Bolventor
Encyclopedia
Bolventor is a hamlet on Bodmin Moor
in Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. It is situated in Altarnun
civil parish between Launceston and Bodmin
.
Bolventor is the location of the famous Jamaica Inn
coaching inn. It is bypassed by a dual carriageway
section of the A30
trunk road; before the bypass was built the village straddled the A30 road.
Daphne du Maurier
, a former resident, chose Bolventor as the setting for her novel about Cornish smugglers
titled Jamaica Inn
. The inn that inspired the novel, Jamaica Inn
, has stood beside the main road through the village since 1547. It is now a tourist attraction in its own right and dominates the village.
The small church (dedicated to the Holy Trinity) that lies to the east of the village closed some years ago. A mile from Bolventor there was a chapel of St Luke (from the 13th to the early 16th century): the font is now at the church of Tideford
. Bolventor parish was established in 1846 (before that date the village was in St Neot parish) but has now been merged with Altarnun
.
The village is said to take its name from the "Bold Venture" that it must have appeared to build a farm in this moorland, but this is probably folk etymology, as "Bol-" is a common prefix in Cornish placenames.
Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor is a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in size, and originally dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history....
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It is situated in Altarnun
Altarnun
Altarnun is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is located on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor at .The parish of Altarnun includes the village of Fivelanes and the hamlets of Bolventor, Treween and Trewint, and had a population of 976 according to the 2001 census...
civil parish between Launceston and Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
.
Bolventor is the location of the famous Jamaica Inn
Jamaica Inn
The Jamaica Inn, originally a public house and now an inn, is a Grade II listed building in the civil parish of Altarnun, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Located near the middle of Bodmin Moor near the hamlet of Bolventor, it was built as a coaching house in 1750 as a staging post for changing horses...
coaching inn. It is bypassed by a dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
section of the A30
A30 road
The 284 miles A30 road from London to Land's End, historically known as the Great South West Road used to provide the most direct route from London to the south west; more recently the M3 motorway and A303 road performs this function for much of the route and only parts of A30 now retain trunk...
trunk road; before the bypass was built the village straddled the A30 road.
Daphne du Maurier
Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning DBE was a British author and playwright.Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Her elder sister was...
, a former resident, chose Bolventor as the setting for her novel about Cornish smugglers
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
titled Jamaica Inn
Jamaica Inn (novel)
Jamaica Inn is a novel by the English writer Daphne du Maurier, first published in 1936. It was later made into a film, also called Jamaica Inn, by Alfred Hitchcock...
. The inn that inspired the novel, Jamaica Inn
Jamaica Inn
The Jamaica Inn, originally a public house and now an inn, is a Grade II listed building in the civil parish of Altarnun, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Located near the middle of Bodmin Moor near the hamlet of Bolventor, it was built as a coaching house in 1750 as a staging post for changing horses...
, has stood beside the main road through the village since 1547. It is now a tourist attraction in its own right and dominates the village.
The small church (dedicated to the Holy Trinity) that lies to the east of the village closed some years ago. A mile from Bolventor there was a chapel of St Luke (from the 13th to the early 16th century): the font is now at the church of Tideford
Tideford
Tideford is a small village in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is twinned with Plouguerneau in Brittany, France.Its name derives from its location on the River Tiddy, literally meaning "Ford on the River Tiddy". Tideford is not listed in the Domesday Book but the earliest settlement is...
. Bolventor parish was established in 1846 (before that date the village was in St Neot parish) but has now been merged with Altarnun
Altarnun
Altarnun is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is located on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor at .The parish of Altarnun includes the village of Fivelanes and the hamlets of Bolventor, Treween and Trewint, and had a population of 976 according to the 2001 census...
.
The village is said to take its name from the "Bold Venture" that it must have appeared to build a farm in this moorland, but this is probably folk etymology, as "Bol-" is a common prefix in Cornish placenames.