Ships Figurehead About 8 Metres West of the Lych Gate of the Church of St Morwenna is a Grade II listed building in the Cornwall local planning authority area, England. Figurehead.
Ships Figurehead About 8 Metres West of the Lych Gate of the Church of St Morwenna
- WRENN ID
- young-lancet-sunrise
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Cornwall
- Constituency
- North Cornwall MP: Ben Maguire (LD)
- Country
- England
- Type
- Figurehead
- OS grid reference
- SS 205 152
- Coordinates
- 50.9089, -4.55397
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The ships figurehead, located about 8 metres west of the lych gate of the Church of St Morwenna, dates from the early 19th century. It is made of carved wood, painted in a single colour, and depicts Caledonia, who is holding a drawn sword and shield, fixed onto its original timber. This figurehead was erected to commemorate the captain and crew of the 'Caledonia' of Arbroath, which was wrecked at Morwenstow in 1842, resulting in only one survivor. The figure was repaired in 1968 after sustaining damage during a theft. It is also illustrated in the Hawker memorial window within the church. The Reverend R S Hawker, who served as vicar of Morwenstow from 1835 to 1874, notably broke local tradition by burying drowned sailors in the churchyard. At one time, three ship keels and a cross made from oars were placed in the churchyard to honor deceased sailors. Hawker published a dramatic account of the aftermath of the wreck of the 'Caledonia', including a poem that reflects on the tragedy.
Local climate
Ships Figurehead About 8 Metres West of the Lych Gate of the Church of St Morwenna sits in one of the wettest parts of the UK, with an average of 1,170 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 90% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 97% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 5 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 97% of listed buildings. Of these, 2 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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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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