Tremodrett Zoar Bible Christian Chapel
lies on the western side of the lane about 120 metres north of the
Newquay branch railway crossing - north-east of Roche. Built in 1884
as a Bible Christian chapel, it is clearly marked as such on the
1888 OS map. In the early 1900s it became Tremodrett Methodist
Church, and archived minutes exist for this until 1968. The
gates at the chapel entrance still say 'Zoar Church'. The chapel
was later converted into a three-bed house.
Carbis Mission Room sat on the southern
side of the Carbis-Roche road, about sixty metres west of the Carbis
crossroads at which sits the brick works. The mission is marked on
OS maps of the late 1800s, while the 1906 map shows it as a mission
hall. It still served as such in 1938 but the compilation OS 1:25,000
map of 1937-1961 shows the site to have been completely cleared. It
is not to be confused with the chapel-like Rock Cottage a little
further towards Roche.
St Michael's Chapel on the Rock, a
well-known landmark, is situated between Trezaise road and Roche
Road at the southern end of Roche, and can be accessed from either.
The chapel was dedicated in 1409, having been built on a precipitous
outcrop, incorporating the bedrock in its structure. It stands two
storeys high with a lower room in which lived a hermit, attended by
his daughter. The room above served as the chapel. The Dissolution
probably ended its use.
St Gomonda of the Rock, Roche, lies at the
north-west corner of Higher Trerank Lane and Trezaise Road, opposite
the recreation ground. It was dedicated to St Goemandus, otherwise
rendered as Conandus, Conant, or Gonnet. A Saxon building here was
likely replaced by the Norman construction of the lords of
Tremodrett. This was largely rebuilt in the 1300s before being
restored in 1820-1822 (and gutted to provide a preaching space), and
again in 1890.
Roche Cemetery Chapel lies at the back of
the cemetery, on the western side of the Trezaise Road and about 250
metres south of St Gomonda. It is marked simply as a mortuary on the
OS six-inch map of England and Wales of 1905-1906 and just about
every edition issued since those dates, but such mortuary rooms that
were located away from a church building could often serve as a
secondary chapel in times of need. This one is rather simple in
terms of construction.
Trezaise Bible Christian Chapel is on the
east side of Trezaise Road, with a Sunday School behind it that
exits onto the southern side of Prosper Road. The village name has a
variety of spellings, including 'Tresayes'. The chapel was built in
1853 on the site of an earlier chapel. It and the Sunday School were
renovated in 1890, and by 1918 the chapel had become Trezaise
Methodist Church, continuing in use until about 2000. Today it
is in private hands.
Four photos on this page by Jo Lewis, and one
kindly contributed by Christian Hacker via the 'History Files:
Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group.
