Churches of the British Isles

The Sunday school for St Veep Wesleyan Methodist Chapel (see above) is adjacent to the chapel on its western flank, and is best seen down the little eastwards lane here. The chapel and school in 1932 became Lerryn Methodist Church at the Methodist union of that year. With numbers declining it was forced to close in 1967, and there exist papers which relate to the sale both of the church and the school. Both buildings are now private residential structures.

The Church of St Winoccus, St Winnoc, is a Grade 1 listed building. It sits at the riverside, next to a quay in the village which itself lies due west of Lerryn. The site was probably first occupied by the seventh century oratory of St Winnoc. A stone church was built in the 1100s, probably cruciform in plan, and traces survive of Norman stonework on the north side of the present building which is almost entirely of the 1400s. The transept arch was reconstructed in the 1200s.

It was around 1465 that the south wall was demolished and the south aisle, arcade, and roofs were all built. The chancel was restored by J H Seddon in the 1800s, retaining the sixteenth century east window. The west tower is of the standard Cornish Perpendicular style. There is stained glass of about 1500 in the east windows of the chancel and south aisle. The granite font, carved with angels bearing shields, dates to the 1300s. The pulpit is of about 1600.

The Church of St Nectan in Lostwithiel East can be reached via the main north-east lane from St Winnow, with the site lying due east of Lostwithiel itself. The church was built initially to serve as a chapel of ease to St Winnow. A precise build date is not known but it exists in documents of 1250. A monthly mass was said here in the early 1300s for those who were unwilling or unable to attend St Winnow. The present structure dates to the 1400s, but is much restored.

St Nectan survived the English Civil War but the top stories of the medieval tower were knocked off by Parliamentary cannon fire in 1644. The church was rebuilt and enlarged in the nineteenth century, and then again fell into disrepair. The parish eventually decided that the Sunday school and old stables could be demolished while the main church building could be saved. Eventually, in 1971, the church was again open for worship, now in a much improved condition.

Three photos on this page by Jo Lewis, one kindly contributed by Roy Reed via the 'History Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group, one copyright © David Smith via Geograph, reused under a cc licence, and one copyright © Dr Helen Wilson, and reused with permission.