Historic churches · South West England
Golant
In or near Polruan.
Golant (Cornish: Golnans) is a village in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is on the west bank of the River Fowey and in the civil parish of St Sampson. Golant is about two miles (3.2 km) n

Tony Atkin — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 30 min–1 h
- Nearest railway station
- Par · 4.5 km
- Free entry
About
Golant (Cornish: Golnans) is a village in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is on the west bank of the River Fowey and in the civil parish of St Sampson. Golant is about two miles (3.2 km) north of Fowey and seven miles (11 km) east of St Austell. Golant church is dedicated to St Sampson of Dol. The poet John Betjeman remarked that its pews were "extremely uncomfortable, recall the fidgets of Gus and Flora in Ravenshoe". The church was mentioned in the book England’s Thousand Best Churches by Simon Jenkins. The village is on the Saints' Way long-distance footpath.
Photo gallery
See it from the streetimagery from 2025
Imagery © Mapillary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0
Protected designations
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Cornwall
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Golant (Cornish: Golnans) is a village in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is on the west bank of the River Fowey and in the civil parish of St Sampson. Golant is about two miles (3.2 km) north of Fowey and seven miles (11 km) east of St Austell. Golant church is dedicated to St Sampson of Dol. The poet John Betjeman remarked that its pews were "extremely uncomfortable, recall the fidgets of Gus and Flora in Ravenshoe". The church was mentioned in the book England’s Thousand Best Churches by Simon Jenkins. The village is on the Saints' Way long-distance footpath.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
A once well-used ford crossed the river near Golant. During the English Civil War in 1644 a 10,000-strong parliamentary army fought Royalist forces in the area. King Charles was in the area during the campaign. The Earl of Essex and other prominent parliamentarians escaped by boat to Plymouth. Many 17th century cannonballs and musket balls have been found in the area. Golant Halt was a railway station situated beside the river south of the village. It was served by trains on the Great Western Railway's Fowey branch line from 1 July 1896 until 4 January 1965. The station has been demolished and the site is now a car park. The nearest railway station is now at .
Description
The Sawmills recording studio was established in 1974. The main building is a 17th-century water mill and the site has a documented history stretching back to the 11th century. Artists such as The Stone Roses, The Verve and Swans have recorded at the Sawmills. The Oasis album Definitely Maybe was also recorded there. The studio was featured in the BBC programme Three Men in More Than One Boat starring Rory McGrath, Griff Rhys Jones and Dara Ó Briain shown in January 2009. Little recording takes place at Sawmills nowadays and the building is principally used as a holiday let.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 50.3629, -4.6416
- District
- Cornwall
- Parish
- St. Sampson
- Postcode
- PL23 1LN
- Parliamentary constituency
- St Austell and Newquay
- Nearest railway station
- Par — 4.5 km
Sources
- wikipedia: Golant (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Other places nearby

St Sampson's Church
Historic churches · 0.4 km

Golant YHA
Hostels · 1.0 km

River Lerryn
Museums · 1.1 km

St Cadix's Priory
Abbeys & priories · 1.2 km

St Veep
Historic churches · 1.7 km

St Cyricius and St Julietta's Church
Historic churches · 1.8 km

Saint Veep
Villages · 1.8 km

Castle Dore
Castles · 1.9 km

Castle Dore
Vineyards · 1.9 km

St Sampson, Cornwall
Historic churches · 1.9 km

Fowey, China clay jetties and quays
Marinas · 2.1 km

Ethy rock
Historic houses · 2.2 km
Nearby
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St Sampson's Church
St Sampson's Church — church in Golant, Cornwall, England, UK.
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River Lerryn
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St Cadix's Priory
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St Cyricius and St Julietta's Church
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Golant?
- Golant is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode PL23 1LN), in the parish of St. Sampson.
- What is Golant?
- Golant (Cornish: Golnans) is a village in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is on the west bank of the River Fowey and in the civil parish of St Sampson. Golant is about two miles (3.2 km) n
- How do I get to Golant?
- The nearest railway station is Par, about 4.5 km away. Drivers can use postcode PL23 1LN.
- Is Golant a protected site?
- Yes — Golant is part of the Cornwall National Landscape (AONB).
- Is Golant free to visit?
- Yes, Golant is free to enter.
- How do I get to Golant?
- The nearest railway station is Par, about 4.5 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode PL23 1LN.