Churches of the British Isles

The Church of St Cuby is to be found six hundred metres north of the Wesleyan chapel (above), on the west side of the road. It is built on a circular mound which probably was an Iron Age fort. Later it became a Celtic Christian sacred site for burials, perhaps with a small chapel for a hermit or priest. The present church may well have been built over such a chapel. No trace survives of later Celtic or Norman buildings, other than a late Norman square stoup which is still in use.

The current church is medieval and later. The tower is mainly of the 1200s, the chantry chapel and the church's overarching perpendicular-style character is late 1400s, while the remainder - other than reinstated architectural details and fittings - is the result of a full Victorian rebuild. The massive tower was truncated by a storey in the 1800s refurbishment. The roof probably echoes what original was there, this unusually massive tower may once have supported a spire.

Tremadart Old Chapel sat on the southern side of Tremadart Lane, at the south-western corner of Duloe, and possibly at Tremadart Barns itself. A private chapel was licensed here in 1310. There is a field here named 'Old Court', potentially the site of the 'dilapidated castle called Boleit near Sir John Coleshill's mansion of Tremoderet', as mentioned by William Woroster with which a chapel was associated. Lower Tremadart Mill is shown in this photo.

All Saints Church, Herodsfoot, is to the north-west of Duloe, in the village centre. With an 1840 influx of miners and the encouragement of the rector of Duloe, the church was built in 1850. Herodsfoot became a parish in its own right with its own vicar. The church has changed very little since the Victorian period and the chancel is still lit by seven oil lamps. An eighth lamp hangs above the Norman font (from the lost old chapel of St Martin at Respryn - see 'related links').

Herodsfoot Zion Bible Christian Chapel is found by heading west on Church Hill and taking the first left-hand turn on Fore Street. This building is about forty metres down the lane. There is a book of subscription from 1845, with a deed for land for the chapel, dated 1851, which implies the build date. Between 1907-1932 the chapel was a United Methodist church, becoming Herodsfoot Methodist Church in 1932. It closed in 1962 and is now the residential 'Old Zion Chapel'.

Three photos on this page kindly contributed by Roy Reed via the 'History Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group, and three copyright © Paul Barnett, Derek Harper, and Rob Farrow, all via Geograph, reused under a cc licence.