Discover Saint Clether

Saint Clether is an interesting destination for anyone who wants to combine their holiday with discoveries of cultural and historical significance. Highlights include a distinctive well chapel, the parish church of St Clether and several historic wayside crosses. These sites make the village an intriguing choice for travellers who want to get to know Cornwall not only through its landscapes, but also through its religious and medieval history.

The St Clether Holy Well Chapel

The St Clether Holy Well Chapel is one of the largest well chapels in Cornwall. The building is thought to date from the 15th century, although it has older origins. St Clether's Holy Well is listed as Grade II*. A particular feature can be found inside: the water flows through a stone channel behind the altar and collects in a basin in the chapel wall.

The Well Chapel of St Clether can be reached on foot in 10 minutes from the village and from the parish church of St Clether. This means that a visit can be included in your travel plans as a short walk. Anyone looking for holiday accommodation in Saint Clether can pay particular attention when choosing where to stay to whether the well chapel and historic buildings provide the desired focus for their holiday.

Parish church with Norman features

The Church of St Clether has Norman origins and a 15th-century tower. With the exception of the tower, the church was largely rebuilt in 1865. Inside are a Norman font and three Norman capitals in the south aisle. Different periods of history therefore come together in one place: older structural elements and furnishings stand alongside the later-rebuilt church building.

The church should be regarded as a historic destination, without automatically inferring its current opening hours or general accessibility from its recorded history. For those interested in culture, the combination of the church and Holy Well nevertheless offers two clearly distinct focal points for a stay in Saint Clether.

Medieval crosses in the surrounding area

The wayside crosses also provide insight into the history of the surrounding area. A medieval cross-head 75 m east of Newpark was moved in 1885 from the foot of Roughtor to its present location. It is one of the largest known wheel-headed crosses. Another medieval wayside cross 120 m north of Basill is well preserved and is considered a good example of a wheel-headed cross with rare projections on the neck. It retains its original function as a signpost to a ford on the River Inney; the route is no longer used today.

The wayside cross 620 m south-west of Basil Farm is also well preserved and has the same rare form with projections on the neck. It belongs to a group of crosses around the Basil estate that marked historic routes to the Church of St Clether and to the Holy Well near St Clether. There is also a wayside cross at the Cross Gates crossroads, 620 m south-west of Basil Farm. Those who compare such details carefully will discover that Saint Clether is home not only to individual monuments, but also to traces of earlier routes and ways of finding one's way.

Choosing Saint Clether as the focus of your holiday

Saint Clether is particularly well suited to a trip centred on historic buildings, sacred sites and short excursions of discovery. When looking for a holiday apartment or other accommodation, you can therefore consider whether you primarily want to combine your days away with cultural sightseeing and walks. The facts on the ground offer different ways to explore the area: the Chapel tells of the connection between water and religious tradition, the church preserves Norman elements, and the wayside crosses point to medieval landscape and transport structures.

If you would like to compare other destinations, you can also find Sladesbridge, Lanlivery, Saint Austell, Saint Merryn, Saltash, Porthleven, Perranwell Station and Feock here.

For the higher-level travel overview: Cornwall.