St Michael'S Church

St Michael's Church is an Anglican church, now disused, dating to 1847 and designed by William White. It is constructed of elvan rubble with dressed white limestone for the doorways, window surrounds and string courses. The roofs are dry Delabole slate with coped gable ends, except for the broach spire to the tower, which is of dressed limestone ashlar. The church has a plan consisting of a nave and chancel under a single roof, a south aisle under a parallel roof, a south porch towards the west end, and a north tower. It is executed in the Decorated style.

Windows have three cusped lights with reticulated Decorated tracery and latticed leaded glazing, with the exception of the tower, which has single-light cusped openings to the second stage and two-light louvred openings to the spire. The stages are divided by moulded strings, with hoodmoulds to doorways and larger window openings. A plinth runs along the base. The west wall has a nave gable on the left and a slightly lower aisle gable on the right, each with a central window. The north wall contains two windows to the right of the tower, with a pointed-arched doorway between, featuring an original door with elaborate cast iron hinges. A projecting tower has a three-light window to the lower stage. An octagonal stair turret is positioned in the north-east corner, featuring a shouldered-headed doorway with an original door. A lean-to vestry is situated in the angle between the tower and chancel, with a pointed doorway, an original door, and an ashlar chimney with trefoil gablets. The east gable of the chancel projects one bay beyond the south aisle gable, each with a central window. The south wall contains one window to the left of the porch and four windows to the right. A pointed-arched porch doorway leads to a pointed-arched inner south doorway, both with original doors featuring very ornate cast iron hinges. A further doorway, similar to the north doorway, is located to the right of the third south window.

Inside, the church features a pointed-arched limestone arcade between the nave and south aisle, and an original pine arch-braced roof structure. The octagonal limestone font has quatrefoils, and there are 19th-century pitch pine pews with shaped ends featuring traceried carving. This was one of White’s first buildings in Cornwall, and it is notable for its restrained yet pleasingly simple design, and the prominent spire, which is a notable local landmark.