Pentewan Bible Christian Chapel, on the
western side of North Road, was the replacement for the Glentowan Road
chapel (see links). It was built in 1889 and can be seen on the 1908
OS map for the area. An old Francis Frith photo of the chapel exists,
with the Methodist chapel visible in the background on Pentewan Hill
(see below). On 28 August 1942 two bombs fell on Pentewan, destroying
the chapel. A photo of the aftermath can be seen in another old Francis
Frith photo.
All Saints Church, Pentewan, is on the
eastern side of The Terrace, towards its southern end. It was
completed in 1821, built by Sir Christopher Hawkins as part of his
long campaign to improve the village. The south wall is possibly
Norman, while some Tudor and Jacobean windows from the ruins of
Polrudden Manor were also utilised. The church was initially a
failure - it closed soon after opening to be used as a net loft.
In 1878 it was repaired and returned to its original use.
Pentewan Hill Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
is on the eastern side of the hill, immediately north of The Terrace
junction. The first nonconformist meetings in Pentewan took place in
a now-non-locatable preaching house (possibly the original building
on this very site) which was a pilchard cellar by 1810. Then the
Methodists gained the Glentowan Road chapel (see links) before
building this one in 1880. A post-war closure means that today it
forms a set of apartments.
Follow the coast from Pentewan to the southern
end of Trenarran (Ledra). Trenarren Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
lies on the eastern side of the main lane, down this short private
road. The area is also known as Ledra. Planning documents suggest
that the chapel originated in 1815. It was still open in the 1950s,
when a local resident remembered going to Sunday School there, but
had closed and was converted to private use by the early 1970s.
Porthpean is directly north along the coast from
Trenarran (see above), which is where Porthpean Wesleyan Methodist
Chapel formerly existed. It was sited on the eastern side of
Porthpean Beach Road, immediately to the north of St Levan's Church
(marginally visible here on the right - see below), and in what is
now the forecourt of Rosemary Cottage (pictured in part), which
occupies a slightly larger plot. The chapel had fallen out of use
by the very early 1900s.
St Levan's Church, Higher Porthpean,
stands at the north-east corner of Porthpean Beach Road as it turns
east towards the beach. The site - and the whole village - once
formed part of the Sawle estate. The church was built by the Sawle
family at its own expense as a private chapel. The foundation stone
was laid in 1884, while the building used local stone and slate and
was consecrated on 22 October 1885. Today it serves as an Anglican
mission church.
