Church of St Uvelus

Details

ST EVAL SW 86 NE 6/190 Church of St Uvelus

GV I

Parish church. Circa late Cll or early C12, the rebuilt north transept may be a C13 addition; in the C15 the nave (except for its north wall) and chancel were rebuilt and the south aisle with a south porch were added. In 1724-7 the west tower was rebuilt and the porch was added. Restored by J.D. Sedding and reseated in 1889. Slate rubble with Catacleuse and granite dressings. Slate roofs with granite coping to the gable ends. Plan: Nave, chancel, north transept, north and south porches and west tower. Development: The Norman north wall of the nave is probably all that remains of the late Cll or early C12 church. The rebuilt north transept is likely to be of C13 origin and suggests a once cruciform plan church. In the C15 the nave except for its north wall was rebuilt with an enlarged integral chancel and 6-bay south aisle and south porch. The former west tower may have also been C15. It collapsed in 1700 and was re-erected in 1724-7, in the old style, by Bristol merchants as a landmark by which to navigate their ships. The north porch was also added in 1724. In 1889 the church was restored by J.D. Sedding; it was reseated and pinnacles were added to the tower. The roof of the tower was repaired in 1934. Exterior: Tall early C18 unbuttressed west tower in 3 stages with weathered string couses, hollow chamfered plinth, cornice and embattled parapet with used granite octagonal crenellated pinnacles with obelish finials terminating in small balls; the granite moulded coping to the battlements may also be reused. The tower is built of slate rubble with bands of dressed stone. Traceried 2-light bell-openings on each side of the top stage with pierced slate baffles; the tracery appears to have been used from the earlier tower as is the tracery of the taller light west window. The moulded west doorway of the tower has a 2-centred arch with a keystone. At the west end of the north side of the nave there is a small round-headed Norman window. The C18 gabled north porch has a dressed slate round arch with a granite keystone dated 1724; the doorway is blocked and the inner doorway is inaccessible. The north transept has C19 Perpendicular style north and east windows, 3-lights to the north and 2 lights to the east window. The chancel has a wide C19 5-light Perpendicular style east window. The south aisle has the original C15 Perpendicular windows, 5 on the south side of 2 lights with 2-centred arches and one on the east end of 3 lights, all with hoodmoulds. The gable south porch has a moulded granite round arch doorway with panelled polygonal responds and a circa C13 moulded 2-centred arch inner doorway with convex stops. Interior: Whitewashed stone rubble interior walls. The nave, chancel and south aisles have original C15 wagon roofs with moulded ribs and wall plates and carved bosses; some of the ribs and wall plates over the nave seem to have been replaced. The porch has a C19 soft-wood wagon roof and the north transept has circa C20 arch- braced collar trusses. The window rear arches are rough stone and the tall tower arch has chamfered responds, imposts and a dressed stone round arch. The Norman north window is deeply splayed internally and has a dressed stone arch on which some painted mural decoration survives. The 6-bay granite south arcade has moulded 4-centred arches, Pevsner A-type monolithic piers with bell-shaped bases and capitals with bands of low relief stylised leaf carving. The arcade bay under the rood loft is half the width and has a low Tudor arch. Simple chamfered 2-centred arch piscina on the south side of the chancel. Good set of C15 carved bench ends and arcading with tracery reset on the C19 restored benches; the ends are carved with initials, Instruments of the Passion, shields etc. The choir stalls are circa early C20. Only the wainscot of the rood screen survives and this has traceried panels, those in the south aisle are finely carved with Renaissance influence; the section across the nave has some remains of colour. The carved octagonal pulpit is early C17. The carved wooden lecturn is mid to late C19. The carved wooden reredos and altar are late C19 or early C20. The late C19 altar rail has wrought iron stanchions. The simple hemispherical font bowl on a short column appears to be C18 but is thought to be Norman; the octagonal domed font cover with a finial is stored in the north transept. In the north transept a C17 table which was probably the altar table. The Royal Arms on the north wall of the nave is probably of Charles II, painted on board and overpainted in the C18. The late C19 organ is by Bryceson Bros. and Morton of London. The 6 bells were rehung and 2 recast in 1892 and another added in 1907. There is no stained glass except for a small early C20 memorial window in the transept, by Jones and Willis of London. Monuments: 3 good slate rural monuments in the north transept. The best is that to Simon Leach, died 1672, which is carved in relief and has the inscription in an oval flanked by pilasters with large acanthus leaves on the shafts and his arms above flanked by vases of flowers. The other two slate monuments are to William Trevethick who died in 1692/3 and another William Trevethick who died in 1731. During the Second World War until 1958 the church as well as being the parish church was the station church of the R.A.F. and there are various badges displayed on the church walls of squadrons that flew from the aerodrome in the parish. On the north wall there is a memorial to a Shackleton aircrew lost in North Borneo. The memorial was moved from R.A.F. Changi with a font cover (that now in use) when the 205 Squadron withdrew from Singapore. Source: Pevsner, N. Buildings of England, Cornwall. Kelly's Directory. Church guide.

Listing NGR: SW8719669180

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

397027

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Church of St Uvelus Church Guide, ()
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Cornwall, (1951)
Kelly's Directory in Kelly's Directory, ()

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