In the heart of the development lies the formal courtyard garden with views across to Bodmin moor. Roche Rock and pond are just a short walk away.

Roche derives its name from the Normans who were impressed by the three granite outcrops on the edge of the village. The central stack rises some 80 feet above surrounding ground level and is surmounted by a two storey ruin. This was once an ancient chapel, dedicated to St Michael and dating from the 14th century, built partly of lime and stone. Roche Rock stands on the same ley line as St Michael’s Mount in Mounts Bay, Marazion.

The lower part of the building was a cell, supposedly once occupied by a hermit leper. Legend tells that the leper was tended by his daughter, Gundred, who would bring him fresh water from a holy well some two miles distant.

On dark and stormy nights the noise of the wind around the rocks can be interpreted as the giant, Tregeagle, screaming for mercy as he is chased by devils. He sought sanctuary in the hermit’s chapel but this was refused and so he was taken to Dosmary Pool on Bodmin Moor and given the hopeless task of draining the pool with a leaky limpet shell.

St Gomonda’s Church dates from 1258 and is dedicated to the Welsh missionary who brought Christianity to the Celts. The church was built by the Lords of Tremodrett from the pre-Norman Manor of Tremodrett, the granite tower being constructed in the 15th Century. Within the church is a Norman font made from Pentewan Blue Stone and dating from 1180. A Celtic cross in the graveyard suggests that the site was used for worship some time before the church was built.

To avoid the fairly busy main street, there is a public footpath down ‘The Avenue’ which runs from St Gomonda’s Church to the village centre. The Avenue was originally a walkway to the church for the parson from what is now ‘The Old Rectory’