Merthen Manor (, meaning ''sea fort'') is a 16th-century

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

in west

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, England, UK. For most of its history it has been in the ownership of the prominent Cornish family, the

Vyvyan family : ''For the Vivian family of Glynn and Truro, Cornwall, see Baron Vivian.'' The Vyvyans are a prominent Cornish family who were members of Parliament, baronets, and landowners in Penwith and Kerrier since the 15th century. The Vyvyan famil ...

. The house is set in over of woodland which, along with the shoreline of the

Helford River The Helford River () is a ria (flooded river valley) in Cornwall, England, fed by small streams into its many creeks. There are seven creeks on the Helford; from west to east these are Ponsontuel Creek, Mawgan Creek, Polpenwith Creek, Polwheve ...

, is designated as ''Merthen Woods''

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI).

History

The land of Merthen was originally part of the manor of Winnianton, which was given to

Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall Richard (5 January 1209 – 2 April 1272) was an English prince who was King of the Romans from 1257 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of John, King of England, and Isabella, Countess of Angoulême. Richard was nominal Count of P ...

by his brother, Henry III, in 1225, who then swapped it with Gervase de Tintagel for

Tintagel Castle Tintagel Castle () is a England in the Middle Ages, medieval fortification located on the peninsula of Tintagel Island adjacent to the village of Tintagel (Trevena), North Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The site was possibly occupied in the Ro ...

. Ralph Reskymer obtained Merthen in the early part of the 15th century, and it became family seat of the Reskymers. The current manor house is thought to have been built in 1575 by John Reskymer and his wife Grace, due to their coat of arms over the entrance, although it may originate earlier and the coat of arms are an indication a remodelling or reduction. Grace died in 1627, 10 years after her husband, and in 1629 it was sold to Sir Francis Vyvyan of Trelowarren and has remained with the family since. In the early 19th century the house was remodelled again, and the interior was renovated in the 20th century.

Estate

In the early part of Merthen's history it was the prominent place of the parish and had a deer park.

Merthen Wood

The woods to the south of the manor house, on the banks of the

, were designated a

in 1972 for their

biological Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of ...

characteristics. The site is of importance due to its population of Sessile Oak (''

Quercus petraea ''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Welsh oak, Cornish oak, Irish oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an un ...

''). Other notable species within the woods include the nationally uncommon Bastard Balm ('' Melittis melissophyllum'') and the nationally rare mosses '' Fissidens curnowii'' and '' Hookeria lucens''. The woods are home to the largest British population of '' Anchonidium unguiculare'' rare

weevil Weevils are beetles belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small – less than in length – and herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several fa ...

, which only exist in woodland along the Helford River within

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

Merthen Manor today

Merthen Manor, now owned by Mary Vyvyan, is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

and provides

bed & breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

accommodation in the main house and self-catering accommodation in the converted barn.

References

External links

Merthen Manor website
{{Portal bar, Cornwall, United Kingdom, Architecture, border=no Country houses in Cornwall Manors in Cornwall Grade II* listed buildings in Cornwall Grade II* listed houses Houses completed in 1575 Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall Nature Conservation Review sites