Gweek, Cornwall

Gweek is a village located on the upper reaches of the Helford River, around 3 miles south-east of Helston, and 7 miles south-west of Falmouth, in Cornwall. It lies on the boundary of The Lizard AONB. Gweek has been a port for around 2,000 years, having been established during the Late Iron Age. In fact, during the Tudor period, there was so many goods coming in from overseas that a customs house was built. While Gweek's port still stands, it's now a boatyard, used mainly for the storage of leisure boats. The name Gweek comes from the Cornish word Gwig which means Forest Village. The amenities in the village are a pub, a post office and shop, a boatyard, a village hall, and a small church, which was originally built as a chapel in the parish of Constantine. As well as all these, Gweek is home to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, which is probably the most well known thing about the village. This attraction is home to a number of seals, sea lions, penguins, and more animals. The parish of Gweek incorporates the village of Gweek and the fields surrounding the village. It's a fairly recent parish, having been formed out of the parishes of Constantine, Wendron and Mawgan-In-Meneage. Gweek parish is bordered by the same parishes it was formed out of. As well as its ancient port, on the outskirts of Gweek is another ancient site of interest, the Tolvan Stone, a triangular holed stone dating from the Bronze Age, one of only two holed stones in Cornwall which are large enough to crawl through. It stands in the back of a private back garden, and a video of it can be watched here -    • Tolvan Stone - Ancient Cornwall   Music by Adrian von Ziegler -    / adrianvonziegler