Churches of the British Isles

The church was opened by Bishop Vaughan of Plymouth, while the architect was Joseph Aloysius Hansom, inventor of the hansom cab in 1834. Canon James Burns added a baptistery and south porch in memory of Canon Casssey (formerly Father Cassey), and also installed the organ. Electric lighting and the Lourdes Grotto came in 1926. The nineteenth century windows over the high altar were given by two sisters: Jane H Sturgeon Coleman and Amelia Billar Polgase.

The school was initially established in the crypt, but a new school was built in 1886. Associated with the church was St Joseph's Convent which was established by the Sisters of Mercy community of nuns. It was they who took charge of the new church school. The superior was the Reverend Mother Catherine. The sisters established a convent at St Joseph's at Kimberley Place, opposite the school. They left the parish about the time of the First World War.

All Saints Church sits at the south-west corner of the junction between Clifton Place and Killigrew Street, about two hundred metres to the west of the Catholic church (above). A proposal was raised in 1877 for a new church to replace All Saints Mission Church (see links). Nine years later Lord Kimberley donated land for the new church, in June 1886 and, in 1887, J D Sedding was appointed as the architect for this impressively large Early English-style building.

The church was built to seat between seven hundred and eight hundred people. The foundation stone was laid in 1887 by Albert, Prince of Wales and duke of Cornwall (later Edward VII). The proposed Early English architectural style became Gothic Revival, and the building was consecrated on 17 April 1890 by Herbert Bree, bishop of Barbados, in place of the ill George Wilkinson, bishop of Truro, who was ill. The church building today is Grade 2 listed.

New Street Church is contained within the very same church building as the All Saints entries above. This is a new style Church of England community, one which started relatively small in January 2019 with initial meetings being held in the church hall on New Street for King Charles the Martyr Church (see links). These premises were quickly outgrown so the move was made to All Saints Church. The morning meetings here have been warmly welcomed.

Earles Retreat Almshouses & Chapel faces out over Trelawney Road at the south-west corner of the junction with Marlborough Road, a short distance to the east of All Saints Church (above). This was formed in Victorian Falmouth for the benefit of the poor. The almshouses were built in 1869 by Alexander Lauder with a central chapel. The facility is now run as a charity, providing sheltered housing to people over the age of fifty-five who are residents in the local area.

Emmanuel Baptist Church sits on the southern side of Western Terrace, at the far south-western end of Marlborough Road. The church was built here after its congregation was bought out of its former Market Street Chapel premises (see links). The present church building opened in 1939 and has since expanded, with the addition of a school room extension in 1969, a manse in the church grounds in 1976, and a new foyer in 1985. It remained active into 2025.

After travelling eastwards on Western Terrace and Melvill Road, Fox Rosehill Gardens on the north side provides a way in to Falmouth University Multi-Faith Chaplaincy which is based in the university's Fox Building. A small room is also available on the ground floor of Kerris Vean, which is a lovely quiet, private space for meditation and mindfulness practices. The chaplaincy team also looks after the beautiful Belmont Garden space which is in front of the Life Drawing Studio.

Harbour Church (Elim) (Plymouth Pavilions / Falmouth Hotel) sits at the far, east end of Melvill Road, not far from Cliff Road and a sea view. Harbour Church met here for some time on Sundays, before moving to 'The Old Carpenters Shop' in Penryn (see links). The organisation is part of the Elim Pentecostal Church, while the Elim denomination is also part of the Evangelical Alliance and Harbour Church is a member of 'Churches Together in Falmouth & Penryn'.

Six photos on this page by Jo Lewis, one kindly contributed by Tim Green via the 'History Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group, and three copyright © Ian S, David Dixon, & Mutney, all via Geograph, reused under a cc licence.