When beautiful, basically unspoilt, views of Cornish sea and countryside are taken into account there are few villages that can be ranked higher than Lansallos, tucked on the coast between Polruan and Polperro.

But despite being in such a rural pocket Lansallos is not cut off from the remainder of the world, or living in a timewarp of geographic making. It is linked to Polruan and Polperro by the bus, and the school bus picks up the local youngsters to transport them to either Polperro primary or Looe community schools. Such is the attraction of the countryside that the National Trust car park in the middle of Lansallos is a favourite place for walkers and ramblers to gather. Even on cold January days there are usually a number of hardy hikers striding out along the Lansallos lanes, or down to the beach, once a haven for smugglers.

The church, which was dedicated to St Ildierna in l33l, remains a central part of the village, and although steeped in history is looking to the future. The current rector is Father William Braviner, who moved to the area from Oldham in Lancashire a year ago on February 13 and who also covers Polperro and Talland. Father William, who said his first year in Cornwall has past by amazingly quickly, achieved instant fame by becoming the tallest rector in the county, at a towering 6' 7".

A Sunday School thrives at the church, and funds for this group will be raised at a coffee morning to be held in March at the Cottage Restaurant in Polperro. Members of the Sunday school, and other children, also form an Expressive Arts Group which produces plays and dramas and appears at the Polperro Festival. On April 2, which is Mothering Sunday, the church will be visited by the Bishop for a confirmation service.

The current building succeeded a Norman church on the same site, and before that there had been a Celtic establishment. The place was the 'lan' or monastery of St Salwys, about whom nothing is known, although he probably lived some time in the 9th century.

Action

There is a story of a monk's ghost which walks down the church and across the churchyard, but the church's information sheet said this is probably a folk memory which has survived nearly l,000 years. There have been no monks in Lansallos since the Norman Conquest, and the church itself reflects peace and holiness, rather than anything else - although it has had its fill of action. In l923 the tower was struck by lightning, and in l941 the building was hit by shrapnel during a combat between British and German aeroplanes.

Among the tombstones is a memorial to John Perry, described as a mariner, who was killed by a cannonball. He is either buried at Lansallos or in Talland, as his relatives had an identical slate put up there.

One of the current bellringers at the church is 16-year-old Karen Phillips of Lansallos who attends Looe school and who has been ringing the bells in the village for around six years under tower captain Roger Talling. She has even entered competitions for younger ringers, coming both fourth and second, and is also a member of a handbell ringing team made up of other youngsters who have taken part in the Expressive arts group. Karen lives with her family, including her mother Margaret and her grandmother Dorothy Whetter, whose home is next door. Margaret's other children, Julia who lives in Northamptonshire, Alan who lives between Polruan and Pelynt and Monica and Annette of Bristol, are frequently visitors with their children, who love running on the beach in the summer. Margaret moved to Lansallos in l966 from Polperro because she thought it was an ideal place in which to bring up a family - and so it has proved. Her mother has been in Lansallos for 36 years, and also agrees she would never want to move elsewhere.

The parish of Lansallos includes Polperro, a much bigger settlement, which means that Lansallos parish council, whose current chairman is Murray Collings and whose clerk is Rachel Joslin, actually covers a much larger area than the small village of that name.

Praise for the village, and its friendliness, also comes from Ida and Jim Ruby of Barton Cottage. The couple, who have lived at Lansallos since the early l960s, both highlight the peace and quiet they enjoy, as well as the extensive views which stretch as far as Mevagissey. Mrs Ruby, aged 76, said that the building they have lived in since l983 used to be a mill which ground corn for the animals. It is now owned by the National Trust.

Action

They live next door to Peter and Caroline Talling at Lansallos Barton, where a large number of walkers enjoy a mouth watering cream tea in the summer. Peter has been at the farm for 36 years, running it on his own rather than with his father, John, for the last l7. However, the farming crisis means that the time has come for him to leave the parish, and he and his family are to move to Polperro in September. He has enjoyed his years in the village, but said that one problem is that there are now too many holiday homes, which leaves Lansallos much quieter than it would be if the buildings were lived in permanently.

Lake's Parochial History of Cornwall, originally published in l867-73, explains that a number of roads in the parish converge on Lansallos 'where there was a sanctuary of very distant date. A field of 11 acres in extent on Lansallos barton, is still known as the Sanctuary. Possibly the church and village took their name, Lan Salus, the place of deliverance, from asylum afforded by the sanctuary, and the roads were laid out to conduct criminals to the nearest way to the place of refuge.'

In the village there are two distinctive Swedish timber houses which were put up by the council just after the Second World War. One has been lived in by Walter Kelly - whose home used to be across the road - for the past 53 years. His family have been attached to Lansallos for generations, his grandparents living there, so it is where he was brought up, and where he says he will happily end his days. He also highlighted the friendliness of everyone, but feels as well that one unwanted change is the number of homes sold to people who only visit the village for a few weeks a year.

His next door neighbours are Brian and Sheila Roberts, and their children Iain aged nine and Nathan aged six, who attend Polperro school. Sheila said they spend most of their time on the beach in the summer, and love living in the midst of such an attractive area. They came from Whitecross, and the boys are able to enjoy the space where they can happily skateboard and ride their bikes.

She said: 'I think it's ideal here, and I wouldn't want to move away. We're near enough such towns as Looe and Liskeard, but are able to live in lovely countryside.'

In his 'Landfall Walks around Looe, Polperro and Liskeard' Bob Acton said that a green lane was cut through soil and rock as a packhorse road, which allowed sand and seaweed to be brought up from Lansallos beach to sweeten and fertilise the acid soils. He also highlighted the fact that smuggled goods were often landed at secluded coves near Polperro, including Parson's Cove below Lansallos on Lantivet Bay. In March l835 the area was host to a confrontation between coastguards and smugglers, with five smugglers being arrested and a coastguard knocked unconscious. Later it was decided to build a watch house which overlooked Lantivet Bay and which had a detachment of coastguards permanently stationed there.

The coastguards and smugglers have now long gone, with hikers and tourists taking their place. But the area, much owned by the National Trust, remains almost untouched, and overflowing with Cornish charm.