St Anthony Head, Cornwall – Lighthouse, Battery & Coves

VISITING ST ANTHONY HEAD

St Anthony Head (in Cornish, Penn Entenin) is the headland at the very tip of the Roseland Peninsula. It overlooks the entrance to the Carrick Roads – one of the largest natural harbours in the world – with Falmouth and Pendennis Castle across the water and St Mawes just round the corner.

The National Trust bought the headland in 1959, and since then its military past has been gradually revealed and restored. Below the car park, the white tower of St Anthony Lighthouse stands at the water’s edge, and above it are the remains of the gun battery that guarded the harbour from the 1890s until the 1950s.

It is a wonderful place for a picnic and a walk at any time of year. Paths lead down to the sheltered coves of Great and Little Molunan, out along the coast to Porthbeor and Towan, and round the shore to Place and the little church of St Anthony in Roseland.

For somewhere to stay, see St Anthony in Roseland holiday cottages and holidays and short breaks at St Anthony. The National Trust also has holiday cottages on the headland.

Best Time to Visit St Anthony Head

St Anthony Head is lovely all year. Spring and summer bring wild flowers on the cliffs and the Place Ferry from St Mawes; the National Trust runs battery tours on selected days in summer. Autumn and winter are good for watching seabirds, ships and stormy seas, and for clear views across to Falmouth.

ST ANTHONY LIGHTHOUSE

A coal beacon once burned on the headland to guide ships into Falmouth. The present lighthouse was built by Trinity House in 1835, designed by the engineer James Walker, to mark the entrance to the Carrick Roads and warn ships away from the dangerous Manacles rocks to the south-west. Until 1954 a huge bell hung outside the tower as a fog signal.

The lighthouse is now automatic and is not open to visitors, but it can be seen from the coast path above. Its white tower became famous in the 1980s as the lighthouse in the opening scenes of the British version of the children’s television series Fraggle Rock.

ST ANTHONY BATTERY

The strategic importance of St Anthony Head for the defence of the Carrick Roads and Falmouth is shown by the remains of many fortifications. Guns stood near the lighthouse as early as 1805, and in 1895–97 the present battery was built, with two 6-inch guns. It was manned through both World Wars, with an observation post, magazines and camp buildings on the headland, and was finally decommissioned in 1956.

After the National Trust bought the headland, much of the battery was buried, but in 2012 the eastern gun emplacement was excavated and restored, so visitors can walk down into the gun pit and see the walkways and magazine. The National Trust runs battery tours on selected days in summer, and the former officers’ quarters are now holiday cottages.

BEACHES AT ST ANTHONY HEAD

• Great & Little Molunan – two sheltered sandy coves facing the Carrick Roads, about ten minutes’ walk down from the headland car park. No facilities; dogs welcome all year.
• Porthbeor – a secluded, undeveloped cove on the outer coast, reached on foot by a steep path from the coast path. No facilities.
• Towan – a long sandy beach a short walk from the National Trust car park at Porth Farm, with a seasonal tea room.
• Cellars Beach – a small shingle beach on the Percuil River side, on the coast path near Place.

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

PLACE & ST ANTHONY’S CHURCH

On the sheltered shore of the Percuil River, opposite St Mawes, is Place – a large white house beside the little church of St Anthony in Roseland. In the 12th century the Augustinian priory of Plympton in Devon founded a small priory here, and the church was rededicated by Bishop Walter Bronescombe in 1259. After the priory was dissolved in 1538, part of it became a house and parts were pulled down – much of the stone is said to have gone into building St Mawes Castle.

From the 16th century Place belonged to the Spry family, and the present house was built in 1840 in front of the church; the old night door of the priory still connects church and house. The church was restored in the 1850s and keeps its medieval cruciform plan, with memorials to the Spry family including Admiral Sir Richard Spry. It is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust.

The seasonal Place Ferry crosses from St Mawes to the quay at Place, making it easy to combine a trip to St Mawes with a walk round St Anthony Head.

WALKS AT ST ANTHONY HEAD

The classic walk is the circuit of the headland from Place: take the Place Ferry from St Mawes, then follow the South West Coast Path past St Anthony’s church and Cellars Beach to St Anthony Head and the lighthouse, on round the outer coast past Porthbeor to Towan Beach, and back across the fields to Place – around 5 to 6 miles in all. Check the ferry times before you set out.

For a shorter walk, park at the National Trust car park on the headland and explore the battery, the lighthouse viewpoints and the path down to Great and Little Molunan.