ST. MARY'S, BISCOVEY, PAR
The Parish of Par was formed out of the
Parishes of Tywardreath and St. Blazey and the Parish Church of St. Mary the
Virgin is situated in Biscovey and was completed in 1849.
St. Mary’s stands on the perimeter of
the Parish. The land was given unconditionally by Edward Carlyon the owner of
Tregrehan House at that time, in a conveyance dated 9th July 1847. This was the
area, 240 feet from east to west and 170 feet from north to south, locally
known as Biscovean. The land included a quarry adjoining the same on the
south, (which we believe to have been situated where St. Mary’s Car Park
now stands) and a wood or plantation adjoining the eastern side of the quarry.
There is a gate on the west side of the
churchyard where the servants from Tregrehan House entered the churchyard after
walking across the fields to attend church services and is still there today,
albeit a little dilapidated.
The new church was consecrated on 1st
November 1849 and the burial ground surrounding the church on 26th May
1857. Additional burial ground was consecrated on 20th March 1909.
St. Mary’s was built mainly from the
reddish coloured Biscovey slate, taken from the adjacent
quarry, the architect preferring to use local materials where
appropriate, The general effect of the exterior created by Street,
is picturesque and a revival of the medieval. The quoins, or corner
stones, are hewn from Pentuan stone brought from the cliffs near Mevagissey, a
stone that was used locally in the 13th and 14th centuries and described by
Nikolaus Pevsner “ as mellow and loveable even today”. Pevsner, in
The Buildings of England, also describes the church as “a remarkable work
for a beginner, of a freshness and charm not always aimed at or achieved by
Street”.
Sir John Betjeman said “St.
Mary’s is the work of an artist……Street is one of the great
English Architects. He designed many churches, but I doubt if he ever
produced a better church than the honest, simple
The most impressive aspect of the church is
the square tower with broached octagonal belfry (containing one bell) and stone
spire, standing at the west end of the south aisle. Looking
almost primitive in it’s vigour, St. Mary’s tower is a brilliant
adaptation of basic forms observed in the two Cornish medieval steeples at
Cubert and Lostwithiel.
The plan of the church comprises a chancel,
nave and three bay south aisle, each having a separate gabled
roof. Early descriptions of the church suggest the original
seating to be 360. The porch was an addition some time after 1886 and
would seem to have been merely a separated area using wood screens much the
same as it is today and could have originally been a seated area. Also,
it is known that pews were removed from the back of the church, where the organ
now stands, the previous organ being situated in front of and to the right of
the choir stalls. This could account for the loss of the seating capacity, the
present day seating being approximately 200.
The south aisle was converted into a
side-chapel and dedicated to St. Francis and the stained glass windows over the
altar there are in memory of Frank Garrett, who was Vicar of Par from 1872 to
1885. There are 11 stained glass windows in the Sanctuary and Chancel,
which were put in when the church was built, and are by William Wailes (1809
– 1881). The windows of the nave are plain double
lancets, and at the south east corner a fine effect is obtained by their three
differing lengths. The centre window above the War Memorial is a
dedicated to St. George.
A selection of some of the beautiful stained glass
windows in St. Mary's.
A delightful surprise for those who go up
far enough to see it, is a tiny triangular window under one of the sedilia
arches. The editor of Ecclessiologist (1849 Vol. VI p.394) described the
positioning of this window by Street as “put there for no earthly purpose
that we can conceive but to give a quaint originality to the external effect,
and a certain draught to the deacon who would occupy that seat”
St. Mary’s is a church built with a
vision of the celebration of the Eucharist in all its majestic holiness, and in
all its joyful homeliness. The large chancel (half the length of the
nave), the spacious sanctuary, the sedilia, the three tall widely-spaced lancet
windows, crowned with their lovely arcade, all make a perfect setting for the
High Altar. The frontal on the High Altar presently hides an extended
top, which sits on Street’s original altar and doubles the length.
When uncovered, the altar can be seen to be fashioned in the same material and
style as the font and the pulpit.
The
Sanctuary & High Altar - Christmass 1999
According to records the Chancel was
renovated in 1899 and early photographs suggest the altar was detached from the
wall and the area behind the altar was screened and there were decorative
arches to the left and right under the windows.
In 2000 the Street Altar was relocated into
the Lady Chapel where it is displayed in its original condition. The Street Altar was replaced with a larger
wooden altar, on a newly raised area of the Chancel, which was moved out from
the east wall of the Chancel.
In the Churchyard to the south of the
Chancel door, stands the Biscovey Stone, an early Christian memorial
stone. It is the shaft of a cross which formerly stood on the south side
of the St. Austell to
The Biscovey Cross, situated 6 metres from
the south wall of the Church appears to be a late example of a medieval wayside
Cross. There is no record of its original location. Like the
Biscovey Stone this is a listed Grade II monument.