Zennor

Zennor is a village and civil parish in the Penwith district of Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The parish includes the villages of Zennor, Boswednack and Porthmeor and the hamlet of Treen. It is located on the north coast, about six miles north of Penzance. Alphabetically, the parish is the last in Britain - its name comes from the Cornish for the local saint, St Senara [ [http://www.cornish-language.org/English/PlaceNames.asp?view=Z Warlinnen - The Cornish Language Online ] ] .

Local Government

For the purposes of local government classification Zennor elects a parish Council every 3 years. For elections to Penwith District Council Zennor falls within the single member Madron and Zennor ward.

The Mermaid of Zennor

There is a local legend about a mermaid in Zennor.

Mathew Trewella was a good-looking young man with a good voice. Each evening Mathew would sing the closing hymn at the church in Zennor, solo. A mermaid living in neighbouring Pendour Cove was enchanted by the music. She dressed in a long dress to hide her long tail and walked a bit awkwardly to the church. Initially, she just marvelled at Mathew's singing before slipping away to return to the sea. She came every day, and eventually became bolder, staying longer. It was on one of these visits that her gaze met Mathew's, and they fell in love. However, the mermaid knew she had to go back to the sea or die. As she prepared to leave, Mathew said "Please do not leave, who are you, where are you from?". The mermaid told him that she was a creature from the sea and that she must go back. Mathew was so love-struck that he swore he would follow her wherever she went. Mathew carried her to the cove and followed her beneath the waves, never to be seen again.

It is said that if you sit above Pendour Cove at sunset on a fine summer evening you might hear Mathew singing faintly on the breeze.

At St. Senara Church in Zennor visitors may see a carved bench-end over 600 years old showing the mermaid.

Exercise Brandyball

In 1943 No.4 British Commando were involved in a mock seaborne raid codenamed "Exercise Brandyball" which took place on the 300 foot cliffs near Zennor known as the 'Brandys'. The training exercise was a mock seaborne raid and was deemed one of the most hazardous and challenging of the war. After the seaborne landing it involved 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, and the archive is now in the Imperial War Museum. The following day the men decided the operation should continue and it was completed successfully on 7 June 1943. ["The Fighting Fourth" by James Dunning - p109 - 2003] [ [http://www.4commando.org.uk/no4commando.htm 4 Commando in Cornwall] ]

Facilities

As well as a pub, The Tinners Arms, the village has a small museum (The Wayside Folk Museum) with a collection of local rural artifacts and a working water wheel. Adjacent to the museum is a Backpackers Hostel.

=Gallery of

References

External links

* [http://www.shimbo.co.uk/history/legends.htm Myths and legends of Cornwall] including a picture of the St. Senara Church carved bench end showing the mermaid
* [http://crocat.cornwall.gov.uk/dserve/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=Overview.tcl&dsqSearch=((text)='zennor') Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Zennor]
* [http://www.strollingguides.co.uk/books/cornwall/walks/zennor.php Photographs and details of a short walk]
* [http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/Zennor/ Background information re. Zennor]
* [http://www.backpackers.co.uk/zennor/ Zennor Backpackers' Hostel]
* [http://www.ianlewis147.com/002_zennor_18.07.07/002_zennor_18.07.07.html Photographs taken at Zennor by Cornwall resident Ian Lewis - 18th July 2007]
* [http://www.nudetea.org/Zennor.htm A more romantic telling of the tale.]