In a list that includes an Old Lifeboat House in Essex and a cattle drinking trough from 1916 in Hampstead, a church in Cornwall has made it onto the ‘Remarkable Places’ list for this year.
St John the Baptist Church in Pendeen, along with its walls, vicarage and school has been listed as a Grade II building.
It was once described by poet John Betjeman as being “like a toy fort” and has been recognised because of it architectural interest; using local rock, representing the 19th Century Christian faith in it’s ‘Cruciform plan’ (floor plan shaped like a cross) and for its historic significance to the Christian history of the region as the original church leader tried to bring Anglicanism to a non-conformist community.
The parish of Pendeen was established in 1846 and its first vicar, Rev Robert Aitken was known for his evangelistic and revivalist preaching style – something that was deemed well-suited at the time to pull people away from the dominance of Methodism in the county’s mining communities.
Aitken designed the church, the neighbouring vicarage and school using local materials made by local craftspeople.
From 1850-52, the predominantly-mining community worked to quarry stone from Carn Earnes, the hill above the church, in order to build the church and its boundary walls.
Further fittings were added to the…
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