A book of the west. Volume 2, Cornwall : $b being an introduction to Devon and CornwallBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
A book of the west. Volume 2, Cornwall : $b being an introduction to Devon and Cornwall
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Cornwall (England : County)
“The church, which is built nearly east and west, inclining
only 4° north of west, is of but small dimensions, the
length without the walls being 30 feet and within the walls
25 feet; the width within 13 feet in the chancel and 12
feet in the nave, and the height about 13 feet. There is a
very neat arched doorway in a good state of preservation
at the date of the work, viz. the day when I removed the
sand from it, 7 ft. 4 in. by 2 ft. 4 in., ornamented with
Saxon tracery [this is inaccurate, no Saxon about it], the
arch itself having on its keystone the head of a tiger,
and the points of its curve (_i.e._ label-terminations)
the head of a man and that of a woman, rudely sculptured
in stone, in the centre of the nave on the south wall; and
another doorway in the north-east corner, near the altar,
of similar dimensions and style, if we may judge from the
remains of its arch lying near it, and which may be assumed
to be that intended for the priest himself, leading into
the chancel. The chancel is exactly 9½ feet long, and shows
in the north and south walls the precise spots where the
railing (screen) separating it from the nave was fixed.
Attached to the eastern wall of the church is an altar
nearly equidistant between the north and south walls, 5 ft.
3 in. long by 2 ft. 3 in. wide, and 4 feet high, built of
stone and neatly plastered with lime. Eight inches above
this altar is a recess or niche about 12 inches high by 8
inches wide, in which, undoubtedly, was once S. Piran’s
shrine.... There is only one small aperture or window, 12
inches high by 10 inches wide, about 10 feet above the
floor, in the south wall of the chancel.... A stone seat,
raised 14 inches above the level of the floor, and 12
inches wide, covered with lime-plaster, runs all round the
walls except the east and south walls of the chancel. The
nave is exactly 15½ feet long, its floor, together with
the floor of the chancel, being composed of lime and sand,
apparently as perfect as when first laid down. Each door
has two low steps to descend into the church. The church
itself is plastered with beautiful white lime. The masonry
of the entire building is of the rudest kind, and evidently
of very remote antiquity. There is not the slightest
attempt at regular courses, but the stones, consisting
of granite, quartz, sandstone, porphyry, etc., appear to
have been thrown together almost at random--horizontally,
perpendicularly, and at every angle of inclination--just
as the hand, not the eye, of the workman happened to
direct him. To render the church as perfect as when it
was originally erected, nothing seemed wanting but its
doors and roof. Not an atom of wood, except a piece of
about 8 inches long by 2 inches wide, and an inch thick,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account