Madron

Madron is a village about 2 miles north-west of Penzance. Historically it was the mother church parish of Penzance - the larger town grew up within Madron parish, much as Falmouth grew within Budock - and until 1832 Penzance had no parish church of its own, so townspeople went to Madron on Sundays. The church of St Maddern dates partly to the 14th century.

The village is known for Madron Well and the ruined baptistery chapel beside it, in a strip of woodland about a mile north-west of the village. The chapel holds both an altar and an immersion chamber, and the well has been credited with healing properties for centuries. Rags tied to the thorn tree beside it as offerings continue a tradition with pre-Christian roots.

Several well-known Penwith sites are close by. Trengwainton Garden, a National Trust garden with magnolias, rhododendrons and camellias, is in Madron parish, and Lanyon Quoit stands in a field beside the road between Madron and Morvah. Penzance town centre, with its promenade, shops and ferry terminal for the Isles of Scilly, is a short drive or walk downhill. The coast path and beaches of Mount’s Bay are within about 2 miles.