Church Of St Mawgan

Church of St Mawgan

A parish church of the 13th century with additions from the early and late 15th century. The building underwent major restoration between 1856 and 1863 by William Butterfield, followed by further restoration work in the late 19th century.

The church is constructed of slatestone rubble with granite dressings. The tower features granite ashlar buttresses and a parapet. Roofs are slate with crested ridge tiles and gable ends with raised coped verges to the east. The plan comprises a nave and chancel in one, with a north transept. A south aisle was begun around the early 15th century and completed in the late 15th century, accompanied by a late 15th-century south tower. The south porch, probably originally of 15th-century date, was substantially rebuilt in the 19th century. A 19th-century vestry, likely by Butterfield, adjoins the chancel to the north.

Exterior features include a tall 3-light west window to the nave with cusped lights and 19th-century weathered buttresses flanking it. The north side displays a 3-light 19th-century Perpendicular window, a 4-centred arched doorway with a 19th-century door fitted with strap hinges, and a 3-light window with cusped lights and square hood mould. The chancel has a 19th-century 5-light east window in Decorated style with a 4-centred arch and hood mould; the string course steps down below this window toward the vestry to the north. The vestry has a pitched roof and two 2-light windows, one with trefoil lights and one smaller example. The north transept features a north gable end with string course and a 19th-century Perpendicular window, along with a 19th-century triple cusped light to the east. The south aisle contains three bays to the west with a central porch and one further bay to the east of the tower. All windows in the aisle are 3-light 19th-century Perpendicular examples with 4-centred arches and hood moulds. The gabled south porch displays a re-used 4-centred arched doorway with carved quatrefoils in the spandrels. The interior of the porch contains stone benches and a tiled floor, with a 19th-century arched-brace roof incorporating re-used 15th-century carved bosses. A 4-centred arched inner doorway with roll-moulding and similar carved spandrels is surmounted by an image stand. The doors are 19th-century with good ironwork.

The south tower rises in three stages on a chamfered plinth with granite ashlar set-back buttresses that diminish in size toward the top stage. An embattled parapet features polygonal turrets, each surmounted by an obelisk with ball finial. A north-east stair tower contains lancets and a larger turret with obelisk and ball finial. The south door has a 4-centred arch with roll-moulding and hood mould, fitted with a 19th-century door of good quality with strap hinges and an iron quatrefoil panel. Above this is a 3-light 19th-century Perpendicular window. The third stage contains 3-light bell-openings with cusped lights, a 2-centred arch and hood mould. The second stage to the east has a single 4-centred arched light with hood mould and a pierced slate ventilator, with a clock above.

The tower interior has plastered walls and a tiled floor. The nave, chancel and south aisle are fitted with 19th-century ceiled wagon roofs; the chancel's roof carries a stencilled polychrome design. The nave features a 4-centred chamfered arch to the north transept with imposts. A 4-bay south arcade has Pevsner A-type piers and capitals carved with foliage. The chancel has a 2-bay south arcade also with Pevsner A-type piers and capitals carved with fleur-de-lys; the hollow-moulding of the piers continues through to the arches. This chancel arcade is in greenstone rather than the granite used in the nave arcade. The chancel includes a squint to the north transept. The north wall of the chancel was rebuilt in the 19th century and contains a shouldered arched doorway to the vestry, string course and aumbry. The wall at the north side and east end is decorated with a geometric design in polychromatic tiles.

A late 15th-century rood screen, open with cusping, has a top plate carved with foliage, two angels and a shield. The screen separating the chancel from the south aisle is probably by Butterfield and features cusped arches. Both screens are painted. The north transept serves as an organ chamber. The south aisle contains a doorway for the rood stair, accessed from the tower. A tall chamfered 4-centred arch leads to the tower, crossed by a late 19th-century wooden screen.

Fittings include a stone font in the south aisle, probably of 12th-century date. It has a circular bowl on a central shaft with four outer shafts in marble; the bowl is rimmed with chevron and features four faces with shields. The nave and aisle contain 20th-century benches incorporating 15th-century carved bench ends. A pulpit of around 1530 features carved wooden panels. A fine set of 19th-century chandeliers includes a brass Gothic corona lucis in the south aisle. A tiled 19th-century reredos is present. 17th-century slate shields of arms in the nave and south aisle display strapwork and retain ancient colour. A hatchment of 1828 in the south aisle bears the arms of the Willyams and Champion families. The south aisle altar table is by Butterfield, with open cusped panels.

Monuments in the nave include a slate monument with two figures carved in low relief and inscription around the border, commemorating Henry Stephen G. and his wife (1611 and 1630); a slate monument with carved panels in low relief depicting foliage, hourglass, skull and crossed bones, to Thomas Coad (1731); and a slate monument to Henry Beeston (1801). In the south aisle are a wooden board commemorating the crew of the "Hodbarrow Miner", wrecked at St Mawgan Porth in 1908; a slate monument to Humphry Noye (1679); and a marble monument on slate ground with urn to John Willyams (1800), by Isbell. Six brasses set on the floor at the east end feature figures in secular dress and two priests, all of 16th-century date except one priest monument of around 1420. The tower contains a marble monument on slate ground with urn to Richard Paul (1803).