St. Erme, St. Hermes Church

Erme, St. Hermes Church

A little surprisingly this is not the only Cornish church dedicated to St. Hermes; this one is a few miles north of Truro, the other is a few miles south of Padstow. According to Pevsner the church is set in an oval lann. It has to be said that while I could see it as oval, from the entrance gate I could see little evidence of the ground being raised as you expect with a lann. Be that as it may, I found it to be an interesting church and, oddly, one which seems larger and more spacious inside than you expect from the outside. St. Hermes stands in a large but empty churchyard - gravestones are lined up along the perimeter. As you enter the churchyard, you are immediately struck by the impressive tower, three story with crenellated parapet and crocketed pinnacles and a north-east stair turret. A wooden door in the east face of the tower has a carved stone head above the voussoir. The church dates from the 15th century but was heavily remodelled in 1819/20 by John Foulston, with further work by E H Sedding in 1908. The body of the church consists of nave and north and south aisles. Barrel- vaulted roofs are of the 15th and 16th centuries with roof ribs, purlins and roof-bosses. The wooden wall-plate carries carving. The circular font is Norman with unusual ornamentation, foliage scroll and four lily motifs, which Pevsner thinks was the prototype for Bodmin and St. Austell. Royal Arms are of George IV, dated 1827, and are painted on a metal sheet. Stained glass in the east window is of Christ's Call to the Fishermen, by Mary Lowndes in Arts and Crafts style. A fine brass is to Robert Trencreek, his wife and children.

St. Erme Trencreek Brass

Fishermen Stained Glass

St. Erme Pulpit

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