Church of St Tallan

A grade I listed parish church in Lansallos, built around the 13th century by Augustinian monks from the Priory at Launceston. Substantial remains of this original fabric survive in the west end of the nave, the east end of the chancel, and possibly the lower stage of the tower. The remainder of the present structure dates from the late 15th century, with a north transept (known as Killigarth Chapel) probably added in the early 16th century. The church was restored in 1848–50 and again in 1907.

The building is constructed of stone rubble with slate roofs. The nave and chancel are in one, with notable changes in stonework above sill level on the south aisle. The north wall was rebuilt during the 1845–50 restoration. The plan comprises a six-bay nave, chancel, south aisle, and north transept.

Exterior

The south aisle has five three-light simple uncusped Perpendicular windows with four-centred arches and hoodmoulds. At the west end, a two-light rectangular window has segmental headed undecorated lights. The east end contains a four-light window of circa the late 16th century with Perpendicular detailing and hollow-chamfered mullions. The chancel window is a circa 13th-century three-light lancet with cusped heads, partly restored, with a small quatrefoil in the apex. The north wall of the chancel is buttressed and contains a circa 13th-century two-light lancet with cusped head and rectangular surround. The north transept has buttressed east, west, and north walls. Its east wall has a 16th-century two-light traceried window with hollow-chamfered jambs. The north wall has a 20th-century door and two-light window above. The west wall has two uncusped lancets with hollow chamfers. The north wall of the nave contains three possibly 16th-century three-light Perpendicular windows with four-centred arches and hoodmoulds, with buttresses between. The west end of the nave has large buttresses and three circa 13th-century lancet windows with cusped heads.

The most unusual feature is the detached south tower, built into the side of a hill on bedrock. It rises three stages on the north side and two on the south. The north entrance, from within a covered porch, leads via four steps built into the bedrock to a two-centred arched opening with hollow-chamfer and stops. The south face has set-back buttresses. The second stage has a one-light opening with a cusped head above a partly blocked two-light opening. A south porch forms a covered way with low granite four-centred arches with moulded jambs and a cobbled floor. The south entrance has a four-centred arch with roll mould and a studded door with strap hinges.

Interior

The south aisle has a fine circa 15th-century waggon roof, restored in 1907 when the plaster ceiling was removed and rafters replaced. It features carved ribs with two plain ribs between, five carved longitudinal ribs, and carved bosses, wall and arcade plates. The nave roof was largely replaced around 1830, though it includes some reused circa 15th-century material with several moulded ribs and circa 15th-century carved wall and arcade plates. The north transept has a ceiled waggon roof of circa the early 16th century, with moulded transverse and longitudinal ribs and carved bosses, partly restored. The covered porch has a circa 16th-century waggon roof with carved ribs and three uncarved ribs between, two longitudinal carved ribs, moulded wallplate on the east side (restored), and carved wallplate on the west with carved bosses.

The six-bay nave has an arcade with four-centred granite arches featuring convex, concave, and roll moulding. The piers are Cornish type A (following Pevsner's classification) on tall moulded bases. The church contains a fine collection of carved oak bench ends, dated circa 1525 and circa 1600, displaying intertwined foliage, carved figure heads, and Renaissance detailing. Bench ends at the east end are surmounted by angel figures. Those in the north transept (Killigarth Chapel) are circa the early 17th century and bear the names and arms of Sir Bernard and Lady Elizabeth Grenville and the family of Killigarth Manor.

Choir stalls are made up of fragments from Bernard Grenville's pew and remnants of the early 17th-century rood screen, which was removed during the 1848–50 restoration. These are carved with Renaissance details and coats of arms with quarterings of the Grenville, Beville, Bere, and Saint Ledger families. The altar rails have turned balusters and date from circa the 18th century. A circa 15th-century font of Bath stone is ornamented with quatrefoils in panels. Its basin is lined with lead and inscribed '1672 WM 1672 WT', with a tap inserted on the western face. A hagioscope survives in the south wall of the chancel. An oak pulpit and lower level reading desk have carved panels, with the book rest constructed from remains of the rood screen.

Memorials

The south-east corner of the south aisle contains a remarkable fine slate altar tomb commemorating John Beville, dated 1579 and signed by Peter Crocker. Above it are the helmet and cuirass of the Beville family. A Kendall monument in Killigarth Chapel commemorates Thomas and his wife Mary, and their daughter Mary, who died in 1709–10 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. At the east end of the church is a slate ledger stone to Joanna Mellow and her son, both of whom died in childbirth in 1625. The carving in shallow relief depicts the mother and baby sitting in a four-poster bed. In the chancel is a ledger stone to Johannis Morth of Talland, who died in 1687, with heraldic arms, and a stone commemorating Robert Mark, a smuggler shot at sea. The porch contains stocks.

Medieval mural paintings were destroyed when the north wall was rebuilt in 1845–50. An account by W.H. Box entitled 'Description of some frescoes recently discovered on the wall of Talland Church' appears in the Report of the Royal Institute of Cornwall, 1849, page 32.