Church Of St Symphorian

Church of St Symphorian

This parish church dates from around 1300, with the first recorded vicar in 1309, and was extensively rebuilt and added to in the 15th century. It underwent major restoration in 1847. The building is constructed of slatestone, granite and freestone, with Delabole slate roofs featuring coped gable ends.

The church comprises a nave and chancel under one roof, with a west porch, a full-length north aisle, a south transept, a south tower, and a south porch positioned towards the west end of the nave. The west entrance front was mostly rebuilt in 1847.

The west porch contains a pointed outer doorway with reused Norman freestone imposts and a carved head above. Two further Norman heads are preserved inside the porch. The pointed inner doorway, with hoodmould, dates from around 1300. A reset 15th-century Perpendicular window is centrally positioned on the coped nave gable with a niche above. A similar window at lower level lights the smaller north aisle gable, also with a niche above and hoodmould.

The north wall has six windows with similar 15th-century style, reset at a higher level during the 1847 restoration when the walling was rebuilt above impost level. Evidence survives of a removed buttress to the right of window 5 and a blocked opening, partly concealed under window 6. A blocked 4-centred doorway is present to the far right. Wall plaques commemorate the Kempe family of Crugsillick, Elizabeth Fincher (dated 1790), and Stephen Thomas (1771).

The east wall contains a 15th-century Perpendicular window lighting the chancel and north aisle. The chancel window was reset in 1902 and fitted with coloured glass in memory of a former vicar. Two gables with coping were reset at a higher level.

The south wall displays three 15th-century windows to the left of the transept, with a porch positioned between windows 1 and 2, and two further 15th-century windows to the right of the transept. All are similar to other 15th-century windows except for a two-light example to the left of the porch. Walling was rebuilt above impost level. The south porch features an ancient wheel cross inserted above the doorway. The inner elvan doorway, with hoodmould, dates from around 1300, and a vertical shiplap door is medieval. The south transept, probably rebuilt in 1847, contains a reset two-light window of circa 1300 freestone construction on both its west and east walls.

The south tower is three storeys tall in an early Decorated style. It features clasping corner buttresses and a clasping stair turret to the south-east corner. Strings divide the stages, with carved heads and symbols in the cove beneath the parapet. A small pointed door opens to the east, with small slit windows to the second stage. The top stage has large three-light windows with intersecting tracery. A south window to the first stage is a 15th-century Perpendicular insertion. Clock faces are positioned on the west and north sides of the middle and upper stages respectively. The battlements and crocketed corner pinnacles to the parapet are probably 15th-century work. The roof is lead with a central valley.

Interior

The interior contains a 15th-century eight-bay arcade between the nave chancel and north aisle. Granite piers of Pevsner's standard A-type have limestone capitals with leaf carving. Granite flags pave the aisles. The roofs are arch braced. The nave roof incorporates braces, bosses and purlins from 15th-century waggon roofs. Circa 1300 rear arches to the tower and an original stone newel stair survive.

Fittings include a clock by Richard Wills, dated circa 1790–1800, and six bells, the oldest cast in 1740. A Bodmin type font features a granite circular bowl with wave and ware carving and carved heads above four shafts, each shaft base having four carved heads possibly of Norman date. The central pier and corner shafts are probably replacements. The style is Norman though the bowl is likely 15th-century. Framing and two carved panels survive from the rood screen. Japanese oak pews were installed in 1951, replacing box pews which survived until 1940.

Monuments include a Baroque example with cherubs and coat of arms to John Trevanion (1712); one to Jeremiah Trist, vicar for 52 years until his death in 1829, who commissioned Veryan's five distinctive round houses built around 1820; and one to Arthur Kempe of Crugsillick, who died in 1823. Kempe was Admiral of the Red Squadron of His Majesty's Fleet and assisted at the Battle of Quebec in 1759.