Egloshayle Church

Egloshayle Church is a parish church of apparently no specific dedication. It originates from the Norman period, as evidenced by a surviving Norman font, though the building was largely rebuilt in the 15th century. The church was restored in 1867 by the architect J.P. St Aubyn.

The structure comprises a nave, chancel, and north transept, with early masonry surviving in the north wall of the nave. Around the 15th century, a six-bay south aisle was added, and probably slightly later a south porch, which was subsequently rebuilt in the 19th century. Contemporary with the south aisle, the north transept was extended to the east, though only one bay of this north aisle was completed; a relieving arch above the western segment indicates partial 19th-century rebuilding.

The exterior walls consist of stone rubble for the north wall of the nave and north transept, ashlar slatestone for the south aisle with moulded granite plinth, and ashlar slatestone for both the west tower and the 19th-century rebuilt east wall of the chancel and south porch. The roof is slate, with the nave and chancel in one span.

The most prominent feature is the tall, impressive west tower of three stages, erected around the 1470s by Lovybound, the vicar. It features set-back corner buttresses, a battlemented parapet, and crocketted finials, with a projecting stair turret on the north-east corner. The west door has a pointed catacleuse stone arch with carved jambs decorated with ascending and descending serpents, whilst the labels carry carved three hearts banded together by a ribbon and inscribed "Lovybound". The west window is a 19th-century three-light Perpendicular design, with circa 15th-century three-light belfry openings featuring slate fenestration. A clock dating to 1835 is mounted on the tower. A late 20th-century vestry has been added on the north side.

The north wall of the nave is lit by two circa early 14th-century two-light windows flanking the north door. The north transept has circa 15th-century three-light windows with cusped heads; the north window is much restored and the relieving arch above indicates the opening was enlarged in the 15th century. The south aisle displays circa 15th-century four-light Perpendicular windows carved with diagonal stops on the inside. The chancel has a five-light circa 19th-century east window and a Perpendicular circa 15th-century east window.

The south porch is gabled and appears to have been rebuilt in the 19th century, though it retains two circa 15th-century jambs and the original 15th-century waggon roof. The south door has a circa 15th-century four-centred arch with hollow chamfer and an ogee-headed empty niche above it, with a 19th-century replacement door.

The interior features unplastered walls and no chancel arch. The tower arch is almost rounded-headed. The nave, chancel, and north transept have 19th-century arch-braced roofs. The south aisle retains a fine circa 15th-century waggon roof with carved ribs and bosses, and carved corbelled angels decorating the carved wall plate. The south aisle arcade consists of six bays with type A Pevsner piers and simply moulded pointed arches. Two bays of the north aisle survive to the north with type A Pevsner piers; one arcade arch is pointed, whilst the wider arch to the east is obscured by the 19th-century organ. On the west, only half an arch remains, rebuilt in the 19th century, though the relieving arch above shows it originally had a low, almost round-headed form.

Furnishings are primarily 19th-century. A circa 15th-century octagonal pulpit of Caen stone retains remains of earlier colouring on its west and east sides. The font is probably Norman, featuring a square bowl decorated with an arcade of blind arches on four faces; it was restored in the 19th century with a new shaft, four thinner corner shafts, and a modern base. Remains of a holy water stoup exist by the north door, and a stoup by the south door has a small square bowl with a heraldic shield below. A 19th-century aumbry occupies the chancel.

Memorials include a slate memorial to the Kestell family in the west tower with heraldic arms carved in shallow relief, and several 19th-century memorials to the Molesworth family. These include a memorial to Arscott Ourry Molesworth (1823) by the sculptor Richard Westmacott, R.A., and a monument to Dame Barbara Molesworth (1735). The east chancel window contains stained glass by G. Cruttwell and T. Hamilton, dating to 1930.