Church Heritage Record 639102

Cruciform; 3-bay transeptal nave with west tower, south-west porch, 2-bay chancel with north vestry.

Nave estimated to be c 15m (50ft) x 4.5m (15ft), chancel 8m long (26ft), transepts 4m long (13 ft).

The parish consists of several small dispersed rural settlements and was created at the same time as the church, which was built for this in 1861 (the listing description suggests it was built in 1848 for this “Peel parish”, but it may be this is the date of the appropriation of the site and beginning of the fund-raising). It was designed by William White on a new site, located at the centre of the new parish, but not close to any settlement (the site is of low archaeological potential), and the closure of the tin mines and subsequent depopulation meant that the church was rarely full. The community consisted almost exclusively of miners, and poverty was endemic. Nevertheless, the energetic vicar Revd Alfred Lord succeeded in raising funds for a surprisingly high quality design, although the materials were poor.  The area is still thinly populated, however the area around Blackwater directly to the south has recently been selected for modest housing developments.

The tower was rebuilt in 1898 after the spire collapsed.  The church remains much as it was at this point, but has deteriorated in recent years and is now in a dangerous condition. Buttresses have been added at some point at the west end of the nave, presumably in an attempt to arrest movement. Repairs to the roof and fabric were undertaken in 1961, and there is much recent cementitious pointing of this date and later.  Following the collapse of the church hall roof, insurance cover has been removed, and there is no lighting or heating.

The church is Early English in style, with intersecting tracery and plate tracery. At first sight this is a simple building, but the hand of a gifted architect is revealed by the powerful massing and careful placing of features. This is a severe design, its bleakness perhaps a deliberate reflection of the surrounding landscape of this (according to the locals) coldest part of Cornwall, a claim which seemed very plausible on the day of the visit. In such a climate, the lack of functioning rainwater goods as seen here is likely to cause big problems.

The dominant feature is the tall 3-stage (minimal definition by string-courses) embattled tower, impressive even without its original spire. The west face has a pointed-arched doorway under a 3-light pointed window with intersecting tracery, the middle stage has small cusped single lights, and there are 2-light cusped openings to each face of the belfry stage.

Otherwise plate tracery is employed throughout, the tall nave has two 3-light windows in the north wall and a single 4-light to the south wall, similar 2-light windows to the transepts with trefoils in the heads.  Tall gabled porch with pointed doorway under a hoodmould, with benches inside and a floor of red and black diagonal tiles flanking a slate strip.  The inner doorway is pointed, plain, plank door with original iron fittings.

The much lower chancel has a 4-light east window and two 2-lights with quatrefoils to the south wall, one similar to the west bay of the north side, the east bay is taken up by the vestry.  This has a catslide roof and a plain pointed door in the west wall, and a 2-light cusped lancet window in the east.

Moving inside, the interior is lofty and very plain, indeed austere with plastered walls.  The plaster has been chipped off the wall on the east face of the south transept and other places, and there is much evidence of damp penetration, with green mould at the west end in particular where there is no plaster.  Looking up, there are arch-braced roofs with collars. The arches to the tower, chancel and transepts are tall, pointed and plain. The nave floors are of woodblock (mostly under red carpet). Leaded glazing throughout, some of the windows have been damaged. 

Within the tower space is a fine spiral iron staircase to the belfry. A vestibule has been formed at the west end of the nave with plain wooden screens.  Beyond it the nave is fully pewed with simple benches, curved ends and panelled backs, of no great quality. The pipe organ has been placed in front of the window in the north transept, blocking much of the light. Similar benches to those in the nave line the walls.

Within the chancel arch is a neo-Jacobean rood screen erected in the 1920s, with plain dado, turned uprights and a painted rood. Plain choir stalls given in 1936. A painted reredos, stained glass and quarry tiles with encaustic borders in the sanctuary impart some colour here.