miles away from where I live. It is on West Penwith, a sparsely populated peninsula, ringed by high cliffs and rising to high, rocky moorland at its centre. It is surrounded on three sides by the pounding waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

The ancient landscape includes Zennor Head and Gurnard Head, granite moorland hills such as Carn Galver and Zennor Carn. Wonderful hiking country for those who are fit enough.

Access to most of the landscape is by narrow ancient lanes bounded by Cornish hedges.

Typical Cornish Lanes
A Cornish Hedge

In Zennor you will find the wonderful Tinners Arms, built in 1271, for good food and drink and a popular place for people who walk the South West Coastal path from St Ives to find well needed refreshments.  Up on the main road is a bus route either back to St Ives or on towards Land’s End.

The Tinners Arms, Zennor

Also in Zennor is St Senara’s church, home to the famous mermaid chair.

Views from Zennor churchyard

I hope that you have enjoyed my tour around the UK and hopefully I have introduced you to some places that are not necessarily on the tourist trail. There are a lot of wonderful towns, cities, villages and countryside to explore throughout England, Scotland and Wales. I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to include Northern Ireland too. We are not short of history, interesting architecture, great walks and incredible landscapes so I hope that this series has whetted your appetite to discover new places to enjoy.

A Mermaid in a Church?

That’s right. You didn’t misread the title. There is a little church in Zennor, west-Cornwall that is home to a mermaid.

Why a mermaid?

Before the Christian era, mermaids were one of the symbols for Aphrodite, Goddess of the sea and of love. In one hand she held a quince (love apple) and in the other a comb. Later the quince was changed to a mirror, symbol of vanity and heartlessness.

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In the Middle Ages, when Cornish mystery plays were performed, the mermaid was used as a symbol to explain the two natures of Christ. She was both human and a fish. He was both a man and god.

Mermaid frescoes are found in other Cornish churches – Breage, Poughill and Altarnun – but Zennor is the only one with a carving.

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The mermaid reminds us that St Senara also came by sea and founded a church at Zennor more than 1400 years ago.

The Legend of the Chair

The only remaining Medieval bench ends carved over 500 years ago are linked to the chorister Matthew Trewhella who, it is said, was lured into the sea at Pendour Cove by a mermaid who came into the church to hear his beautiful singing.

source: Zennor Church

Dawn of Lingering Look at Architecture has churches as the topic for the month of June so I am linking this post to her challenge.

And I shall link it to Paula’s Thursday Special too as she is interested in things from the past this week.