Falmouth
At the 2011 census Falmouth's population (excluding Penryn) was around 24,000, making it Cornwall's third largest town after Camborne/Redruth and St. Austell and marginally larger than the county town, Truro. It is reputed to have the world's third largest natural harbour, though here is some dispute about that. Appropriately for a largish town there are several churches of various denominations. Anglican churches predominate: King Charles the Martyr on Church Street in the heart of town; All Saints on Killigrew Street; St. Michael on Stratton Terrace, on lengthy North Parade leading to Greenbank. Churches of other denominations are: Falmouth Methodist Church on Killigrew Street; the United Reform Church on Berkeley Vale, off The Moor, Falmouth's central square; the Catholic St. Mary Immaculate on Killigrew Street; and the Central Spiritualist Church on Quarry Hill off The Moor. There was once a synagogue on Smithick Hill; the building still stands but has not been in use as a place of worship since 1879. This and the following items are preliminary and will be amended and/or amplified when I have been to Falmouth to take photographs.
King Charles Martyr All Saints St. MIchaels
Falmouth,
More in Churches & Holy Sites
Feock, Saint Feoc's Church
I had previously been in Feock on a couple of occasions. In July 2007 I took a couple of church exterior photos, one of the Cornish Cross and several photos of nearby Loe Beach and Pill Creek. In September 2016 I took a lot of photos of the village and of the exterior of the church, the steeply sloping graveyard, the detached bell tower, the two lych gates and the Cornish Cross near the porch. However, on neither occasion did I venture inside the church. I eventually did so in late July 2018, on an outing that also including Kea and Old Kea. As for Feock church, once inside the porch the first thing you notice is that there is a kind of small inner porch with glass doors leading into the church proper. The church, originally dating from the mid 13th century, was enlarged in 1840 then much rebuilt from 1875 by the inevitable J P St. Aubyn. The first thing you notice when you enter is a reproduction 1576 map of Cornwall, hanging on the north wall. Most striking feature of the interior of the church, however, is St. Aubyn's chancel with its series of entertainingly painted roof beams. To be fair that is essentially colourful entertainment. What are truly important are the font, the pulpit and the very Victorian reredos. There is some good stained glass, the east window unexpectedly by William de Morgan, better known as a tile designer. Perhaps the most impressive piece of furnishing is the pulpit, made of four 16th century Flemish Renaissance panels bearing biblical scenes. But my personal favourite is the late Norman font of blue Catacleuse stone and finely decorated with symmetrical and floral designs.
Flushing, St. Peter's
In March 2017 I visited Mylor Churchtown, where I had not previously been inside the church, so steeply and beautifully situated above the marina. On the way there I had been first to St. Gluvias at Penryn, which was closed, and St. Peter's at Flushing. St. Peter's is situated at the top of the hill down to the water. Opposite, from the top of a steep drive down to a house called Little Flushing, there is a good view down to the water and across to Falmouth. This Anglican church is highly unusual for Cornwall, dating from 1842, a time when so many Methodist churches were beng built. The interior (photo below right) is also unusual, with its queen-post roof and a model yacht - appropriate for Flushing - suspended from it. You might think there had been an older church on this site, witness the unexpected presence of a Cornish Cross in the churchyard. However, the cross was found in a farm building at Porloe in 1891 and moved to this churchyard.
Forrabury near Boscastle, St. Symphorian's Church
I first encountered St. Symphorian's church - the same dedication as that in Veryan - in the course of the same round walk during which I first saw Minster Church. That was in January 2008. I didn't go inside it then; my interest then was only in photographing its Cornish Cross, situated to the south of the churchyard. However, I eventually revisited St. Symphorian's in July 2018 and took some interior photographs. Before going in the church I walked through the gate in the top left-hand corner of the churchyard. You should make a point of doing this for the views. Most striking is the view to the Coastguard look-out on Willapark, the headland to the south of Boscastle. Sitting just inland from Willapark and lying between the church and that headland is the high ground of Forrabury Stitches. The Stitches are evidence of a medieval way of farming. This series of fields is divided into 42 "stitch-meal" plots of farmland, a method of crop rotation that dates back to Celtic times still exists and is one of the best three surviving examples of stitches being farmed in Britain today. The church of Saint Symphorian was subject of a major restoration in 1868, resulting in an additional north aisle with heavy classical columns. The Pulpit, Credence Table and Altar all incorporate old bench ends. The pulpit is of geometrical design and features a terrier and two rabbits in a barrow, an ape on a stool, and two swans. One wonders what other treasures existed on old bench ends, sold off to local farms and houses. A priest's chair is of unusually elaborate design. The cup-shaped font is Norman with criss-cross diagonal decoration.