Penpol, Lesnewth

File:Penpol.jpg

Penpol

Not to be confused with Penpol and Penpol Creek near Chycoose

Penpol is a Grade II listed building in north Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated two miles (3 km) east of Boscastle just outside the village of Lesnewth.

Penpol was believed to be one of the original farmhouses on the north facing side of the Valency valley as far as Peters Wood and Helsett Farm. The name comes from the Cornish "Pen" (end) and "Pol" (pool) which refers to the surrounding geographical relief, including marshland and river.

Penpol was once home to Mike Raven, a well-known radio DJ who presented on various pirate radio stations and on BBC Radio 1. Before that it was left derelict as a pig-house for hundreds of years. It was originally in possession of one of the leading families of Lesnewth and Boscastle, the graves of some of its members can be found in Lesnewth and St Juliot (as designed by Thomas Hardy) churchyards today.

During World War II, Penpol was used as a posting house for both US and UK air-force troops and later for children evacuated from cities and towns.

The building was designed with no windows and no upstairs floor and has since been renovated heavily in the 1970s and again in the 2000s. Non-original windows date back to the early 17th century and the north-east rear of the building was once believed to have a lean-to pergola style frame which has since either perished or been destroyed.

References

• Hardy, Thomas. Visions of Cornwall. London: Harper Collins.
• [North Cornwall District Council www.ncdc.gov.uk]
• Williams, Neville (1971) Royal Homes of Great Britain from Medieval to Modern Times . London: Lutterworth Press. ISBN 0-7188-0803-7
• National Trust, The (2000) Boscastle and the Surrounding Area. London: National Trust Press
• Wright, Patricia (1996) The Strange History of Buckingham Palace. Stroud: Sutton ISBN 0-7509-1283-9, ISBN 0-7509-1001-1

External links

• Penpol, Lesnewth: official listed building description