Gwennap Church History
Most
of the present church is of the 15th Century built in the
perpendicular style although the South Western corner probably dates back to
the 13th Century. Legend has it that the North Aisle was constructed
at the time of the reformation using stone from the Trinity Church at St. Day
was removed at this time. Unfortunately successive restorations during the 18th
and 19th centuries rather drastically changed the features of the
church and removed much of interest. The cost of these restorations had
amounted to £800 by 1891. The font was replaced at this time and during the
restoration a piscine of the late decorated period and the base of a five-shafted
font of purbeck marble was discovered.
In
1882 the gallery was removed, the church reseated (300 seats) and a new organ
was installed.
The
tower, which is of 2 stages, is detached from the Church and is on the South
side It is certainly contemporary with the main Church building although it may
be built on Norman foundations. It has a conical roof and is 36 feet in height.
There
is a ring of 6 bells in the tower in the key of A sharp. They are hung in a
timber frame that probably dates from the time that the bells were installed in
1786.
In
his Parochial History of Cornwall (1820), CS Gilbert refers to their being 3
bells in the tower. These were increased to 5 in 1746 and in 1786 they were
recast and augmented to 6. The history of the bells has been the subject of
much discussion and conjecture over the ensuing years. In 1878 Dunkin in his
‘Church Bells of Cornwall’ supposed that they were cast at the Copperhouse
Foundry in Hayle.
Although
the early history of the bells is uncertain and to a large extent undocumented
recent research by respected bell historians Ranald Clouston and Chris
Pickford. Presents a compelling argument as to the origin of the current ring
of bells.
Arthur
Cannon in his 1977 book ‘Church Bells of Cornwall’ attributes the bells to
Warner of London however both RC and CP agree that although John Warner was
active in Fleet street at the time the bells were cast, the job of casting them
would have been too big for him, in addition to this the bells of Gwennap
appear in the Whitechapel listing of c1919 as being cast by them in 1786.
The
founder of Gwennap bells is almost certainly Robert Patrick working with
Warner. Patrick occupied the Whitechapel premises between 1782 and 1787.
Patrick had married Sarah the granddaughter of Thomas Lester a previous founder
on the site. Although a bellringer of distinction Patrick was a cheese maker he
knew little about the art of bellfounding and he relied on the existing
workforce of William Chapman the previous incumbent, Thomas Osborn of Downham
Market also assisted him. Comparison of the Gwennap inscriptions with other
bells cast by Patrick certainly supports this argument.
No
further work was done to the bells until the mid 70’s when Rev Angus Murray
Stone moved to the parish. At this point the bells had become unringable and
under the guidance of the bell maintenance advisor Mr Jim Pengelly and the new
vicar (a qualified engineer) the frame was strengthened as a short term measure
to get the bells ringing again.
Unfortunately
by the mid nineties the bells were in need of a major restoration, the major
item being the installation of a new frame. Arthur Fidler carried out the work
at a cost of around £30,000, the bells were rededicated on 15th
January 1995.
When
David Pope attended the 1999 Central Council meeting at Lincoln it was
announced that the Worshipful Company of Founders for to the Council had
donated £50,000 for educational purposes. The money was to be used to establish
‘ringing centres’ across the country. David strongly urged the Guild at this
point to apply to create one of these new centres, without this encouragement
it is doubtful whether the Gwennap Ringing Centre would now exist.
By
the end of 2000 a committee had been formed with Norman Mattingley as Chairman
and David Pope as Secretary Treasurer, Vanessa Bate, Harry Nicholls, Roger
Macdonal Smith and Sam Nankervis. The committee worked very hard as a team to
establish the centre and to formulate courses in from bell handling to more
advance methods. In November of that year a training weekend was held at
Gwennap to establish the teaching methods, this was led by Gail Cater of the
Central Council Education Committee.
On
10th February 2001 over 100 ringers from all over Cornwall attended
the official dedication of the Centre. Bishop Bill carried out the dedication
and the guests were entertained to tea by the local ringers. Doreen Sullivan
provided a superb suitable shaped and decorated cake. The new simulator, made
by David Bagley, was also tried out for ringing after the service.
The
ringing centre continued to grow from strength to strength. The courses
continued to range from rounds and call changes right through to surprise
minor. In recent years there have been few gaps perhaps in part due to the
committee flexibility in re-arranging courses at short notice to suit demand.
Dunkin
EHW – Church bells of Cornwall 1878
Cannon
A – Church bells of Cornwall 1979
Gilbert
CS - Parochial History of Cornwall 1820
James
CC – History of Gwennap c.1949
The
Ringing World
Truro
Diocesan Guild of Ringers – Annual
An
Clogh – Newsletter of the Truro Diocesan Guild of Ringers Ed. Phil Tremain.
With
additional thanks to Chris Pickford for supplying additional material.