Land´s End

Land´s End

Land's End is a name that has struck at people's imagination for thousands of years, with the Romans referring to it as 'Bolerium', the seat of storms, and the old Cornish name being 'Penn-an-Wlas', end of the land.

Content for class "main-text-holder" Goes Here People have been visiting Land's End for generations, in the early nineteenth century they would travel by waggonette and stop at the First and Last Inn before making the final stage of the journey on horseback or foot along the muddy lanes to Land's End.

HISTORY:
The first proper buildings are believed to have been built around the middle of the nineteenth century when the small house was developed into a small hotel, this building has since been developed further to become the existing hotel. In 1859 the Great Western Railway bought passenger trains into Penzance carrying a new crowd of wealthy tourists. At this point Penwith House was built just alongside the main hotel, this was opened as a Temperance hotel.

The Land's End Hotel has itself had a chequered history. At the turn of the 20th century the hotel was a place of true Victorian splendour proudly run by Benjamin Trahair who was known to always wear a white suit, some people say that he still roams around the top corridor to this day.

The famous Land's End signpost has been operated independently since the 1950s. In the early 1960s Courtwoods took ownership of both and still send photographs all around the world.

David Bellamy was bought in to do a report on how to conserve the site and to advise on how to regain the greenery and wildlife. Designated pathways were tarmacked in order for the remainder of the cliffs to return to their natural beauty. Mr de-Savary erected two new buildings one of which is the large building which houses the present exhibitions. He was very keen on the history of the area and the famous legend of King Arthur and the lost land of Lyonesse as this was to be the main theme of the ˜Last Labyrinth' exhibition which was filmed in the Pinewood Studios. The other structure De-Savary built is the arched building at the front which houses the administration offices. Other developments were made to the hotel, which was turned into a 33 bedroom establishment, and 2 new conservatories were added at the front.

The present owners bought Land's End in 1996 and formed a company called Heritage Attractions Limited who now own other landmark sites around the UK including; John O'Groats, The Needles Park on the Isle of Wight, Snowdon Mountain Railway and Lightwater Valley Theme Park. They also own the First and Last Inn as the owners of Land's End always have.

ATTRACTION:
The main attraction of Land’s End is undoubtedly its unique location and amazing views. A short walk in either direction along the coastal path from the main complex will provide fantastic ocean views as far as the eye can see, plus there are many interesting and unusual rock formations just off shore. These include the famous Enys Dodman arched rock, which is situated just off Pordennack Point above Greeb Farm.

A must do for all visitors
The famous Signpost is probably the most iconic attraction at Land’s End. Generations of visitors from all over the world have paid to have their picture taken with their hometown displayed on the post. The Signpost was established in the 1950s when a private, family run business, from Penzance erected the post in order to produce photographs for visitors.


VISITROS INFORMATION:

Summer Opening
The summer season, Easter until the end of October, the Visitor Centre, attractions shops and restaurants are open daily from 10am. Closing times vary between 4pm-5pm, later in August.
Winter Opening
During the winter season, November until the end of March, the Visitor Centre will be open between 10:30am and 3:30pm seven days a week. Please be aware that the car park and ‘Landmark’ are open 365 days a year!


TICKETS:
Individual tickets for each attraction are available from the Visitor Centre.