Traditional village complete with a green
The village of Lanivet is situated approximately two an a half miles south-west of Bodmin, and before the Bodmin by-pass was built, the A30 road between London and Land's End passed through the village causing much traffic congestion. The Saints' Way long-distance footpath passes Lanivet near its half-way point and the village is at the geographical centre of Cornwall.
The parish includes the hamlets of Bodwanick, Bokiddick, Lamorick, St. Ingunger, Trebell, Tregullon, Tremore, and Woodly. Part of St. Lawrence is also in this parish. An electoral ward of the same name surrounds Bodmin. The population of the parish at the 2011 census was 1,961.
This busy village, with a new development of detached houses being built at its centre, has a school, a playgroup, two churches, car sales, a village store, a post office, a fish and chip shop which is famous for miles around and a public house which displays a panda on its sign. This is in honour of the zoo pandas who were at one time fed with bamboo shoots supplied from Lanivet, where the growing and marketing of bamboo cane provided much employment.
The church is dedicated to St. Nivet and dates from the 15th century. The church tower is built in the Perpendicular style and in 1878 had six bells. Renovations to the porch, nave and aisles were completed in that year along with the extension of the burial ground by enclosing an adjacent field. Within the church are monuments of the Courtenays of Tremere. In the churchyard are two ancient stone crosses and a rare example of a hogback grave dating from Viking times.
About a quarter of a mile from the church are the remains of St. Benet's, a monastery of the Benedictine order, said to have been subordinate to Monte Cassino, in Italy. It was founded as a lazar house, an old term meaning hospital, in 1411, and during the 15th century a chapel with a tower and an adjacent longhouse were built. The building work was not complete by 1430; it is mentioned in a document of 1535. The tower and longhouse are mentioned by Charles Henderson as being still in existence; he refutes the idea of it as an abbey. After the Reformation it became the home of the Courtenay family; the present house looks 19th century with 15th century windows built into the facade. St. Benet was restored by, its then owner, Charles Eldon Sargeant in 1878, and is described by The Cornishman newspaper as "... a charming and picturesque place".
Near to the village is located Lesquite Quoit, a ceremonial funerary monument built around 3500–2600 BC, one of only twenty portal dolmens surviving in the United Kingdom.
In the adjacent hills many mines were once worked, tin and iron extraction ceased around 1878, and all that was left of the industry was one or two tin-stamps.
Thomas Hardy came to Lanivet in August 1872 to visit the home of Emma Gifford where he was introduced to her parents at Kirland House. He wrote a poem in the same year entitled 'Near Lanivet'.
Pandafest - Mid July
Bodmin The Saints' Way Roche The Bodmin Way