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“When dawn breaks upon the
moor it is a daybreak like no other, for a Cornish moorland
vista is all sky. The first glow of dawn touches the night
sky, tinting any cloud with deep rose.” Extract
from The Inn on the Moor, a History of Jamaica Inn by Rose
Mullins.
The moorland surrounding
Jamaica Inn is both dramatic and beautiful. Bodmin
Moor is home to many stone structures that have faced the
cruel winds throughout the centuries. These structures were
often seen as the work of giants.
The
Cheesewring
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The Cheesewring
and The Hurlers are situated near the village of Minions.
The stones of The Hurlers form three circles and according
to legend, the stones were once people who were turned
to stone as punishment for hurling on Sundays. |
Trethevy
Quoit near St.Cleer, also known as King Arthur’s
Quoit, is one of the most impressive ancient burial chambers
in Cornwall. To strengthen further the legend of King Arthur
on Bodmin Moor, there is also King Arthur's Hall and Arthur's
Bed. A young girl called Charlotte Dymond was murdered here
in 1844 and a monument stands at the base of the hill in an
eerie silence, which has led to many stories about her ghost
wandering over the moors.
Two
miles from Jamaica Inn is Dozmary
Pool where, according to legend, Sir Bedevere threw
Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur, to the lady of
the lake. The evil Jan Tregeagle is also linked to Dozmary
Pool.
He is said to have sold his soul to the devil and was
doomed to emptying the lake with a leaking limpet shell.
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Dozmary
Pool |
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©
Jamaica Inn 2003
Site
design Four Degrees West
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To the
north of Jamaica Inn towers Brown Willy, the highest hill
in Cornwall at 1,377 feet. Rough Tor is nearly as high at
1,311 feet and is capped with jagged granite - hence the local
saying 'as rough as Rough Tor'.
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The
Church at Altarnun
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To
the east lies Altarnun, where the church is known as
the cathedral of the moor. This was the home of Reverend
Davey, the villain in Daphne du Maurier's novel Jamaica
Inn.
Rose
Mullins' book 'The Inn on the Moor' gives an in-depth
history of Bodmin Moor and the Inn.
Another
useful link:
http://www.bodminmoor.co.uk/ |
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