Details
LANDRAKE WITH ST CHURCH STREET, Landrake
SX 36 SE ERNEY
3/10 Church of St Michael
23.1.68
GV I
Parish church. Some C13 masonry remaining, late C14, with mid C15 and later C15
additions and alterations; late C19 restoration. Slatestone rubble with granite and
greenstone dressings. Slate roofs with crested ridge tiles.
Plan: Nave and chancel in one, largely appear to be of late C14 to early C15; south
porch. West tower probably of mid C15, with later C15 north arcade and north aisle
and north porch; probably at about the same time, the south transept added. C19
restoration includes alterations to windows and re-roofing. Perpendicular style.
Nave and chancel in one, with angle buttresses to chancel. Both have one south
window, of C19, 3-light, with 4-centred arch, through mullions and upper tracery and
hoodmould; chancel has to south an attached slate tablet with segmental head and
apron, to James Oram, 1786. Chancel east end has plinth and 3-light C15 window with
steep 4-centerd arch, cusped lights and upper tracery with hood mould.
Gabled south porch has granite outer doorway with 4-centred arch, concave and wave
mouldings and hood mould, cast iron gate across. Interior of porch has slate floor,
plastered walls and C19 wagon roof with bosses. The inner doorway has a chamfered
pointed arch, with colonnettes to sides, probably C13.
3-stage tower with set back buttresses, string courses and embattled parapet, on
chamfered plinth in greenstone. West doorway has a granite 4-centred arch with roll
and concave mouldings and hood mould, plain C19 door with strap hinges. 3-light
window above, with 4-centred arch and hood mould, hollow-moulded surround with cusped
lights, through mullions and upper tracery. North side has octagonal stair tower
with lancets, clock at second stage to north. Third stage all sides a 2-light bell-
opening with 4-centred arch and surround as on west window, with slate louvres.
String course to parapet has mask gargoyles, battlements partially rebuilt in C19
with granite coping, pinnacles with crocketed obelisk finials, weathervane.
South transept has 2-light C19 window to east and west, as on south nave, similar 3-
light window to south.
North aisle of 4 bays with porch in western bay, on high moulded plinth with
greenstone string course above the plinth and diagonal weathered buttresses. The east
end of the aisle is set back from the chancel, with a diagonal buttress. East gable
end has 3-light window to same design as those on the tower, but with taller central
light; west end has 3-light window, probably C19 replacement, with 3-centred arched
lights and upper tracery. To north, 3 bays each with 3-light window, as on east
gable end, with some mullions replaced in the C19. End bay to east has doorway with
hollow-chamfered Tudor arch, plain C19 door with strap hinges.
The north porch is very shallow, on continuous plinth with aisle, with diagonal
buttresses rising to crocketed pinnacles with masks in roundels at the base of the
pinnacles, fleuron moulded eaves cornice to sides with masks, crocketed gable to
front. 4 centred arched doorway with roll and hollow moulded surround, in granite
with recessed spandrels with quatrefoils, square hood mould with mask stops; plain
C19 door with strap hinges and cast iron gate accross.
Interior: Plastered walls. Nave and chancel have C19 wagon roofs, 9 bays to nave and
4 to chancel. Tall 4-centred arch to tower with imposts, with C19 wooden screen
across arch. Pointed arched chamfered doorway to tower stair. The upper part of the
chancel arch is formed by part of the C19 roof structure, supported by a C15 shaft to
each side with ring capitals and mask corbels. South side of chancel has chamfered
opening at low level to rood stair, with squint, blocked, but visible from the
transept side. Stone newel stair partially remaining, with upper doorway. Transept
has tall 4-centred arch, with Pevsner A-type piers, with 3/4 shafts instead of the
usual demi-shafts. Ogee piscina in south wall. 3-bay C19 wagon roof with bosses.
Rave and chancel have 4-bay north arcade, with Pevsner A-type piers and 4-centred
arches. Aisle has 11-bay wagon roof, of C15, much restored in C19, with moulded ribs
and purlins. Trefoil headed piscina in south wall.
Fittings: C12 font in nave, of Altarnun type, in granite, a square bowl on octagonal
shaft, with corner faces and large rosettes in circles. C19 stone pulpit in nave and
C19 marble reredos in chancel. C19 wooden benches in nave, aisle and transept, those
in chancel with poppy-head bench ends. Slate hatchment in transept recording Sir
Robert Geffery's will of 1705.
Monuments in nave: slate plate with shouldered nowy head, trumpeting angel, skull and
crossed bones, to Richard Colethe (?) 1738; three slate plates with shouldered nowy
heads, to John Stephens, 1776, Ruby Reed, 1780 and Ruby Reed, 1829; slate plate with
pedimental top and urn, to Mary Lang, 1807. In chancel: set in aumbry a brass to
Edward Coutney, Lord of Wotton in Landrake, 1509; fine pair of slate monuments, both
of 1607, to Nicholas Mylls and his wife, with carved figures in relief and strapwork;
marble monument on slate ground, to John Littleton, 1847; marble tablet on marble
ground, to Grace Hambly, 1810. In transept: slate tablet to Elizebeth Rowe, 1670;
marble tablet on slate ground, to Peter Palmer, 1829; slate tablet with segmental
head and apron, to John Palmer, 1785; fine slate tablet with shouldered nowy head and
carved leaves, to Thomas Rowe, 1713. In north aisle; marble tablet, to William
Steed, 1809; slate tablet with swept nowy head, to John Blake, 1819; slate tablet
with painted incised segmental head, to Philip Blake, 1808; slate tablet with carved
urn, to Samson Rendle, 1821; slate tablet with pedimental top and flaming urn, to
John Sanders, 1806; stone tablet, to Catherine Blake, 1827; oval stone tablet with
corbel, to Jenny Colins, C18, by Allen of Plymouth; slate tablet with pedimental top
and carved figure of death with hourglass and scythe, primitive Corinthian pilasters,
apron with skull and crossed bones, to Daniell Truscott, 1751.
Glass: chancel east window has stained glass of 1866; chancel south window with
stained glass of 1887. Other windows with C20 stained glass or lattice glazed.
Sources: Radcliffe, E.: Buildings of England: Cornwall 1970.
Listing NGR: SX3742560479
