Church Of Saint Wenappa

Church of Saint Wenappa, Gwennap

This is a parish church of 15th-century date, built in three phases but incorporating earlier walling from the 13th to 14th centuries. It was restored and extended at intervals between 1862 and 1891.

The walls are of roughly coursed granite moorstone and granite ashlar with granite dressings. The roof structure comprises three spans with a central nave taller than the flanking sections, covered in dry Delabole slate with coped gable ends. The church includes porches and a vestry.

The plan evolved over time. The south aisle, possibly originally the nave, dates from around the 13th to 14th centuries. This was extended to the north by a new nave and south porch in the early 15th century, followed by the addition of a north aisle and porch. All three sections were later extended to the east. In the 19th century, a vestry was added to the north of the east end, the north porch was rebuilt, gable ends were partially rebuilt, the roof was renewed, and new window mullions and tracery were inserted. The sloping site to the south prevented further plan development in that direction.

All windows except the nave west window are 15th-century Perpendicular style, though most have had their mullions and tracery replaced with 19th-century Perpendicular style work. The nave west window is entirely 19th-century.

The west end displays a group of three gable ends. The central nave gable was mostly rebuilt in the 19th century and contains a 19th-century Perpendicular style 3-light window. The north aisle gable end, with its 19th-century rebuilt gable, has a 4-light window. The south aisle gable end, with a 3-light window, retains 13th to 14th-century moorstone walling except for its 19th-century rebuilt gable; its window opening was widened in the 15th century.

The north wall is 15th-century with an original plinth and coved wallplate cornice. Later 15th-century ashlar walling extends to the east. Weathered diagonal buttressing appears at the north-west corner, with buttresses between windows. The wall contains three windows to the left (east) of the porch and two to the right, each with 5 lights and in 19th-century Perpendicular style.

The vestry to the far left is of granite ashlar with a central 2-light window to the north gable and a doorway with shouldered head to the west wall. The porch has a central 19th-century doorway and diagonal corner buttresses. Its inner doorway, with a chamfered and 4-centred arch, dates from the late 15th century.

The east wall has three gable ends, with gables rebuilt in the 19th century; the north aisle gable end is almost entirely rebuilt. Otherwise, the wall retains 15th-century plinth, walling, and outer frames of windows. A 3-light window serves the south aisle and 4-light windows light the nave and north aisle. A chimney serving the vestry rises over the north-east corner.

The south wall's western section displays roughly coursed moorstone walling from around the 13th to 14th centuries, arranged symmetrically. A central south doorway with porch and two windows flank it on each side. The windows were enlarged in the 15th century, and their mullions and tracery were replaced in the 19th century. The porch doorway, from the early 15th century, has convex moulded jambs (similar to earlier piers inside the church) and a 4-centred arch. Its inner doorway, late 15th-century, features a wide chamfer with stepped stops. A slate sundial is mounted above the porch doorway.

A late 15th-century granite ashlar extension to the right (east) of the south porch includes a stair turret linking the earliest surviving section to the final medieval phase. Windows to this part are larger but similar to others.

The interior contains fine 15th-century granite arcades—the second tallest in Cornwall—of five bays between the nave and aisles, and two bays between the chancel and aisles. Most piers are standard A-type (Pevsner classification), but the respond and two piers to the west of the south arcade, and the east respond of the north arcade, are granite monoliths moulded as if they were round piers with four engaged shafts, similar to piers found in the Church of Saint Filius, Philleigh. All arches are 4-centred over moulded or moulded and carved capitals. A granite winder stair lies to the south of the former rood position in the south wall. A circa 13th to 14th-century trefoil-headed piscina stands to the west of the stair.

The nave roof, dating from the 19th century, is arch-braced with wind braces. The aisles feature limewashed plaster barrel vaults.

Memorial windows with coloured glass include: a window to Frederick Tabb (1856–1926), physician and surgeon, depicting Jesus healing the sick, positioned to the north wall east of the doorway; a nativity window to Major Richard Ford of Pengreep (1884–1918), who died in France; a window to Elizabeth Tabb (died 1893) showing Jesus before Pontius Pilate; an east window to the north aisle depicting David and Goliath, commemorating B.M. Williams (died 1867); and a chancel window to William Williams (died 1870 aged 78).

Fittings include a Norman font base at the east end of the north aisle, originally featuring a large round shaft and four corner shafts; a 19th-century polished marble font dedicated to the Reverend John Rogers, father of Canon Saltern Rogers, Vicar of Gwennap 1856–1893; a reredos with blind arcade flanked by painted panels of the Ten Commandments; a screen with open Decorated style tracery between the chancel and north aisle; and pine pews with shaped ends and coloured tiled walks between them.

Monuments include: on the west wall (nave), a marble urn within a vertical oval to Henry Beauchamp, son and heir of Joseph Beauchamp, and a slate tablet with shaped pediment (over the north door) featuring angels and vine carving by Northey Burnard, executed in 1829 when he was aged 15. The north wall carries a monument to James Whitburn, mine agent, and a marble monument with angel wings to William Henry Tregoning (died 1875 aged 59). The south wall contains several marble monuments to the Williams family, including one to Caroline Elizabeth Williams (died 1849 aged 24) with a carved figure and urn on pedestal; one to William Williams (died 1846 aged 26) with a standard; one to Charles Edward Williams (died 1842 aged 26); and a marble aedicule with a carved sarcophagus over a tree to Benjamin Sampson Esq. of Tullimaar (died 1840 aged 70). A slate slab at the east end of the south aisle commemorates James Pearrowe of St Burian (died 1691).