Description

SW 83 NE GERRANS GERRANS

3/33 Church of Saint Gerrans (formerly
- listed as Church of St Gerendus)
30-5-67
GV I

Parish church. C13 (first Rector 1260), extended C15 and restored 1850-51 following a fire in 1848. Slatestone rubble, granite and freestone dressings, dry Delabole slate roofs with wide eaves course, and granite coped gable ends. Nave and chancel under one roof, west tower north transept, vestry north of chancel, south aisle and south porch. C15 tower of 2 stages (spire restored 1636) with diagonal granite ashlar buttresses, battlemented parapet and tall, octagonal, granite ashlar spire surmounted by weather vane. Moulded granite west doorway with pointed arch hoodmould and relieving arch. Perpendicular 3 light window over with hoodmould and relieving arch. Granite ashlar walling to west side of tower only and ending 2 courses above string dividing stages. Clock faces just above string to north and south walls added 1911.2-light Perpendicular window with trefoil headed lights,quatrefoil tracery and slate louvres to each side of second stage. String below parapet and string about half-way up spire with frieze of quatrefoils above. North wall of nave mostly C13. C14 moulded freestone doorway with pointed arch left and 2 original freestone lancets right. C13 north transept, partly rebuilt C15 has 2-light granite window with cinquefoil freestone tracery, hoodmould and relieving arch to coped north gable end with cross finial. 3-light C13 freestone window, reset C15 to east wall. 2-light, square headed granite window with freestone tracery in north wall of chancel between transept and vestry. Vestry, added circa 1850, incorporates blocked pointed arch to west wall and single light C15 window to east gable end. Large external lateral stack with octagonal stone shaft and granite weatherings to north wall right. Chancel east window has outer granite frame but freestone tracery and glass of 1906. Cross finial to apex of reset granite coping of both chancel and south aisle gable. C15 east window of aisle has monolith granite
jambs, freestone Perpendicular tracery and glass of 1893, south wall windows to right of porch have original C15 moulded granite outer frames and C19 freestone tracery with quatrefoils. Walling rebuilt C19 above impost level. C15 - 2-light, trefoil headed window with hoodmould to left of porch. 2-light C15 Perpendicular granite window to west gable of aisle. Porch has reused pointed segmental ordered granite arch to doorway and reset granite kneelers with carved fleurons supporting coped gable. Reused C15 oak wallplates with trailing vine carving under eaves and within porch a stoop with damaged granite bowl and freestone trefoil head with ogee arch. C15 inner south doorway with pointed arch has moulding similar to standard A (Pevsner) Cornish piers.
Interior has C19 roof structure throughout but incorporating reused timber for curved bracing to common rafters. 7 bay granite arcade has unusual moulding of 8 engaged shafts to each pier. Dice capitals and 4-centred arches. Ordered pointed segmental arch to north transept, pointed arched doorway and crudely built steep rubble arch to tower. Rear arches to 4 south aisle windows and to east window of both chancel and aisle. Built-in stone benches now with wooden covering survive in north transept and to south west corner of aisle. Aumbry recess to north wall of chancel and trefoil headed piscina recess to south wall.
Fittings include: Norman font with square top decorated with 4 bay blind arcading on each side and round bowl supported on heavy round central pier with slender, round corner shafts all on base, 6 early C16 carved oak bench ends with quatrefoils, tracery and shields, 2 with carved pomegranates (the device of Catherine of Aragon, Queen from 1509-1536); otherwise C19 pews, polygonal oak pulpit with blind tracery and choir stalls with open tracery.
Monuments include: C13 sepulchral coffin slab of greenish black stone with quatrefoil headed cross to lid with double cavetto moulded border within arched recess to north wall of transept (said to have been moved from chancel C19) and fine Baroque marble memorial to north wall of south aisle at east end to Edward Hobbs and his wife Jennifer, erected by his nephew John Thomas of Nanshutall in 1732. An ornate monument with carved male and female figure flanking latin inscription within oval border. Crown like baldachino over with round arched hood with moulded cornice and cherubs over acroteria with urn over central acroterion. Cartouche with coat of arms below and flanking skulls.
Information about Catherine of Aragon from church guide.

Listing NGR: SW8727635178

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17529660

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990