Parish of the month
Welcome to the Parish of the Month section. We will feature a different parish with links to its website or any other information that is available ranging from activities within the parish, church services and much more.
Launcells Parish Church
Set in a secluded dell in North Cornwall, Launcells Church, dedicated to the 9th Century Bishop of Winchester, St Swithin (yes, this is the correct spelling!), is a true gem of a church. it was described by Sir John Betjeman as the least spoilt church in Cornwall, mainly because it was ignored by the Victorians, who were busy down the road in Stratton and Bude for most of the 19th Century.
Tradition relates that the church and the Barton, which is the only other building in the local vicinity, belonged to the Abbot of Hartland as his summer residence and private chapel. Whatever the truth of this, the church has a font which dates from the late Saxon period and features, like most parish churches, added on in subsequent centuries up to the reformation.
After this time, the Rood Screen was removed and some of it was turned into some beautiful panelling on the East wall of the South Aisle. The pews were carved locally and provide a fine set of symbols relating to the life and death of Our Lord, various coats of arms and other pictures. The church was further beautified during the Stuart period, when most of the walls were painted. Sadly, all that remains now is a portion of the letter written by King Charles the First to the Cornish People and a wonderful depiction of the Sacrifice of Isaac - dateable to just after the Restoration.
The Georgians added a few box pews in the North aisle, the tablets of the Ten Commandments behind the altar and other wooden furnishings, but the church was left until the 1930's, when some 15th Century Barnstaple tiles were discovered and re-laid in the sanctuary and chancel area. A dedicated band of volunteers keep this church in good order and open every day of the year, so that all may appreciate its marvels.
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Would you like your parish to be considered for Parish of the month? Make sure that the parish church details are up to date on a Church Near You website, just click here, and that you have an accurate website, either for the whole parish, or for the church. Then submit your parish details to info@truro.anglican.org