Our Story

Meet your hosts, the Cullen Family.


Hir Kemmyns B&B, St Mawes, Cornwall - Lucy Cullen
Hir Kemmyns B&B, St Mawes, Cornwall - Nigel Cullen

 We are Lucy and Nigel Cullen. We first visited the Roseland Peninsula in 2014. For a week that June we had one of the best holidays of our life. The sun shone all week - a miracle even in Cornwall! We walked, swam, and cycled every day. And enjoyed BBQs watching the sun go down over the Fal River every evening. It was the most amazing introduction to the Roseland and we were hooked. 

A lot of dreaming, and plenty of “how are we going to make it work?” discussions later, we packed up our Bristol flat and moved to St Mawes in 2017. The best decision we ever made. What a truly special place to call home, and what a wonderful childhood for our children Harris and Swift.

In spring 2024 we tragically lost Nigel in a road accident. Nigel owned and ran Bear Cornwall coffee van here in the village so his loss was felt by the whole community. It was a very tough year for us. We closed the B&B briefly, but re-opened in autumn 2024 and are really enjoying having guests back.

We are proud of our B&B and love welcoming guests into our home, many of whom return every year. We hope you will come and stay too!

Lucy, Harris & Swift

Hir Kemmyns B&B

‘Hir Kemmyns’ is Cornish for Long Commons, which was the name of the bungalow that originally sat on this plot. Back then the plot was twice the size, encompassing next door as well. In 2011 the bungalow was demolished, and 2 modern houses built in its place. Next door retained the original name, and our house was given the Cornish equivalent. We bought Hir Kemmyns in 2017, and after adding our own interior style, opened as a Bed and Breakfast in April 2018.

One of the things that makes Hir Kemmyns so incredibly special is the view. We still remember seeing it for the first time. It’s that view, and the overwhelming sense of tranquillity at Hir Kemmyns that we want to share with our B&B guests. There are lots of wonderful things to see and do on the Roseland, but at the end of a busy day exploring, our guests love to return to Hir Kemmyns and relax.

Hir Kemmyns B&B, St Mawes, Cornwall - Bed and Breakfast
Hir Kemmyns B&B, St Mawes, Cornwall - Sea View