Bodmin Explorer

Here, the best views are found high above ground. Take your eyes upwards, and you’ll see that over the modern window displays, a huge amount of original architecture remains. This is the streetscape of years gone by, from traditional shopfronts to Victorian townhouses. There are centuries of stories tucked away here: Fore Street has been Bodmin’s principal street since early medieval times, when it was known as Vostret.

On your left, look for a small pedestrian passageway, which is named for one of Bodmin’s notable characters. Born nearby in 1736, John Arnold was a celebrated clockmaker, who began his training here in the town. After falling out with his father (who was also a clockmaker), he left Bodmin, never to return.

At 31, Arnold made his name by presenting King George III with a tiny repeating watch, so small it could be set in a ring. He also went on to perfect the maritime chronometer, used by famous explorers like Captain Cook, Dr Livingstone and Ernest Shackleton. Before it was renamed for Arnold, the alley was known as Friary Passage and originally led through the Friary to the burgage plots behind. If you look carefully, you should be able to spot a piece of worked stone in the walls of the passage.

Number 20 Fore Street (now Malcolm Barnecutt’s Bakery) was once home to St Petroc’s Guild House: a meeting point for the St Petroc’s Guild of Skinners and Glovers. This building was partly pulled down in 1502 and replaced with the Bodmin Guildhall you see today. It was probably here, in 1774, that John Wesley preached, arriving in rain and “violent wind” and describing the hall in his journal as “the most dreary one I ever saw”! The coat of arms over the doorway came later; being presented in 1807.

On your right, look out for some unusual carved bull heads. In 1839, a row of ancient cottages was replaced with a new home for Bodmin’s markets and traders. Instead of being scattered around town, they could be housed under one roof – making this a noisy, bustling spot with butchers’ stalls, fruit and sweet vendors, coopers, ropers, and tin-smiths. Over the years, it’s had many other uses, including a militia meeting place, a cinema, a fire brigade HQ, and a public debating platform. It’s likely both William Gladstone and Winston Churchill made speeches here.

Just across the road from Market House, a granite memorial commemorates a Cornish march to London in 1497. Leading the way were the St Keverne blacksmith Michael Joseph, known as An Gof, and a Bodmin lawyer, Thomas Flamank. Protesting against unfair tax rises, they and 15,000 supporters journeyed peacefully to Blackheath, on London’s outskirts. Things wouldn’t end so peacefully, though: 9,000 fought in the battle that followed, and both An Gof and Flamank were captured, charged with treason, and executed at Tyburn.

The Methodist movement that swept through Cornwall’s towns and villages reached Bodmin in 1743. It arrived with the well-known preacher John Wesley, who came late one August evening after losing his way on Bodmin Moor. Permission for the town’s first Methodist meeting place was granted in 1797, most likely at Chapel Lane. But, with a growing congregation, more space was needed: the present-day Italianate-style building was built in 1839, a century after the movement had begun.

Continue up the road until you reach the zebra crossing.

Years ago, this tranquil landscape was a setting for local sports. Cricket, rugby and Cornish wrestling matches all took place here (though areas of exposed granite made things more dangerous). Bodmin’s local militia also used the grounds for training – a tradition resurrected just before the Normandy invasion of WWII, when the Beacon was used by American forces practicing tank manoeuvres.

In 1993, peace fell when the land was reimagined as a Local Nature Reserve. Now, the 82-acre site is alive with heathland, hay meadows, fields, and woodlands, creating habitats for a host of wildlife.

We recommend taking your time exploring the reserve – it’s a great place to sit, eat, and spot wildlife. When it’s time to head back, choose one of the two return routes below. One is more direct, while the other takes a little longer.