Veryan, Cornwall – the Village of the Round Houses

HOLIDAYS IN VERYAN

Veryan is a historic and picturesque village on the Roseland Peninsula, a little way inland from Gerrans Bay and Veryan Bay. It is a popular stop for visitors, who come to see the five thatched round houses that mark the entrances to the village.

The village has a particular charm, and the people of Veryan take great pride in it. There is a sports pavilion with tennis, cricket and bowls, a children’s playground and an indoor bowling green, built by the community. The New Inn provides a warm welcome and good food and drink, and the village shop and post office serves Veryan and Portloe.

Veryan is close to some of the best beaches on the south coast: Carne and Pendower on Gerrans Bay, and East and West Portholland on Veryan Bay, with the fishing cove of Portloe and the headland of Nare Head nearby. It makes a great base for a holiday in Cornwall, with easy access to St Mawes and Falmouth (by ferry), Mevagissey and Truro.

For somewhere to stay, see Veryan holiday cottages and holidays and short breaks in Veryan.

Best Time to Visit Veryan

Spring is lovely, with the gardens in flower and the lanes full of primroses. Summer is the time for the beaches at Carne and Pendower. Autumn and winter are quiet, ideal for walks to Nare Head.

THE VERYAN ROUND HOUSES

Veryan’s famous round houses stand in pairs and singly at the entrances to the village. There are five in all, built around 1815–20 by Hugh Rowe, a builder from Lostwithiel, for the Reverend Jeremiah Trist, the vicar and local landowner. They are round cottages of whitewashed cob and stone, with conical thatched roofs topped by crosses.

Local tradition says Parson Trist built one for each of his five daughters, and that the houses were made round so that there would be no corners in which the Devil could hide – the crosses on the roofs keeping him out of the village. The more likely reason for the round plan is simply that it was economical. Trist was vicar of Veryan for over fifty years until his death in 1829, and also built two schools in the village.

The round houses are listed buildings and are private homes, so please view them from the road.

ST SYMPHORIAN’S CHURCH

The parish church of St Symphorian stands in the heart of the village. The present building dates mainly from the 13th and 14th centuries, with later restoration. In the churchyard is a long memorial to the 19 crew of the sailing ship Hera, wrecked off Nare Head in 1914.

BEACHES NEAR VERYAN

• Carne Beach – gently sloping sand and rock pools below the Nare Hotel, with a National Trust car park and a seasonal refreshment van.
• Pendower Beach – a vast National Trust beach backed by dunes, joined to Carne at low tide.
• East and West Portholland – twin coves on Veryan Bay.
• Portloe – a tiny working fishing cove.

None has a lifeguard. See our guide to beaches on the Roseland Peninsula.

HISTORY OF VERYAN & CARNE BEACON

Veryan’s parish includes Veryan Churchtown, Veryan Green, Portloe and the hamlets of Carne, Camels, Trewartha and Treviskey. Just outside the village, on the highest ground on the Roseland, is Carne Beacon, a huge Bronze Age burial mound. Legend says it is the grave of King Geraint, buried with his golden boat and silver oars after his body was rowed across Gerrans Bay.

During the Second World War an aircraft reporting post was set up on Carne Beacon. In the 19th century the Reverend Jeremiah Trist reshaped the village, building the round houses, the schools and his own house, Parc Behan, above the church.

Parts of the 1992 television drama The Camomile Lawn were filmed at Broom Parc, on the coast near Veryan and Portloe.

WALKS FROM VERYAN

Footpaths lead from Veryan down to Carne and Pendower beaches and the South West Coast Path. From Carne the coast path climbs to Nare Head, a National Trust headland with some of the finest views on the south coast, and continues along the cliffs to Portloe. A circular walk from Veryan to Carne, Nare Head, Portloe and back by the lanes makes a memorable day out.

PLACES NEAR VERYAN

• Portloe – about 2 miles.
• Portholland – about 3 miles.
• Tregony – about 4 miles.
• Gerrans and Portscatho – about 5 miles.
• St Mawes – about 9 miles.
• The Roseland Peninsula – our guide to the whole peninsula.