On a hill at the head of Gillan Creek, Manaccan is a pretty village with a pleasant thatched pub, the New Inn. It is said that its remote location allowed smugglers to continue to function here long after their ‘business’ had been successfully eradicated elsewhere.
Its church, dedicated to St Mennaccus has a large fig tree growing out of its wall. The Lizard peninsula in general is renowned for its wealth of minerals, notably Serpentine rock, and at Manaccan a form of titanium was discovered by the Reverend Gregor in 1690. It was duly named manachanite.
Nearby is the ancient Trelowarren House with its handsome gardens and mixture of architectural styles. Both house and gardens are open to the public and there is also a restaurant and art gallery. In the grounds look out for Cornwall’s largest Iron Age fogou – the Halliggye Fogou. Fogou means cave in Cornish and these underground stone chambers would have been used for religious rituals and cold storage of food, as well as for hiding in times of attack
