St Piran's Church, Perranarworthal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Piran's Church |
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St Piran's Church
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| 50°12′29″N 5°06′50″W / 50.208°N 5.114°W | |
| Location | Perranarworthal, Cornwall |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Piran's Church |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | St Piran |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Granite |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Stithians with Perranarworthal |
| Deanery | Carnmarth, North |
| Archdeaconry | Cornwall |
| Diocese | Truro |
St Piran's Church is an active Anglican parish church located in Perranarworthal, Cornwall, England. It's part of a group of eight churches called the Eight Saints Cluster. This group includes churches in the areas of Stithians with Perran-Ar-Worthal and Gwennap. The church is dedicated to Saint Piran, a very important saint in Cornwall.
St Piran's Church is a special historic building. It was given a Grade II* listed status in May 1967. This means it's recognized as a very important historical building. The churchyard around it also has many old and interesting tombs and headstones.
Contents
History of St Piran's Church
A very old chapel, built in the Norman style, might have stood on this spot long ago. We know this because of a special stone carving called a tympanum above the south door.
A church was built here in the 15th century. Only its tower remains from that time. The part of the church called the chancel was rebuilt in 1842. It was rebuilt again in 1882. At that time, the main part of the church, called the nave, along with its side section (the aisle) and the entrance (the porch), were also rebuilt. This work was done by an architect named James Piers St Aubyn. A small room called a vestry was added to the church in the 20th century.
Church Architecture and Design
Outside the Church
The church tower is made of granite blocks, which are carefully cut and shaped (called ashlar). The rest of the church is built from rough stone pieces (called killas rubble). It has granite details that are shaped and smoothed. The roof is covered with Delabole slate, a type of stone tile.
The west tower has three levels, separated by stone bands called string courses. The top of the tower has a battlement design, like a castle wall. There are pointed decorations called pinnacles at each corner. The tower's original bell openings have three lights (windows). They have decorative stone frames above them called hood moulds. These openings have slate louvres (slats) and fancy stone patterns called quatrefoil tracery. The main doorway of the tower has a curved top and a door from the 1800s.
The church's nave (main area) and chancel (altar area) are under one roof. The south aisle has a vestry at its eastern end. Most of the windows, except for those in the tower, were added in the 1800s. They match the Perpendicular style of the tower. The north wall has a chancel window and four nave windows. These windows have two or three sections of glass. At the east end, the aisle has a pointed roof (a gable) with a three-light window. The chancel also has a projecting gable with a three-light window that has stone tracery. The south wall has one window to the left of the porch and four to the right. Most of these have two lights. The west gable of the aisle has a three-light window. The porch entrance and the inner doorway were rebuilt in the 1800s and have pointed arches.
Inside the Church
The chancel has an arcade with six sections. It has granite columns and pointed arches. The roof is supported by curved wooden beams (called arch-braced) and diagonal wooden supports (called wind-braced). Above the doorway, there is a Norman tympanum. This is a carved stone panel from an older building. It shows the Lamb of God, a symbol of Jesus.
The font, where baptisms take place, is made of granite and has eight sides. It might be from the late medieval period, but it was reshaped in the 1800s. The pulpit, where sermons are given, stands on a shaped granite base. The wooden benches (pews) where people sit also date from the 1882 rebuilding.
Inside the church, you can see a letter from King Charles I from 1643. It has a painted coat of arms on the back. There are also special memorials. These include a marble wall monument for Benjamnin Sampson, who passed away in 1840. The east chancel window has colored glass in memory of John Jose of Mellingey. A south aisle window has colored glass dedicated to the geologist William Jory Henwood, who passed away in 1875.
Churchyard and Tombs
The wall around the churchyard is made of rough stone (killas rubble). Its entrance gate has stone posts (piers), steps, and flat stone tops (copings) made of granite. It also has decorative wrought iron railings. These were all built in the 1800s and are listed as Grade II historic structures.
Inside the churchyard, there are several Grade II listed headstones and chest tombs. These include a thin slate headstone from 1768 and a headstone with a curved top (nowy-headed) from 1821. There is also a group of five rectangular chest tombs. Two of these are slate slabs with carvings on brick bases from 1789 and 1800. Another flat slate slab on the ground is from 1789. An 1808 chest tomb has a carved slate slab on a granite base. One from 1839 has granite sides and lid with a carved slate piece inserted. An 1845 headstone made of white limestone surrounds a chest with an obelisk (a tall, pointed stone pillar) on a triangular base. A square chest tomb from 1813 is made of white limestone. It has a base with a shaped top, paneled sides, and is topped with an urn (a decorative vase).
