A moated manor house, a church dedicated to St James, and distinctive features along local routes give Jacobstow a distinctive cultural and historical character. The sights and route descriptions offer different perspectives: Penhallam Manor represents medieval architectural history, the church its dedication and bells, and the footpaths their bridges, fields and old routeways. You can choose your focus depending on whether you would rather explore buildings and their history or different features along the routes.

Penhallam Manor: a medieval site in the valley

The low, grass-covered ruins of Penhallam Manor are the remains of a 13th-century manor house built by Andrew de Cardinham. The site was surrounded by a moat. Penhallam is one of the very few medieval moated sites in south-west England. This rarity refers to the combination of medieval age and a moated layout. Today, the site is a peaceful nature reserve in a wooded valley. Anyone interested in medieval architecture will find a distinctive point of interest here; the valley setting today adds a landscape perspective to the view of the ruins.

Church and well

Jacobstow parish church is dedicated to St James. Its six bells were cast locally in 1769 on the site of the old rectory. The dedication and bell casting offer two different details about the church’s history: its religious connection and a locally made feature with a precise date.

The Holy Well of St James has medieval origins and was probably rebuilt. Its origin and structural history should be distinguished: its origins are medieval, while a rebuilding remains a probability. St James Well lies in a hollow at the source of a stream that flows past the parish church. This adds a specific landscape connection to the architectural and church history.

Footpaths and their route features

Footpath FP 1 passes Bury Court and crosses Jacobstow’s only listed bridge. The route description thus names both a place along the way and a structure that forms part of the crossing.

FP 6 runs a few metres up Witchy Pool Lane into a field and ends at the A39. If you want to visit the Holy Well of St James, continue further up the lane. The directions thus distinguish between the end of the footpath and the continuation to the well.

From the church, the first lane, School Lane, runs east towards Water Gate. Where possible, you can take the old holloway route or follow a permitted path along the hedge to Blagdon. The directions offer two alternatives: the old route or the path along the hedge.

A path from Witheven Lane crosses a stile and a field to a packhorse bridge. For comparison, you can pay particular attention to the type of route: FP 1 crosses a listed bridge; at School Lane, you can choose between the possible holloway route and the permitted path along the hedge.

Local food

Wainhouse Country Store sells local cheese and cream, fresh bread and cakes, as well as freshly baked Barnecutts pasties made on site. The food on offer adds a specific culinary stop in Jacobstow to the historic sites and footpaths.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Boscastle, Gorran Haven, Penzance, Padstow, Gerrans, St Winnow, Millbrook, Colan

For the main travel overview: Cornwall.