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Veryan

Coordinates: 50°12′50″N 4°55′52″W / 50.214°N 4.931°W / 50.214; -4.931
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For other uses, see Veryan (disambiguation).

Veryan
Clockwise: Veryan Round Houses, Veryan Memorial Cross, Veryan & Portloe Stores, Veryan Pond & Parish Hall, St Symphorian's Church
Veryan is located in Cornwall
Veryan
Veryan
Location within Cornwall
Population945 (2011 census including Carne)[1]
OS grid referenceSW9139
Civil parish
  • Veryan
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townTruro
Postcode districtTR2
Dialling code01872
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireCornwall
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cornwall
50°12′50″N 4°55′52″W / 50.214°N 4.931°W / 50.214; -4.931

Veryan (Cornish: Elerghi) is a coastal civil parish and village on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village has been described as one of Cornwall's loveliest inland villages and as ′a mild tropic garden′ by John Betjeman. It is probably best known for the round-houses, built by the vicar Jeremiah Trist in the early 19th century.[2]

Geography

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The southern boundary of the parish is along the English Channel from the Pendower stream in the west to Portholland in the east. To the west is the parish of Gerrans and on the east is St Michael Caerhays. Veryan is bounded by the parishes of Philleigh, Ruan Lanihorne and Tregony in the north.[3] The parish comprises 5,592 acres (2,263 ha) of land and 35 acres (14 ha) of water.

The A3078 is the main form of communication and runs along the north of the parish from St Mawes joining the A390 at Probus. The nearest railway stations are at Truro and St Austell. The main settlements are Veryan Churchtown, Veryan Green, Portloe and the smaller hamlets of Trewartha, Treviskey, Carne and Camels.[4] Veryan is served by a post office (Veryan and Portloe Stores) and a public house (the New Inn).[5]

History

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Two round houses built by the Vicar for his daughters

Veryan was originally mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as the manor of Elerchi (now Elerkey in street names etc.), which was derived from 'elerch', the Cornish for 'swan'.[4] The origin of the name is by corruption of "Symphorian" to "Severian" and then "Saint Veryan".[6] The church is one of the few in west Cornwall for which there is no evidence of its existence before the Norman Conquest. The church was given by the lord of the manor of Elerky to the monks of Montacute in Somerset, c. 1110, but a later lord, John de Montacute, gave it to the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, ca. 1220, and they held it until 1859.[7] The parish church of St Symphorian has an unusual plan with a tower south of the south transept and a north aisle. Parts of the church are Norman and others Decorated in style.[8]

Melinsey Mill is situated within Veryan.[9] The mill itself was built in 1565 and now the site stands as a tourist attraction which serves food.[10]

In the 19th century Veryan's vicar and local land owner Jeremiah Trist expanded the village's buildings.[11] He convinced parishioners to attend church on a regular basis, and built two schools and a series of round houses. The school for boys was built in 1814, and on its site now stands the present infant and junior school. A "school of industry" for girls was also built, now a thatched house behind the New Inn.[12] The round houses were built between 1815 and 1818 by Trist, inspired by one in St Winnow. There is a pair at the entrance to the village at Veryan Green and another two at village entrance on the Pendower road. All four are thatched, while a fifth behind the school has a slate roof.[12][11] Trist installed crosses on each of the houses and they were said to deter the devil from entering the village.[13] The large house, Parc Behan, overlooking the church was also built by Trist as his dwelling: the vicarage was too small and in a bad state of repair.[12]

Carne Beacon

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Carne Beacon, lying a mile from Veryan, is said to be the burial place of the Cornish saint, King Gerennius (Geraint). Local folklore suggests that the burial mound contains the golden boat with silver oars, on which his body was brought across Gerrans Bay.[14] There is no archaeological evidence for the existence of this boat.[15]

Carne Beacon, the site of T2 Veryan Post

During World War II, Carne Beacon became the site of the very first Cornish above ground aircraft reporting post. It opened in January 1940 as part of No 20 Group Truro and was designated the name of T2 Veryan Post.[16] The site was chosen because of its advantageous views over the sea. Local residents strongly objected to its placing on such a hallowed point but they were overruled by the Air Ministry.[16] The view was excellent for this post which was a wooden structure some 3 metres by 4 metres square. The post consisted of an observation area with aircraft plotting instrument and a small space for making refreshments and gaining shelter. They communicated by a land line telephone to Truro where the main operations room was based. It was continuously patrolled and had to report every aircraft in a ten-mile radius. It was later equipped with high frequency radio which enabled it to communicate with aircraft that sent out distress signals.[16] It was later refurbished with concrete and remained in use after the war mainly manned in villagers spare time. In 1962 the site closed and moved to Nare Head. The site was demolished and some remains are viewable at the Veryan Post Museum.[16] In present-day all that remains of the post are its concrete foundations.[16]

Local government

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In 1894 Veryan became part of the Truro Rural District which was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and Veryan became part of Carrick District Council. The district was abolished in 2009 and Veryan now falls under the unitary Cornwall Council. Veryan also elects eleven councillors to the parish council.[17] The vicarage cross consists of an ancient shaft with a modern base and cross head; it was erected early in the 20th century.[18]

Sport

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Veryan Sports and Social Club was opened in 1984 and provide facilities for cricket, bowling and tennis. Veryan Cricket Club was founded in 1860, although the game was played much earlier with a writer from The West Briton newspaper crediting Trist as inspiring the locals to play cricket since 1810.[19] The team joined the Cornwall Cricket League in 1951 and played in Senior 1 East in 1983; the highest level in Cornwall at that time. They currently have two teams playing in Division 2 East and Division 6 Central. Their most famous player was David Halfyard.[20]

Veryan Football Club play in the Duchy League and are the current champions of the second division; level 16 in the English pyramid system.

Tourism

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Veryan attracts tourism due to its location on the Roseland Peninsula and has bed and breakfasts, hotels and guest houses. The round houses are also a factor in the parish's tourism interest and are rented out for accommodation.[21] Veryan is also popular because of its location near the South West Coast Path, a route for keen walkers in Cornwall.[21] Locals also let visitors use the Indoor Bowling Green. The village also has a Sports Pavilion with provision for tennis, cricket, bowls and a children’s playground. Carne Beacon also attracts visitors as it is open to the public with prior contact.[16]

Film and television

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Various scenes for the 1992 television drama series The Camomile Lawn, based on Mary Wesley's book of the same name, were filmed in Veryan (Broom Parc House) and on the coast at nearby Portloe.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  2. ^ Acton, Bob (1997). From The Roseland To St Austell Bay. Devoran: Landfall Publications. pp. 14–15. ISBN 1-873443-29-3.
  3. ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 204 Truro & Falmouth ISBN 978-0-319-23149-4
  4. ^ a b "Veryan". GENUKI. 2001. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  5. ^ Middleton, Kimberly (24 March 2011). "Couple eager to put stamp on 'dream' post office life". The West Briton. Cornwall & Devon Media (via Highbeam Research). Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  6. ^ Mills, A. D. (1996). The Popular Dictionary of English Place-Names. Parragon Book Service Ltd and Magpie Books. p. 341. ISBN 0-7525-1851-8.
  7. ^ Henderson, Charles (1925). The Cornish church guide. Oscar Blackford. p. 214. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  8. ^ Pevsner, N. (1970) Cornwall, 2nd ed. Penguin Books
  9. ^ "Sonia displays her colours". The West Briton. (Cornwall & Devon Media via Highbeam Research). 31 March 2011. Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  10. ^ "History". Melinsey Mill. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  11. ^ a b Webb, Christine (2 April 2007). "No more awkward corners". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  12. ^ a b c A Brief Guide To The Village Of Veryan In Cornwall. Veryan Parochial Church Council. 2007.
  13. ^ "Keeping the devil out of Cornwall". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Cowles Publishing Company). 9 January 1913. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  14. ^ "Walker's Britain: Cornwall Coastal Path". Sherpa Expeditions. October 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  15. ^ "You are here: The Hurlers". Mysteriousbritain.co.uk. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  16. ^ a b c d e f "The Royal Observer Corps: 67 Post Veryan". Truroca.co.uk. 2004. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  17. ^ "Veryan Parish Council". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  18. ^ Langdon, A. G. (2002) Stone Crosses in Mid Cornwall; 2nd ed. Federation of Old Cornwall Societies; p. 72
  19. ^ "200 Club West Briton; Veryan Cricket Club". The West Briton. Cornwall & Devon Media. 16 September 2010. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  20. ^ "Welcome to Veryan Cricket Club's website". Veryan Cricket Club. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  21. ^ a b "Self Catering Holidays in Veryan". roundhousecornwall.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  22. ^ "The Camomile Lawn". Channel 4. 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
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