Zennor
Encyclopedia
Zennor is a village and civil parish in Cornwall
in England
. The parish includes the villages of Zennor, Boswednack
and Porthmeor and the hamlet of Treen
. It is located on the north coast, about 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Penzance
. Alphabetically, the parish is the last in Britain—its name comes from the Cornish
for the local saint, St Senara.
Zennor Head is a coastal promontory north of the village. The cliffs rise over 200 feet (61 m) from the sea and the highest point of the headland is 314 feet (95.7 m) above sea level.
About a mile east of the village is the Zennor Quoit
monument.
District.
) with a collection of local rural artifacts and a working water wheel. Adjacent to the museum is a backpackers' hostel.
and partly of the 13th and 15th centuries (the north aisle 15th century). There is a west tower and the octagonal font may be of the 13th century. One of only two remaining bench ends portrays the Mermaid of Zennor.
Little is known of St Senara, although legend connects her to Princess Asenora of Brittany
.
There is a local legend about a mermaid
in Zennor.
At St. Senara Church there is a carved bench-end over 600 years old showing the mermaid (which, arguably, might have inspired the Sue Monk Kidd
novel, The Mermaid Chair
}.
were involved in a mock seaborne raid codenamed "Exercise Brandyball" which took place on the 300 feet (91.4 m) cliffs near Zennor known as the 'Brandys'. The training exercise was deemed one of the most hazardous and challenging of the war, beginning with a seaborne landing, followed by a climb up the vertical cliffs with full kit to destroy the target, an old disused tin
mine
. On the rehearsal day of 6 June 1943 the weather was not good and one of the boats sank with the loss of two Commandos. These events were filmed by Allied officers as observers from all the services were present, including General Montgomery
, the archive now being held in the Imperial War Museum
. The following day the men decided the operation should continue, it being successfully completed on 7 June 1943.
lived in Cornwall until the age of nine and he returned in 1956 to live at the 'Eagle's Nest' house, overlooking the cliffs near Zennor. Many of the sharp-edged shapes in his works are reminiscent of the aged Cornish
coastline, while the rounded shapes recall the granite boulders in his garden. He died peacefully at his home in Zennor, in March 1999 at the age of 79 and many of his works are on display at the Tate St Ives
.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The parish includes the villages of Zennor, Boswednack
Boswednack
Boswednack is a village in the parish of Zennor near the north coast of the Penwith peninsula in Cornwall, United Kingdom....
and Porthmeor and the hamlet of Treen
Treen (Zennor)
Treen is a hamlet in the parish of Zennor, on the north coast of the Penwith peninsula in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. Nearby on the coast is Gurnard's Head, one of the many cliff castles on the Cornish coast and was formerly a Coastguard Lookout. The cliff above is known as Treen Cliff and to...
. It is located on the north coast, about 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
. Alphabetically, the parish is the last in Britain—its name comes from the Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
for the local saint, St Senara.
Zennor Head is a coastal promontory north of the village. The cliffs rise over 200 feet (61 m) from the sea and the highest point of the headland is 314 feet (95.7 m) above sea level.
About a mile east of the village is the Zennor Quoit
Zennor Quoit
Zennor Quoit is a ruined megalithic burial chamber or dolmen, located on a moor about a mile east of the village of Zennor, Cornwall. It dates to 2500–1500 BC...
monument.
Local government
For the purposes of local government Zennor elects a parish council every three years. Higher functions are exercised by Cornwall Council. Until March 2009 the parish was included in the former PenwithPenwith
Penwith was a local government district in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, whose council was based in Penzance. The district covered all of the Penwith peninsula, the toe-like promontory of land at the western end of Cornwall and which included an area of land to the east that fell outside the...
District.
Facilities
As well as a pub, the Tinner's Arms, the village has a small museum (the Wayside Folk MuseumThe Wayside Folk Museum
The Wayside Folk Museum is a small private museum situated in the village of Zennor in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. The exhibition within the museum concentrates on the past lives, traditions and practices of the people of Zennor and Penwith....
) with a collection of local rural artifacts and a working water wheel. Adjacent to the museum is a backpackers' hostel.
Parish Church of St Senara
The building is partly NormanNorman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
and partly of the 13th and 15th centuries (the north aisle 15th century). There is a west tower and the octagonal font may be of the 13th century. One of only two remaining bench ends portrays the Mermaid of Zennor.
Little is known of St Senara, although legend connects her to Princess Asenora of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
.
Antiquities
These include Zennor Quoit and Sperris Quoit (only 400 yards apart). There is a prehistoric entrance grave at Pennance known as the Giant's House and not far away are four round barrows. A little over a mile from Porthmeor is a circle of 11 stones known as the Nine Maidens and at Treen Dinas a promontory fort with five lines of fortification.The mermaid of Zennor
Mermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
in Zennor.
At St. Senara Church there is a carved bench-end over 600 years old showing the mermaid (which, arguably, might have inspired the Sue Monk Kidd
Sue Monk Kidd
Sue Monk Kidd is a writer from the Southern United States, best known for her novel, The Secret Life of Bees.- Biography :Kidd, who was born in Sylvester, Georgia, graduated from Texas Christian University with a B.S...
novel, The Mermaid Chair
The Mermaid Chair
The Mermaid Chair is a 2005 novel written by American novelist Sue Monk Kidd, which has also been adapted as a Lifetime movie-Synopsis:...
}.
Exercise Brandyball
In 1943 No.4 British CommandoCommando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
were involved in a mock seaborne raid codenamed "Exercise Brandyball" which took place on the 300 feet (91.4 m) cliffs near Zennor known as the 'Brandys'. The training exercise was deemed one of the most hazardous and challenging of the war, beginning with a seaborne landing, followed by a climb up the vertical cliffs with full kit to destroy the target, an old disused tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
mine
Mining in Cornwall
Mining in Cornwall and Devon began in the early Bronze Age approximately 2,150 BC and ended with the South Crofty tin mine in Cornwall closing in 1998...
. On the rehearsal day of 6 June 1943 the weather was not good and one of the boats sank with the loss of two Commandos. These events were filmed by Allied officers as observers from all the services were present, including General Montgomery
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
, the archive now being held in the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
. The following day the men decided the operation should continue, it being successfully completed on 7 June 1943.
Patrick Heron
Artist Patrick HeronPatrick Heron
Patrick Heron , was an English painter, writer and designer, based in St. Ives, Cornwall.- Early life :...
lived in Cornwall until the age of nine and he returned in 1956 to live at the 'Eagle's Nest' house, overlooking the cliffs near Zennor. Many of the sharp-edged shapes in his works are reminiscent of the aged Cornish
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
coastline, while the rounded shapes recall the granite boulders in his garden. He died peacefully at his home in Zennor, in March 1999 at the age of 79 and many of his works are on display at the Tate St Ives
Tate St Ives
Tate St Ives is an art gallery in St Ives, Cornwall, England, exhibiting work by modern British artists, including work of the St Ives School. The three storey building, designed by architects Evans and Shalev, lies on the site of an old gas works, overlooking Porthmeor Beach. It was opened in...
.