Tower at Approx 12m West of Church of Saint Mylor is a Grade II listed building in the Cornwall local planning authority area, England. First listed on 12 March 1986. A C15 Bell tower.

Tower at Approx 12m West of Church of Saint Mylor

WRENN ID
small-facade-kestrel
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Cornwall
Constituency
Truro and Falmouth MP: Jayne Kirkham (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
12 March 1986
Type
Bell tower
OS grid reference
SW 819 352
Coordinates
50.17695, -5.05464
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The tower located approximately 12 meters west of the Church of Saint Mylor is a detached bell tower dating from the early 15th century. It features a lower stage constructed of shale rubble and an upper stage that is weather boarded, added in the early 20th century. The roof is made of dry Delabole slate with gable ends and crested clay ridge tiles. The tower is square in plan and built into a steep hillside to the west.

On the east side, there is a steep, 4-centred rubble arched doorway with an early 20th-century ledged door that has a chamfered frame and a glazed tympanum. The north side of the tower includes a rubble string that likely marks the top of the lower stage before it was remodeled. There are louvred 2-light ventilators in the north and south weather boarded gables.

Inside, the tower houses three bells, which were recast in 1888. The first bell is medieval and retains the old legend: "In honore Santi Georgii." The second bell is dated 1637 and has the inscription: "Ego me preco se damando conterimus audite venite." The third bell is dated 1664.

Flanking the doorway are two attached slate headstones. The left-hand headstone commemorates Stephen Stephens, who died in 1870 at the age of 60, and features incised pilasters with flower capitals and decorative tendrils. The right-hand headstone is dedicated to Jane Stephens, who died in 1810 at the age of 75, and has a nowy head with concave corners.

This tower is quite simple and lacks detailed architectural features for precise dating, but it likely predates the 15th-century bell turret that sits atop the west gable of the church. There are several detached bell towers in Cornwall, often positioned on higher ground than the church to enhance sound transmission and serve as landmarks or lookout points, while also being more cost-effective.

Local climate

Tower at Approx 12m West of Church of Saint Mylor receives an average of 850 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 59% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 84% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 7 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 95% of listed buildings. Of these, 3 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  2. Chest Tomb at 2m South of South Transept of Church of Saint Mylor Grade II 36 m
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  5. K6 Telephone Kiosk at Entrance to Mylor Parish Church Grade II 70 m
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