Parish Churches

[Mick F]

A mate of mine suggested that I should visit all the parish churches in Cornwall .................now that I've done all the 79 bridges over the A30 Exeter to LE, and I'm well on my way to doing all the roads in Cornwall too.

He reckoned I needed a new challenge.

I found a list of all the civil parishes in Cornwall and with a bit of research maybe I could find out where the parish churches are. It appears there's 218 civil parishes.
Wolf Rock isn't strictly a parish, and I don't think there's a road on it!

Here's the list in pdf format so you can see the task ahead of me.

Yet to do more research of course, and I know that many of the roads I've already done, and many (if not all) of the villages I've done too, but it's a new challenge ................ and I like challenges.

[Paulatic]

Do they have to be active or historical?
Wolf Rock doesn’t have an active church https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... n_Cornwall

[pwa]

Simpler perhaps to just visit the parish and not worry about the church.

[thirdcrank]

I don't think that civil parishes are necessarily the same as those of the church. Ditto dioceses / counties.

Here's a map of the Diocese of Truro, sub-divided into deaneries, showing the ecclesiastical parishes.
https://www.trurodiocese.org.uk/directory-live/

[Mick F]

Thanks guys!

Thanks TC also.
I've started a spreadsheet with the parish names and church names, but it's not easy. Your map link is a good one and valuable.

I'm aware that there aren't the same parishes as they once were and some have been combined into benefices. I'm also aware the civil parishes aren't the same thing as ecclesiastical parishes ....... but they often are. I had to start somewhere, and as my spreadsheet develops, I should get more info and refine it.

Some of the parishes are easy and definite, so I could do those first, and then concentrate on the tricky ones later. I don't intend to go into all these churches in my quest, but to at least eyeball them close-up rather than just pass through the parish.
I reckon I've already done that, and it's just a matter of looking at my ride records to prove it.

All this is still in its infancy.

[Cunobelin]

I am still off the bike (hip not up to long distances yet) so will be doing my tour by car this year

I will be investigating churches as I always have done on the bike.

However I am selective.

I use Simon Jenkins' England's Thousand best churches, and John Betjeman's Best British Churches as a "filter" when planning, but even then as a tour I am limited, less so by car than when on the bike though

His Cornish ones are listed here


Simon Jenkins’ selection
In his book England’s Thousand Best Churches, Simon Jenkins selects 30 from Cornwall. These are:

Four star

Launceston – St Mary Magdalene – for its carved granite facades and C20 woodwork
St Neot – for its medieval glass


Three star

Altarnun – St Nonna – for its monster heads on the font and the 79 carved bench-ends
Blisland – St Probus and St Hyacinth – for Eden’s recreation of a pre-Reformation interior
Launcells – St Swithin – for its bench-ends including ‘Ascension’ footprints
St Germans – St Germanus – for its Norman exterior, Rysbrack monument and Burne-Jones window
Tintagel – St Materiana – for its wild hilltop setting


Two star

Bodmin – St Petroc – for St Petroc’s casket
Gunwalloe – St Winwaloe – a hermitage marooned on a beach
Lanteglos-by-Fowey – St Wyllow – for its hilltop setting and Sedding restoration
Morwenstow – St John the Baptist – for its Norman font and as the smugglers’ church of a poet-vicar
Probus – St Probus – for its ‘Somerset’ tower
St Buryan – St Buriana – for its original painted screen
St Endellion – St Endelienta – for its carved Gothic altar and ‘Betjeman’ bells
St Ives – St Ia – for its medieval choir stalls and Hepworth statue


One star

Breage – St Breaca – for its Christ of the Trades wall painting
Come-to-Good – Quaker Meeting House – for its unaltered C18 interior
Golant – St Samson – for its hillside setting
Kilkhampton – St James – for its Grenville memorials by a pupil of Gibbons and its 157 bench-ends
Madron – St Maddern – for its atmospheric interior and Nelson banner
Mullion – St Mellanus – for its Arts and Crafts screen
Mylor – St Mylor – for its waterside setting and Celtic cross
St Anthony in Roseland – St Anthony – an example of early Gothic restoration by the sea
St Austell – Holy Trinity – for its tower carvings
St Clether – St Clederus – for its holy well in an isolated setting
St Enodoc – for its dune setting and Betjeman’s grave
St Just in Roseland – for its waterside setting in an exotic garden
St Levan – for its cliff-side setting and screen carvings
St Winnow – for its waterside setting
Zennor – St Senara – for its mermaid legend and the tomb of the last Cornish speaker

The observant will spot that the Quaker Meeting House does not, strictly, meet our criteria for inclusion here but as it is so lovely we have added something about it.

[Cunobelin]

One problem I find on the bike is that access can be an issue.

Unfortunately whilst I can sympathise with the problems that led to the decision, finding Churches locked up and no detail of how to access is frustrating especially as some involve a considerable journey (Pilgrimage?)

Some have a key that can be obtained locally (pub, shop, local supporter) but others are resolutely locked with no access details.

As a longer term project you may need to make arrangements

Most unusual one was in the Midlands, a Historic Church that involved a key in the local shop...

I need your driving license...

I don't carry it when cycle touring.I have bank cards tat will verify who I am

No Driving license no key.....

He was adamant so I was about to leave empty handed when a local middle aged lady (who turned out to be a member of the congregation) drew the key for me and Gave me a guided tour as well!

[Cyril Haearn]

When may one tick off a church, does one have to go inside or attend a service? I like to circumnavigate the building and picnic outside. This will keep you busy for a while, +1

[Cyril Haearn]

How did Mr J select a thousand best (?!) churches? Did he visit thousands of others that were not so good? Is there a book of Worst Churches?

Modern churches are often interesting too

Philip Larkin wrote an appropriate poem, Church Going..

Hatless,I take off my cycle-clips and reflect that the place was not worth stopping for..

[Sweep]

When may one tick off a church, does one have to go inside or attend a service? I like to circumnavigate the building and picnic outside. This will keep you busy for a while, +1

Behind churches is a favourite spot of mine for espresso stops.
This being a pretty godless country, peace is usually assured. Some curches even have toilets. And supples of cheap books on sale, though don't expect anything too racy.

Agree with the sense of your later post as well, all churches are interesting in some way, the spot, the ambience, an interesting memorial or whatever. I try to stop at many churches unless in a real push.

[Mick F]

The local parishes round here I know very well, so it's obvious which is THE parish church.

The link for here shows all the churches, but not which one is the parish church.
https://www.trurodiocese.org.uk/directo ... ceid=28776
Calstock is the name of our parish, and St Andrew's is the parish church, but the link doesn't say so.
Look at Pillaton, and it seems there are two candidates. Without going there - it's not far from here - I wouldn't know which is which.

Maybe there are other places where it's not obvious without going there.

[sjs]

No doubt my criteria are different from Mr Jenkins', but I can vouch for the churches at Zennor, Gunwalloe and Breage, and would add the one at Manaccan. Mainly for their locations, for the mermaid at Zennor, and for the high quality of the neighbouring pubs.

Of course there's also a strong Methodist tradition in Cornwall, so when you've finished with the C of E...

[Cunobelin]

When may one tick off a church, does one have to go inside or attend a service? I like to circumnavigate the building and picnic outside. This will keep you busy for a while, +1

I like to investigate the inside of churches as that is where the secrets and treasures tend to be

I have attended services, but mainly in error!

Typical was one small country church at the end of a footpath.

It looked quiet, but when I opened the door, an elderly lady thrust the Order of Service for a funeral in my hand and guided me in.

Even though hardly dressed for the event, It would have been churlish to have backed out so I attended the Funeral of what appeared to be a lovely elderly man, who had coincidentally served in the Navy at one point

[Cunobelin]

No doubt my criteria are different from Mr Jenkins', but I can vouch for the churches at Zennor, Gunwalloe and Breage, and would add the one at Manaccan. Mainly for their locations, for the mermaid at Zennor, and for the high quality of the neighbouring pubs.

Of course there's also a strong Methodist tradition in Cornwall, so when you've finished with the C of E...

They are guides, and a filter no book will ever include everything and it is necessary on a tour to use some criteria (Manaccan is, IIRC listed in the Benjamin guide, and is one of the ones I investigated while serving at Culdrose)

These books along with Muirheads (1926) Blue Guides , Penguin (1939) guides, local guides (printed and internet)

I also use Julian POpe's "Modern Antiquarian" and the "Megalithic" App as there are also many stone crosses and other sites to visit.

I have also had many references and information from the local pubs including several personal guided tours at the price of a pint!

My wife reckons that I spend more time planning a tour than travelling it!

[sjs]

Slightly OT, but there is a sponsored "bike and hike" event widely held on the second Saturday in September, whereby one cycles or walks, ticking off participating churches (C of E, Catholic, Methodist,no doubt others) as one goes, the idea being to be sponsored on a per church basis. I've often done it, in later years with my children, usually making a donation rather than pestering people for sponsorship. If you like tea and cake, it's great.

I just googled the Herts and Beds version to check; September the 8th.