The small parish of Zennor lies on the North Western Cornish coast, to the untrained eye the village just looks like a picture perfect Cornish settlement. However the local people of Zennor will tell you a story of enchantment & mystery that will point you in the direction of the village church.
The story begins….
….long ago when a beautiful and strange looking lady that seemed ‘not of this earth’ began to appear occasionally at the church services in the village. None of the villages knew who she was or where she came from and she seemed to disappear as quickly as she appeared.
Many of the local men became enchanted by her beauty, her long long flowing gold hair and in particular her unique singing voice, it was also said that her dress ‘shimmered like the sea on a sunny day’. One local man by the name of Matthew Trewella’s became so besotted over time with this beautiful woman that he took it upon himself to find out who she was and where she came from.
After the church service had concluded one Sunday Matthew decided to follow the lady as she made her way towards the towards the steep cliffs to the West of the village. This was the last time that Matthew and the mysterious lady would ever be seen in Zennor.
Many years had passed….
…..since Matthew vanished, so long so that his distraught mother had passed away. But late one summer’s evening the captain of a merchant ship anchored just off the coast to the west of Zennor heard a voice calling out to him. ‘Ship ahoy, ship ahoy’, as the captain leaned over the side of the vessel, a lady with long golden hair was clearly visible in the water. She told the Captain to move the boat as the anchor was blocking the access to her home on the sea bed & her husband Mathy was trapped inside with their children.
The captain fearing that the sight of a what could be a mermaid would bring disaster on the ship, wasted no time in agreeing to this request. As the captain turned away he noticed the the glimmer and swish of tail in the water and the lady was gone! On hearing of the this news from the ship’s captain the local’s decided to commemorate the story by carving the ‘Mermaids Bench’ which can be seen to this day in the church of St Serana in the north of the village.
Directions to Zennor.
Zennor can be easily accessed by car and is located just off the B3306. There is also a regular daily bus service to and from the village.
