On the edge of Bodmin Moor, St Torney’s Church stands in the village of North Hill; the village and landscape tell stories from different periods. St Torney’s Church is a Grade I listed building and stands in the village. Its oldest part, the chancel, dates from the 14th century. In the Parish of North Hill, the story extends from the geology of the River Lynher to prehistoric sites in the eastern part of Bodmin Moor.
Village, River and Landscape
The River Lynher has carved its channel along a geological boundary: Bodmin Moor granite lies to the southwest, while slate and shale lie to the northeast. St Torney’s Holy Well is also located on this boundary between rock types. The well is beside the River Lynher, a quarter of a mile southeast of St Torney’s Church. Pure water flows there, and was highly valued by earlier inhabitants of the area. Lush vegetation usually partly obscures the well.
When orienting yourself in the landscape, it is helpful to distinguish between the sides of the parish. Its western edges lie on the high granite of Bodmin Moor; Twelve Men’s Moor forms the western part of the parish, across the treeless expanse of moorland. The eastern side of the parish, by contrast, is part of the gently rolling landscape of the Tamar Valley. The name Twelve Men’s Moor comes from twelve men who were granted grazing rights on the moor by Launceston Priory.
Church and Prehistoric Sites
The church and the remains on the moor offer different starting points for a history-focused stay. At St Torney’s Church, the medieval chancel takes centre stage; at the Holy Well, a geological feature is linked with the memory of how earlier inhabitants valued it. The prehistoric sites, in turn, offer insight into an earlier settlement of the landscape.
A prehistoric standing stone stands on Twelve Men’s Moor: a slender granite slab at least three metres long, in a high valley between Bearah Tor and Kilmar Tor in eastern Bodmin Moor. At Hawk’s Tor, a prehistoric unenclosed roundhouse settlement is well preserved. It comprises ten stone roundhouses across 0.6 hectares, as well as three small enclosures, two cairns and associated walls. On the lower western slope of Kilmar Tor, within the Parish of North Hill, lies a protected archaeological site with a small prehistoric unenclosed roundhouse settlement.
Circular Walk and Local History
The circular walk from North Hill to Hawks Tor follows prehistoric trading routes through the Lynher Valley and offers wide panoramic views across Bodmin Moor. Its starting point is also linked with the area’s industrial history: granite was quarried in North Hill for the construction of Westminster Bridge. Mining and quarrying were once thriving industries in the parish on the eastern edge of Bodmin Moor. A trip through North Hill thus brings together landscape, prehistoric settlement and the later use of mineral resources, without combining the individual sites into a single route.
Getting There and Choosing a Focus
The nearest railway station to St Torney’s Church is Okehampton, 27 miles to the east. Buses connect Launceston with North Hill via Liskeard. Check bus timetables for your travel dates, as services may change. When planning your visit, you can choose between different areas of interest: the village church and Holy Well offer a focus on local history, while the circular walk, standing stone and roundhouse settlements turn your attention to moorland and prehistory.
Discover more destinations: Carbis Bay, Ruan High Lanes, Edmonton, Lelant, Budock Water, Colan, Washaway, Bude.
For the wider travel overview: Cornwall.
