Description

COLAN
SX 86 SE
6/24 Church of St Colanus
(formerly listed as Church
10.2.67 of St Colan)
GV I

Parish church. C13, with additions of C14 and C15. Tower rebuilt in 1879, with
Incorporated Society for Building and Churches board dated 1881. Slatestone and
granite rubble with granite dressings. Tower in granite ashlar, the lower stage
banded in darker stone. Slate roofs with crested ridge tiles and gable ends with
raised coped verges and cross finials.
Plan: The nave and chancel in one, with lower roof level to the chancel and south
transept of C13. North aisle added in C15, with south porch and west tower.
Exterior: The nave has one window to south between the porch and the transept, a C19
Perpendicular window of 2 lights with 4-centred arch and hood mould.
The chancel has similar 2-light window to south and similar 3-light east window.
North aisle in two builds, the east range at higher roof level. The east range has
early C15 2-light window with cusped lights and upper quatrefoil, 4-centred arch and
hood mould. Buttress to right. The east end has 2-light C15 Perpendicular window.
The west range has 2 C19 3-light windows with square heads and hood mould, varied
tracery ; north door with 4-centred arch and wave moulding, C19 door with strap
hinges. The west end has C15 2-light window with cusped lights, square head and
hoodmould.
The south transpet has south gable end with C19 2-light Perpendicular window ; to
east a C19 4-centred arched doorway with hoodmould.
South porch is gabled, with wide 4-centred roll-moulded doorway with C19 wooden gate;
slate sundial over the gnomon, dated 1724. Interior of the porch has tiled floor and
granite benches to sides. C19 arched-brace roof with carved bosses. Inner 4-
centred arched doorway with hollow-moulding, C19 door with strap hinges; recess
above, possibly for former image niche.
The west tower is in 2 stages on hollow-chamfered plinth, with moulded string
courses, embattled parapet with pinnacles. 4-centred arched west doorway, C19 door
with good ironwork. 3-light C19 Perpendicular window above. Second stage has 3-
light bell-openings with cusped lights, square head and hoodmould, slate louvres and
relieving arch. North side has lancets for stair and single lancet with hood mould
carried over the string course.
Interior: C19 tiled floor and plastered walls. Nave has wagon roof with C15 carved
wall-plate, ribs and bosses, unceiled. Chancel is ceiled with early C19 wagon roof
with carved bosses. In the north aisle, the east end has wagon roof, boarded, and
the west end has C19 wagon roof resting on stone corbels above the arcade. South
transept has C19 arched-brace roof. Tower roof rebuilt C19 with imposts and 4-
centred arch. Nave has 3-bay north arcade with Pevsner A-type piers with plain
hollow-moulded capitals and 4-centred chamfered arches. Similar arch rising from a
stone corbel over the arcade to the chancel. Semi-circular recess over the south
porch doorway. The arch to the south transept is 4-centred with convex mouldings and
plain pillar at the west side. C19 wooden screen across. The south window of the
nave was formerly a doorway. The south transept has a small 3-centred arched hollow-
chamfered doorway leading through the east wall to the outer C19 doorway; no sign of
a rood stair. Piscina in east wall and cupboard with C19 doors, possibly originally
a window. The chancel has the base and lower part of C15 carved wooden rood screen;
cusped heads to panels, with a beaded moulding and quatrefoil panels along the base.
C19 aumbry. 2-bay north arcade from the chancel to the north aisle with Pevsner A-
type piers and convex moulded capitals, 4-centred moulded arches. The north aisle
has 4-centred arch between the east and west ranges with similar piers. The aisle
appears to have been rebuilt with this archway inserted, the arcade pier being
complete on the north side.
Fittings: Octagonal stone font in nave on octagonal stem with carved panels with
quatrefoils. C19 wooden benches in nave and aisle with C19 wooden pulpit in nave.
C19 Gothic panelled reredos. C17 chest in nave with carved panels and palmette
frieze. Monuments in nave: slate monument with low relief carved flowers and
foliage, to William Glannel, 1726; in chancel a brass to John Cosowarth and his wife,
with 8 children, 1575; oval stone tablet to John Gurney, 1790. In north aisle: slate
monument with inset brass with figures of man and wife with children and shields of
arms, to Francis Bluet, 1572 and his 22 children.
Glass: Stained glass of 1887, 1884 etc by Gibbs and Howard.
Sources: Pevsner, N.: Buildings of England: Cornwall 1970.

Listing NGR: SW8682461302

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Colan Church at Wikipedia
• Colan Church official website
• Wikidata Q15211168

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.

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