St Andrew's Church, Tywardreath, stands
on the south side of Church Street, overlooking the junction with
Tehidy Road on its western flank. It was first dedicated in 1343 and
was consecrated by the archbishop of Armargh on 13 July 1347. Built
on the northern side of the priory enclosure (see below), it was
probably cruciform in shape. It was extensively rebuilt in 1880 by
the architect Richard Coad of Liskeard - only the arcade and tower
escaped his attentions.
The Benedictine Priory of St Andrew
occupied grounds on the eastern side of Priory Lane, immediately
south of St Andrew's Church (see above). It is said to have been
established about 1088, remaining dominant in the settlement until
its dissolution in 1536 and later dismemberment. There are
indications that the site may have been a place of early Christian
activity prior to the arrival of the Normans. The tithe map of 1839
labels the area 'The Priory Farm'.
Tywardreath Town Hall stands on the eastern side
of Well Street, just ten metres south of the Church Street junction
and flanked by The New Inn on its northern side (to the left of the
photo). An old building was replaced on this site in 1862 by the
landlord of the New Inn to serve as a function room. Between
1862-1931 the magistrates court was also held here. Tywardreath
Reading Room may also have used this location, although possibly
without a religious connection.
Tywardreath Wesleyan Methodist Chapel is
on the western side of Well Street, about fifteen metres south of
the town hall (see above). Nonconformist meetings began in the house
of Jonothan Colliver in 1800 before switching to Chapel Down (see
links). In 1828 a large group of Methodists bought the current site
and built their chapel in the same year in stone. By 1835 a gallery
was erected, and a second in 1876. In 1907 it became the Wesleyan
Church and remains active.
Tywardreath Sunday School is on the
western side of Well Street, twenty metres south of the Trenant Road
junction. A Sunday school was built prior to 1864 just a few
minutes' walk from the Methodist Chapel. It is shown on the OS
25-inch map of 1892-1914 as the only building this far south of the
heart of the village. Things remained that way until soon after the
end of the war when the first houses started to appear. Today it
houses the Footsteps Childcare Centre.
Back in Par, the Church of the Good Shepherd
sits on the southern side of Par Green Road, about seventy metres
east of the Moorland Road junction. It was erected as a mission church
in 1896, designed by Edmund Sedding, a pupil of George Edmund Street,
and built of granite with facings of Polyphant stone. At first it
was a simple rectangular building with a roof supported by curved
beams. The original design was enriched by changes to the east
end, completed in 1954.
