Church Of St Cuby

This Grade I listed parish church was consecrated in 1321, though the building likely originated in the 13th century with a cruciform plan. The tower dates from the early to mid-13th century. A four-bay north aisle was added in the 15th century, followed by a two-bay chantry chapel for the Colshull family at the east end of the north aisle in the late 15th century. A north transept was added in the 16th century.

The church underwent major restoration in 1860–61 by the architect St Aubyn at a cost of £2,700, funded by the Bewes family as patrons. This work involved partial rebuilding of the walls to the nave, south transept, north aisle and chancel; the addition of a south porch; and complete re-roofing. The tower, originally of three stages, had begun to lean northwards. In 1861 the top stage was removed and replaced with a pyramid roof.

Exterior

The church is built of snecked ashlar slatestone with a moulded plinth to the nave, south porch, south transept and chancel. The north aisle and north transept have a lower plinth. Both plinths are probably contemporary with the 19th-century alterations. The Colshull chapel on the north-east has a moulded plinth. The tower is of stone rubble with set-back stone rubble buttresses to the lower stage only, featuring set-offs that were renewed on the north-west and north-east corners. The roofs are 19th-century slate, with the nave and chancel under one roof, and a slate pyramid roof to the tower.

The church comprises a nave, chancel, north and south transepts, a square tower at the south of the south transept, and a south porch. The south side of the nave has a 19th-century three-light Perpendicular window, probably in an original opening. The south transept has a 19th-century door with a granite arch at the angle with the nave. The south elevation of the tower features a 19th-century granite two-centred arched opening with engaged columns and a 19th-century plank door. Above is a pointed relieving arch, pierced at the apex by a later freestone-dressed window. Louvred lancets appear in the second and third stages on the west, south and east elevations. The east side of the transept has two probably 19th-century lancet windows with pointed relieving arches. To the east, beyond the transept, are two Perpendicular windows with partly renewed granite tracery beneath four-centred arches with hoodmoulds. Between them is a priest's door with a freestone-dressed four-centred arch with hoodmould, chamfered arch and jambs with stops. The chancel has a four-light Perpendicular east window beneath a four-centred arch with hoodmould.

The north-east chapel features an unusual late 15th-century east window of high quality: four lights beneath a four-centred arch with moulded jambs and mullions and ornate cusped lights. Carved label stops include a grotesque figure at the apex. The north windows of the chapel have original late 15th-century Perpendicular tracery with moulded mullions, sills and jambs with ornate cusped lights. To the west is a rood loft projection, contemporary with the chapel, featuring a quatrefoiled light with a cusped light above. A castellated cornice and moulded string course decorated with grotesques and gargoyles continues around the chapel and rood loft projection. The north transept has a circa 19th-century door surround on the east and a 19th-century four-light Perpendicular north window beneath a four-centred arch. The north side of the north aisle has two original circa 15th-century three-light Perpendicular windows beneath four-centred arches, both with hoodmoulds. Between them is a blocked north door in a rectangular granite surround with an inner four-centred roll-moulded arched opening with incised spandrels and eroded carved label stops. The west windows of the nave and north aisle have renewed 19th-century tracery. The 19th-century south porch is gabled with a steeply sloping roof, a two-centred moulded arched opening, and a similar arch to the south door. The 19th-century south door has cover moulds.

Interior

The nave, north aisle, north and south transepts and south porch have 19th-century wagon roofs. The chancel has a 19th-century wagon roof with reused carved bosses. The four-bay north arcade is of Pentewan stone with tall shafts and an unusual variation of type A (Pevsner) piers. The moulding comprises two pronounced fillets to the right and left of a deep hollow, with tall bases slightly masked by a raised floor, decoratively carved and moulded capitals, and moulded four-centred arcade arches with a pronounced crank at the springing. The two-bay north-east Colshull Chapel has a decoratively carved arcade with moulded piers similar to those in the north aisle, but with hollows decoratively carved with heraldic motifs, intertwined foliage, grapes and vine leaves, producing convex moulded shafts. The carved tall bases have quatrefoils in central panels, and the moulded four-centred arcade arches have a central hollow chamfer. At the east end, the arcade arch rests on a carved corbelled bracket in the form of an angel's head. The south transept arch is similar to the arcade arches of the north aisle. The north transept arch is slightly more pointed with a heavy moulded arch. The tower arch is blocked.

The furnishings are 19th-century. Oak seats in the chancel and Colshull Chapel came from Balliol College, Oxford, and were donated in 1937. There is a 19th-century pulpit and a late 19th-century reredos by Harry Hems of Exeter. A circa 15th-century octagonal font of granite features an octagonal bowl, lead-lined and decorated with quatrefoils in square panels. The baptistery has a decorated marble pavement laid in 1900. A further font in the north aisle, near the north transept, is known as St Cuby's Font. This circular granite font came from a holy well and is possibly of pre-Christian origin, possibly carved with figures of a griffin and dolphin. A holy water stoup to the west of the south door is square in plan with decorated carved panels featuring bulbous foliage, possibly late 14th-century.

In the chancel is a piscina with a cusped arch and projecting basin carved with quatrefoils. The north transept, probably added in the 16th century, contains a reset circa late 15th-century carved parclose screen, probably part of the rood screen, incorporating symbols of saints and Colshull family arms. It has four bays, with the first, second and fourth bays featuring carved three-light Perpendicular traceried openings, a moulded base with cusped lights below and later panelling. It was partly restored in the circa 19th century. The Colshull Chapel has a circa late 15th-century carved parclose screen of four bays with three-light Perpendicular traceried openings at the junction with the north aisle, elaborately carved with intertwined foliage and decorated with shields. A screen of three panels, each of four lights, continues to the east in the first bay of the arcade dividing the chantry chapel from the chancel, with Perpendicular tracery and plain later panels below.

Memorials

The Colshull Chapel contains a large number of fine memorials. A vault beneath the chapel was used for burials until 1889. A recumbent effigy of a knight in plate armour represents Sir John Colshull, who died in 1485 and was the second richest man in Cornwall. The effigy is decorated with carved panels featuring quatrefoils and shields; the west end has a relief of the crucifixion. An inscription reading "Johe's Colshull 1483" runs around the margin of the tablet. Beneath the north window is a table tomb of John Killiow of Westnorth, who died in 1610, and his wife Dorothy Trevelyan, who died in 1600 and whose arms are impaled with those of her husband on a panel above the tomb, with strapwork decoration.

Three slate memorials commemorate Anna Coffyn, who died in 1592, shown in Elizabethan dress holding gloves and a book with two shields in the spandrels and a skull below; Maria Arundel, who died in 1629, daughter of Thomas Arundel and niece of Sir John Arundel who defended Pendennis Castle, Falmouth, with a verse containing an anagram of her name ("Man a dry laurel"); and below the east window of the chapel, a slate with two Elizabethan ladies with their families, well carved. Other memorials include one to Henry Bewes by William Adran, 1793, signed "Adran Fect London", well executed with a relief of a woman holding a portrait medallion of the dead man; Vice Admiral Sir Edward Buller, Bart of Trenant Park, 1764–1824, with a sarcophagus, urn and heraldic arms; Jeremiah Miles, 1746; Isac Miles, rector of St Pinnock, 1766; Johannis Ogilvie, 1839; John Grigg of Bodbrane, died 1792; Martha Nicholas Grigg, died 1810; Thomas Bewes, died 1857; and Edward Bewes, died 1806.

Stained Glass

Two windows in the south wall of the chancel commemorate Reverend P Bush, who was responsible for the restoration of the church, and his wife. One from 1893 depicts David, St Paul and Isaiah. The other depicts Faith, Charity and Hope and is signed in the right-hand corner with a signature of three bees, probably by Percy Bacon and Brothers. A former rector, Reverend Robert Scott, was partner with Liddell in the production of the Greek Lexicon.

The church stands on a Lan (an enclosed early Christian site).