St. Mellion, Landrake, Landulph & Botus Fleming
Mellion, Landrake, Landulph & Botus Fleming
In late August 2017 I had another expedition to the south-east, this time primarily to St. Mellion - but not to the famous golf course. I was there to visit four churches, St.Mellion, Landrake, Landulph and Botus Fleming. The first two were open, the latter two closed, so it was a half successful expedition. At Landulph and Botus Fleming I merely took exterior photographs, including a nice porch sundial. At Landulph, I found an interesting farmhouse and barn named, if the letterbox is to be believed, Four Shilling Park. At Botus Fleming there was alos a crude wall memorial to "M Brown 1734". St. Mellion church is largely of the 14th century and consists of Nave, Aisle, South Transept housing the Coryton Chapel and a three-stage tower. The Coryton Chapel has many fine and elaborate monuments, including a brass of 1551. The Corytons are local landowners at Pentillie. The pulpit is Jacobean. The font cover is topped by a brass eagle. The nave has a wagon roof with carved bosses. Landrake church, with its 100 foot tower, on top of a hill can be seen from miles. Inside I found wagon roofs, a Norman font like that at Altarnun, and a brass of 1509 to Edward Cowtney, Lord of Wootton in Landrake. The nave ceiling has carved and coloured bosses similar to those at St. Nectan's. At Botus Fleming there is a rustic sundial on the porch and, on a wall near it a crude memorial to "M Brown 1734".
St. Mellion Church
Landrake Church ceiling boss
Landulph Church
St. Merryn
This is really quite an impressive church for a small village. I visited it on a warm, sunny Saturday in July 2016, on a day when I also managed to visit the churches at St. Issey and St. Ervan and even managed to include Prynnhenge, the remarkable small garden of the remarkable self-proclaimed bard, Ed Prynn. Oddly, the church is not in St. Merryn itself but in Treveglos, a quarter mile east of the village. Parts are Norman or medieval but the greater part of the church dates from the 15th century. Although long, the roofline is relatively low so the massive tower rather dwarfs it. As in so many Cornish churches, there are stocks in the porch. As you enter, you face an elaborate, but smaller than often, Royal coat of arms. Above you are wagon roofs. As you can see from the photo on the right, the decorated font is of the local blue Cataclews stone, as are the piers dividing the aisle from the nave. There is a nicely carved, though not old, pew in the choir. In the chancel is a colourful and elaborate reredos. A window in the chapel carries an engraved memorial to Group Captain Bertram Barthold. Opposite the church is the Cornish Arms, part of the Rick Stein Empire which dominates nearby Padstow.
B3276 Padstow-Newquay road. Car park.
The font is of local blue Cataclews stone
St.
