Churches of the British Isles

The present-day structure still carries remnants of the original 1200s church building. The remainder was erected in the late fifteenth century to replace many older parts of the structure. The north transept, the Killigarth Chapel, was probably added in the early sixteenth century. The church was restored in 1848-1850 and again in 1907. It has an unusual detached tower, waggon roofs to south aisle, porch, and north transept, bench ends, and memorials.

As was often the case during the more disturbed parts of the Puritan movement, the medieval mural paintings were destroyed. In this case though it was when the north wall was rebuilt in 1845-1850. An account by W H Box, entitled 'Description of some frescoes recently discovered on the wall of Talland Church', may be found in the Report of the Royal Institute of Cornwall 1849. The church has a light peal of six bells, two being added to the original four during 1914.

Lammana Priory and its chapel once stood on the cliffs when walking the South-West Coastal Path to Looe. This was the site of a sixth century monastery, within the kingdom of Dumnonia. By 1114 there existed a Benedictine cell and a chapel of Glastonbury. Between 1239 and 1329 it was a chantry chapel for the Dawnay family while the local community also used the chapel. In the 1540s the chaplain gave services five or six times a year to people from three nearby hamlets.

St Michael's Chapel of Lammana, around two hundred and fifty metres south-west of Marine Drive on the South-West Coastal Path, was disposed of by Glastonbury and was dissolved in 1549. The remains of the medieval chapel and associated monk's house were excavated during 1935 and 1936. The Time Team investigations in 2008 found that the chapel lies on a platform cut into the slate bedrock. The site was taken into the care of Cornwall Heritage Trust in July 2023.

St George's Chapel on Looe Island was built on the island's summit in 1085, a small building which served as monks' church or settlement. The island became a priory of Glastonbury until 1239. A newly-discovered document of 1290 confirms a dedication to St Michael, with it being a focus for pilgrims on his saints day. Victorian OS maps show a dedication to St George. The chapel remains consist of a few earthworks on a small platform and a few carved stones.

Two photos on this page kindly contributed by Guy Fogwill via the 'History Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group, one from Cornwall Heritage Trust, two copyright © Richard Law and Martin Bodman via Geograph, reused under a cc licence, and one copyright © Dr Helen Wilson, and reused with permission.