St. Senara's Church - Haunted History

Zennor, Cornwall

Cornwall has a long history of seafaring with many fishing communities, not to mention tales of smugglers and pirates. The Cornish village of Zennor near St. Ives is also home to one of the oldest stories of humans encountering mermaid and he ghost remains to this day.

It's said that a beautiful, well-dressed woman often attended services at St. Senara's Church in the Cornish village of Zennor, where she used to listen to and join in with the singing. The parishioners soon became enchanted by her sweet singing voice. The best singer in the parish was the chorister, Matthew Trewhella, and it's said that the two fell in love, and Matthew followed her to her home at Pendour Cove and the two were never seen again.

Then one Sunday a ship cast anchor about a mile from the cove, shortly after a mermaid appeared, and asked that the anchor be raised, as it was resting on her door, and she was unable to reach her children. The villagers of Zennor concluded that this mermaid must be the same mysterious woman who had visited their church and had enticed Matthew to come and live with her.

On summer nights, it's said that the lovers can be heard singing together at the church, where a specially decorated "mermaid chair" can be seen to this day.