St Kew

St Kew is a village and civil parish in North Cornwall, south of Port Isaac and close to the larger settlement of St Kew Highway. The parish is named for Cywa or Kew, a Welsh saint thought to be the sister of Docco, who founded one of the earliest Celtic monasteries in Cornwall at or near the village.

The 15th-century parish church of St James is one of the most notable in North Cornwall. It contains medieval stained glass windows - a rarity in the county - including a recently restored window depicting the story of Christ’s Passion. The south chapel holds fragments of even older glass showing the genealogy of Christ. Inside, the high nave has a wagon roof with original carved angel beams, a Jacobean pulpit and medieval carved bench ends.

St Kew Highway, a mile or so to the east, has a pub, a shop and the well-regarded St Kew Inn. The surrounding farmland and lanes make for pleasant walking, and the parish sits at the junction of several rural routes linking the coast to the interior.

Port Isaac and its harbour are about four miles to the north, while Wadebridge and the Camel Trail are a similar distance to the west. St Kew suits visitors who want to be within easy reach of both the coast and the quiet countryside of inland North Cornwall.