BODMIN

Bodmin - or 'Bod-Meneghi', (meaning dwelling of the monks) is the historic County town of Cornwall, and was founded in 530AD by St Petroc and St Guron.The Parish Church of Bodmin, known as the Church of St. Petroc, is the largest church in Cornwall and is mainly 15th century, although parts are from earlier churches. The tall north tower is of Norman origin. St Guron's well is in the churchyard which dated back to the 6th Century and is Bodmin's oldest sacred spot. The church contains St Petroc's Casket of Byzantine origin (c1170), a Norman Font which is unique, and some fascinating old wood carvings. The historic Colours of the County Regiment, The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry are also housed within the church.

The 14th Century ruins of the Chapel of St Thomas Becket, the oldest building remaining in Bodmin are in the grounds of the Church of St Petroc.At Mount Folly Bodmin Town Museum gives a well displayed insight into local and social history of the town from Victorian costumes to the two world wars and beyond.The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry Military Museum is on the first floor of The Keep. Started in 1925 the museum contains one of finest armouries in the country, medals and uniforms of the past.Up until 1922, Bodmin Gaol, built in 1778, was used as the county prison, and has seen 55 hangings, the last public hanging in the area being in 1909. The gaol is now a tourist attraction, with exhibitions and the dungeons below ground give an eerie reminder of the past.

The Turret Clock marks the site of the ancient Butter Market. The Beacon, as it is known, stands high above Bodmin and is a 144ft obelisk dedicated to Lt. Gen. Sir Walter Raleigh Gilbert; a general in the British Army who served in India, and whose famous ancestors were Raleigh and Gilbert, the Elizabethan sailors.At the Shire Hall in Bodmin, visitors are invited to take part in a 19th century trial for the murder of a local girl found on the moors, north of Roughtor. The courtroom drama invites visitors as part of the jury to decide the fate of Matthew Weeks (a boyfriend), accused of her murder, although he was hanged at Bodmin Gaol, his guilt was dubious. The experience also includes a visit to the cells where prisoners awaited their fate. Shire Hall was built in 1837 and housed the County Assize Courts until 1988.

One of the grandest houses to visit in Cornwall, set in parkland, woods and landscape gardens is Lanhydrock, which overlooks the valley of the river Fowey. The house itself dates back to the 17th Century, although as a result of a devastating fire in 1881, much has been rebuilt. Fifty rooms reflect the opulence of a splendid Victorian household.There are many myths and legends surrounding Bodmin Moor, tales of highwaymen and smugglers are rife. The isolated church of Warleggan lies in the southern foothills, where, in the 1930's, the Rev Densham (said to a a lonely man) preached to a cardboard congregation!In the middle of Bodmin Moor, shrouded in mystery and tales of smugglers, stands the world famous Jamaica Inn and Museums. Daphne Du Maurier's smugglers den and the novel of Jamaica Inn can be experienced in tableaux, sound and light. Also not to be missed is the Victorian museum, Mr Potter's Museum of Curiosity, named after its founder the famous taxidermist Walter Potter. Here, some 10,000 exhibits and memorabilia from all over the world are housed. North of Roughtor, a monument stands to mark where young Charlotte Dymond died in 1844. Although her boyfriend Matthew Weeks was hanged for her murder at Bodmin Gaol, the crime is still a mystery.

The Cheesewring (named because of the similarity to a cheese press), is a natural pile of granite slabs associated with Daniel Gumb, a local stonecutter whose work is to be found in Linkinhorne churchyard. It is said Daniel taught himself elementary mathematics, married locally and lived in a cave beneath the Cheesewring. Many of his geometrical designs could be seen carved in the granite of the cave, but the cave collapsed and all that remains is 'D Gumb 1735', which was carved above the cave entrance.