Cornwall has plenty of gorgeous places for people to visit, including the village of St Agnes.
It can be found on the northwestern side of the county, located between Perranporth and Porthtowan.
St Agnes is in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is a popular spot for visitors.
Visit Cornwall shares that features such as its "rugged landscape and sheltered beach" are among its highlights.
Here's all you need to know about St Agnes, including what you can find there.
The history of St Agnes and how it got its name
The original name of St Agnes was "Bryanick," a Cornish term believed to mean "pointed hill," referring to St Agnes Beacon.
Cornish language expert Craig Weatherhill suggested the name was a compound of "bre" (hill) and "Anek" (Agnes), with the earliest recorded form being "Breanek" between 1420 and 1499.
The author Arthur G. Langdon, writing in the 1890s, noted that locals pronounced the name as "St Anne's" to distinguish it from St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly.
The village has a rich mining heritage, having been a centre for copper, tin, and arsenic mining until the 1920s.
Other industries have included farming, fishing, and quarrying, with tourism becoming more prominent in recent years.
What can you find in St Agnes?
St Agnes is described by Visit Cornwall as being "steeped in mining history" while maintaining a "traditional friendly Cornish atmosphere."
The village offers a range of shops, galleries, and craft workshops, as well as cafes and bars serving food and drink in a welcoming setting.
Its dramatic coastline includes Chapel Porth Beach and St Agnes Beacon, a prominent hill overlooking the village and the sea.
Below the village lies Trevaunance Cove, once a busy harbour and now a popular spot for families and surfers.
Visitors can enjoy exploring rockpools or relaxing on the sandy beach, with plenty of nearby options for food and drink.
The village is centred around its church, largely rebuilt in the 19th century on a medieval site.
Below the church, a row of cottages known as Stippy Stappy descends towards the valley leading to Trevaunance Cove.
Remnants of the mines that once supplied the harbour are visible throughout the parish and form part of Cornwall’s Mining World Heritage area.
St Agnes was featured in Winston Graham’s original Poldark novels.
Princess Anne visits St Agnes National Coastwatch station
St Agnes is a village that is valued by a member of the Royal Family, as Princess Anne visited the National Coastwatch station at St Agnes Head earlier in October.
The Princess Royal is patron of the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI), a charity run entirely by volunteers.
Her visit to St Agnes Head provided an opportunity to recognise the dedication of local volunteers and the vital role they play in helping to keep people safe around the coast.
NCI St Agnes Head is one of National Coastwatch's stations around the coast, where volunteer watchkeepers maintain a daily visual and radio watch, looking out for anyone who may be in difficulty or potential danger.
During her visit to the lookout, Princess Anne was briefed on the vital work undertaken by the St Agnes Head volunteers, the particular coastal risks encountered along this stretch of the Cornish coastline and the challenges of operating the lookout off-grid.
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Mark Weston, NCI St Agnes Head station manager, said: “It was a tremendous honour for us to welcome Her Royal Highness to St Agnes Head.
"The visit was a proud moment for the whole team in recognition for what we do and the hard work to restore the lookout.
"Our volunteers give their time throughout the year to maintain a watch over these challenging coastal waters, and Her Royal Highness’s visit was a wonderful acknowledgement of their efforts and the valuable service they provide to the local community.”
What's your favourite village to visit in Cornwall? Let us know in the comments.
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