Lanreath is a village and parish in South-east Cornwall, five miles west of Looe. The name of the village, pronouced 'Lanreth', means Church (Lann) of Raydhogh, about whom nothing is known. The parish, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book as Lannedoch, is almost entirely rural and consists of scattered farms, one hamlet, Bocadda, and the village of Lanreath.
The parish church is dedicated to St Manarck, although it was originally dedicated to St Sancreedus. Part of the walls are thought to be Norman although the main body dates from the fifteenth century and was substantially restored in 1887.
Lanreath was the focus of a 2007 BBC documentary called 'Power to the People', which centred on the closure of Lanreath primary school and the widespread decline of small rural villages.
There are a number of ghost stories associated with Lanreath. The best-known features a ghost in black driving a coach pulled by a headless horse. The ghost is said to have been exorcised by Parson Dodge after Reverend Grylls was knocked unconscious by the phantom driver. Parson Dodge was notorious for supposedly making up ghost stories in order to keep the lanes clear for smugglers.
In 1620 the Punch Bowl Inn became the first licensed public house in the land, although parts of the building date back even earlier than this. The inn served as a courthouse, coaching inn and smugglers den before its present incarnation serving real ale, good food and comfortable accomodation. The Lanreath Farm and Folk Museum was created by the Facey family in the 1960s and contains artefacts illustrating everyday life in the area in earlier times.
Lanreath is a quiet, pleasant place offering easy access to the coast and the moors.
