Details
ST GERMANS CHURCH STREET (north side),
SX 35 NE
St Germans
7/90 (17/65) Church of St Germanus
23.1.68
GV I
Parish church. C12, consecrated in 1261, south chapel of late C14, extended in C15;
north aisle rebuilt 1888, with other alterations. Slatestone rubble, greenstone and
sandstone dressings, slate roofs.
Plan: Nave and chancel in one, 2 west towers with south west porch set in the angle
and leading into the south aisle. North transept and vestry.
The nave has a porch under a gable at the west end, with fine Norman door, double
doors; in the upper gable end 3 round arched lights with nook shafts.
Tower to south west, in 3 stages, with string courses and embattled parapets,
pilasters at first and second stages, round arched lancets; 2-light 4-centred arched
bell-openings at 3rd stage with cusped lights and wooden louvres, clock to north and
south, dated 1781.
Tower to north west, in 3 stages, with clasping buttresses at first and second stage
rising to broach to the top octagonal stage with embattled parapet. Round-headed
lancets; east door in greenstone with stepped rounded arch and jamb shafts. C19 door
with strap hinges. The north side of the nave and chancel has embattled parapet,
nave has two 3-light windows with Perpendicular tracery. Embattled parapet to
vestry.
The south aisle is of 4 bays with embattled parapet and weathered buttresses. Four
4-light windows, all with 4-centred arches, upper tracery and hood mould; Tudor
arched door to east. Two 3-light Perpendicular style windows at the east end, and
upper 3-light similar window.
South west porch has moulded cornice and embattled parapet. 4-centred arched door to
south with hood mould. 4-centred arched west doorway with quatrefoils in spandrels,
roll-moulded with hood mould; mask gargoyles.
Chancel has 5-light east window with transom, all trefoil-headed lights with
Perpendicular tracery, 4-centred arch and hood mould.
Interior: Unplastered walls. Nave and chancel in one, with C19 wagon roof. 7-bay
south arcade of round piers with fluted abaci, 4-centred arches, 3 arches to west
stepped, other moulded; similar columns with stepped arch to north, formerly to the
family pew, now organ chamber. One clerestorey window with chevron jambs above the
south arcade. South aisle has similar C19 roof. East piscina with ogee hood,
sedilia with gabled crocketed hood and tomb recess with ogee hood. Second tomb
recess with ogee hood in main south wall of aisle. Holy water stoup by west door.
South west tower has round arch to aisle, with round columns with fluted abaci,
clustered columns to east and north. Similar stepped arch with clustered columns to
north west tower.
Fittings: font in nave. Misericord in south aisle. Royal Arms dated 1660 in south
aisle. Eliot arms in nave.
Monuments: In north west tower, the Rysbrack monument to Edward Eliot, 1772; marble
sarcophagus to Susan Countess of St Germans, 1830. In nave: slate tablet with
acrostic inscription in Latin to Ionhannes Minister, 1631; marble tablet to Walter
Moyle, 1701; pair of marble monuments with broken pediments and pilasters, to John
Glanville, 1735 and Elizabeth Glanville, 1748. In south aisle: marble ledger stone
to Ann Eliot, 1723; monument by Westmacott, to John, first Earl St Germans, 1823;
slate ledger stones to Richard Boger, 1733 and Sarah Nanjulian, 1778.
Glass: chancel east window has stained glass, dedicated 1896, by E. Burne Jones. For
further details, see sources: Radcliffe, E. Buildings of England: Cornwall 1970.
Spence, J.E.: St Germans Priory Cornwall.
Listing NGR: SX3594057753
