Church Of St Menefreda

Church of St Menefreda

Parish church at St Minver. The church retains possible traces of 12th-century masonry in the north aisle and north wall of the chancel, along with a fragment of a 12th-century capital. The main body of the church developed over subsequent centuries: a four-bay arcade to the north aisle dates to the early 13th century, while the south aisle and south porch were added in the late 15th century. The tower and spire were rebuilt during the major restoration of 1870–1875 by J.P. St. Aubyn.

The building is constructed of stone rubble, with roughly coursed and squared stone to the south aisle featuring stepped buttresses and a moulded granite plinth. The tower is faced with ashlar stone and granite dressings. Roofs are of regular slate, with the nave and chancel under one roof; the nave roof sweeps down over the north aisles.

The 12th-century church is evidenced only by possible fragments of masonry in the north walls and a capital discovered in 1927. The narrow north aisle was partly rebuilt in the early 13th century when the four-bay arcade was constructed. The seven-bay south aisle was added in the late 15th century along with the south porch; the west tower and spire were probably also constructed at this time. During the 1870–1875 restoration, the east wall of the chancel was partly rebuilt and refenestrated, a north transept was either added or rebuilt, and the chancel, nave, north and south aisles were re-roofed.

The west tower rises in three stages with stepped angle buttresses and a stair tower projecting on the north side. The 19th-century two-centred arch to the west door frames a 19th-century Decorated intersecting tracery window of five lights, with three-light belfry openings of similar character. The ashlar broach spire with granite dressings rises 120 feet above ground and leans slightly, topped with a weathercock. This spire is an unusual feature in Cornwall and serves as an important local landmark.

The north aisle has three restored or renewed two-light cusped mullion windows in rectangular surrounds. The north transept features a 19th-century Geometric tracery window to the north and a reset circa 16th-century three-light mullion window on the east side. The chancel contains a 19th-century three-light window with Geometric tracery. The south aisle has a four-light east window and six three-light south windows with late 15th-century Perpendicular tracery. The contemporary 15th-century south porch features a waggon roof and a sundial dated 1746 above a 19th-century two-centred arched entrance. The two-centred moulded free stone arch to the south door, with cavetto and roll moulding, appears stylistically to date from the late 14th century. The south door itself is 19th-century work.

Interior

The roofs were replaced during the 19th-century restoration with arch-braced collar rafter roofs incorporating two tiers of wind braces over the nave and south aisle. The circa early 13th-century four-bay north arcade features short thick octagonal piers with double-chamfered two-centred arches. The circa 15th-century seven-bay south arcade consists of standard type A granite piers (Pevsner classification) with five two-centred arches on the west and two bays with lower four-centred arcade arches to the east; three piers have carved capitals. The tower arch is a two-centred arch with double chamfer.

A complete set of bench ends in the nave dates to circa 1530–1540 (Pevsner), featuring well-carved Renaissance detailing with largely secular subjects. The south aisle contains circa 19th–20th-century furnishings, and the chancel has 19th-century choir stalls. Circa 17th-century communion rails remain.

The remains of the upper stage of a rood loft stair survive in the north wall of the chancel. The circa 15th-century rood screen was removed in 1837, with part reset below the tower arch; despite heavy restoration, much of its Perpendicular tracery remains intact.

A circa 15th-century octagonal font of elvan stone features blind traceried panels on the bowl and base and is lined with lead. Circa 15th-century commandment boards are located in the tower. A fragment of a Norman capital, found in 1927, lies against the west wall of the south aisle.

Historical furnishings and monuments include a letter of thanks from King Charles dated 1643 and painted Royal Arms dated CR 1660 at the west end of the south aisle. Stocks of circa 1400 stand in the south porch. The east window of the south aisle is by O'Connor, circa 1870, with an inscription dated 1867. Monuments comprise a brass of Roger Opry (1517) in the south aisle, a monument to John Roe of Trewornan (1657), a classical monument to Thomas Darell (1697), remains of a slate altar tomb of Thomas Stone (1604) decorated with the arms of Stone and Harris of Hayne, and 19th-century monuments of the Sandys family.

Although substantially restored in 1870–1875 by J.P. St. Aubyn, St Menefreda retains many of its early fittings, including a magnificent collection of bench ends. The spire, an unusual feature in Cornwall, remains an important landmark.