Widemouth Bay, Church of Our Lady and St. Anne
On a fine sunny Monday in early December Jane and I decided to have an outing to Bude, one of our favourite small towns. On our way there we stopped off at a tiny church, serving Widemouth Bay, the Church of Our Lady and St. Anne. Its location in Leverlake Road, less than quarter of a mile from the beach, is not its original site, it having been moved from Madeira Road. It serves as a chapel of ease to the lovely St. Winwaloe's in Poundstock. It was erected in 1929 by the Kingdom brothers, to serve as their own private chapel for quiet contemplation and as a quiet place to write their sermons. In the grounds there is also a small, attrative timber summerhouse; this was purchased and erected by the church members in 2006 and is used by both the congregation and the local community for meetings and events. There being no other public meeting place in Widemouth Bay, and thanks to the generosity of the churchwardens, it is a well-used local facility. Widemouth Bay church is very much of "pre-fab" construction but is kept in excellent condition. Externally it is quite photogenic, being white with black supporting timbers and topped by a tiled roof. Viewed from the front, there is a tiny bell-cote over the door, topped by a small cross. Inside, the chancel is simple and lighted by windows on two sides. A statue of the Virgin and Child is quite attractive. There is ample car parking in the adjacent gated field.
The Simple Interior
Our Lady & St. Anne, Widemouth Bay
Virgin & Child Statue
Photographs
More in Churches & Holy Sites
Winnow
I was first in St. Winnow with Jane in May 2004. Later I returned in the course of a round walk from Lerryn that took in St. Winnow and the Ethy Estate. On neither occasion did I venture inside the church. However, I was back there in late July 2018 on a sunny Saturday when the church was being decked out for a wedding. The setting is a delight; the churchyard runs down to the banks of the Fowey River, a little north of its confluence with the River Lerryn. Although there are no ancient Cornish Crosses in the churchyard, there is a good collection of more recent elaborate crosses, commemorating members of the Vivian family. Inside there are very Cornish wagon roofs to the porch, nave and south aisle; the latter has an elaborately carved wall-plate. There is some nice colourful tiling to the chancel floor. The altar table is Jacobean, the pulpit is of later that century. Perhaps the most important feature of the interior is the medieval rood screen complete with rood, a relatively rare survival, restored in 1907. In the south-east window there is important 15th century stained glass. The east window is of the same period. The font, with an encircling inscription, carries smiling angels holding hands. Despite all this magnificence, the highlight for me was the superb collection of 16th century carved bench ends, some of Cornwall's best. More St. Winnow
Winnow
I revisited St. Winnow in late July 2019, on a day when I also took another look at the church at St. Veep. Once again I was especially struck by the superb collection of bench ends, so I add a couple of photos of some of the most interesting, as well as one of the lovely font. Bench end motifs include a man drinking from a flagon, a wheel over a jug and a sailing ship.
Winwaloe
Church Cove on the Lizard, St. Winwaloe's