Churches of the British Isles

Penryn Wesleyan Methodist (Second) Chapel stands at the south-west corner of the Lower Market Street and Saracen Place junction. By 1848 the old chapel in Church Lane (see above) had become too small for the growing population of Penryn and was regularly reaching its capacity of 450. It was decided a new place of worship was needed, so the present site was acquired. The foundation stone was laid on 17 August 1891 by the architect, J W Trounson.

The new chapel could seat 450 people on the ground floor and another four hundred in the gallery. It opened in February 1893, but was damaged by bombing in 1941 and 1943. The Bible Christian chapel in West Street closed in 1979 (see 'related links'), with the congregation coming here to what was now Penryn Methodist Church. The last service was held in 2023 and the chapel was sold, with plans in 2024 to convert it into a creative space and an arts centre.

Penryn Temperance Hall at the north-west corner of Lower Market Street and St Gluvias Street was built in 1852. It was enlarged in 1891 to hold five hundred, having been owned by the Methodist-created Rechabite Society to encourage abstention from alcohol. The town council took ownership of the hall in 1949 as an event space, and has abided by the teetotal covenant which was imposed by the movement. Falmouth New Life Church (Elim) met here before moving on.

Penryn Congregational (Independent) Chapel is on the western side of New Street, about forty metres north of the Broad Street junction, It was founded in 1805 on the site of a private house, with the chapel opening in January 1806. It sat four hundred, but it was closed in 1934 and is marked as a hall on later maps. It was for a time a tabernacle while it was occupied by New Life Christian Centre, but today it is a Grade 2 listed private residential property.

The Chapel of the Virgin Mary (St Mary's Chapel) existed before 1322, close to the junction for St Thomas Street and Broad Street (formerly Our Lady Street). St Thomas' Chapel, Fish Cross (shown), was also licensed here in December 1374. When nearby Glasney Church was dissolved (see links) in 1546, St Mary was taken by the crown. It was abolished in 1549, demolished in 1676, and a market house built on the site (the town hall). The cross was moved to this site in 1895.

All photos on this page by Jo Lewis.