Launceston
, St. Mary Magdalene's Church - the interior
Jane and I had originally visited Launceston's major church way back in 2011 when there was a quilting exhibition on in the nave. It was possible to see only relatively little of the church then, although I remember being particularly impressed by the very colourful and highly decorated pulpit, probably pre-Reformation and one of the oldest interior furnishings. I revisited in August 2018 and spent some time in the church and took a good number of photos. One thing that surprised me was that, in such a large church in a major town, the ceilings were not vaulted but were Cornish Wagon roofs throughout. The next thing to strike me was the proliferation of carved bench ends, late Victorian but none the worse for that. On the north wall, near the organ, are the small stone kneeling figures of Granville Pyper and Richard Wise. On one wall is a brass to a lady, who if I interpret the writing correctly, died age 65 having borne 41 children!!! In a chapel I saw a display of vestments; whether permanent or temporary I know not. An altar in the south aisle is painted with biblical scenes. The Rood screen and Parclose screens are finely carved in Art Nouveau style with flowers, fish and animals. The font is of the early 20th century but has as its base an original Norman font; the cover is Victorian and tall and elaborately carved. Stained glass is all of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On the reredos in the chancel is a striking and colourful alabaster figure of the Transfiguration of Christ, in the style of Fra. Angelico. The carved Royal Arms is strongly painted and gilded.
Launceston Pulpit
Launceston Carved Bench Ends
Launceston Pyper Memorial
Photographs
More in Churches & Holy Sites
Lelant
, St. Uny
Lesnewth
After revisiting St. Juliot's church with its Thomas Hardy associations, I went on to nearby Lesnewth. The name is a corruption of Lys Noweth or New Court. The village is but a hamlet with church, Old Rectory, Coach House, two farms and a few cottages. What I hadn't expected was to find a large Cornish Cross, its head a nicely cut wheel-cross. The church consists of three stage, pinnacled tower, nave, chancel and a vestry in the form of a double south transept. In the nave there are reported to be stained glass roundels (2003) by Caroline Henderson. I only noticed one, that of a bird on a twig, crosses on a hill in the background. On a wall an entertaining board records a grant from the "Incorporated Society for Building Churches". Elsewhere a slate memorial slab of 1680 carries an elaborate coat of arms. Pevsner says that in the porch are a Cornish wheel-head cross and a C13 grave slab with an incised foliated cross. I returned to check but I am afraid Pevsner is mistaken.
Lewannick
Lewannick is a fairly ordinary, but not uninteresting, little village, happily bypassed by the busy A30, just off the eastern fringes of Bodmin Moor. It has several buldings of interest including a house calling itself Lewannick Manor, but originally the Rectory; next to it a house calling itself Priory House; a former Police House, in that use from 1871 to 1950; and a pub named Archer Arms for the former local landowners. The church stands on an elevated site, presumably with an earlier non-Christian history. It consists of nave, aisles, porch and three-stage tower. The porch roof has some interesting carved bosses, including the one below right, and an old font stands there, too. The most important feature is the two inscribed stones, one in the church inscribed in ogham as well as regular script, the other south in the churchyard. There is an elaborately carved pulpit and the Norman font carries carvings of a labyrinth and two pentagrams. There is an unusual carved stone reredos and the altar is covered with a colourful cloth. A metal wall plaque carries figues of a lion and what looks like a Roman soldier.