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Helston |
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Helston is a particularly attractive Cornish town, with a very handsome curving main thoroughfare - Coinagehall Street - beside which fast water runs in open channels down both sides. At the bottom is the attractive Gothic gateway erected in memory of Humphrey Grylls; at the top is the granite Guildhall, and down either side, above the shop fronts, the interesting variety of windows of the old private houses. It is worth spending time in Helston, famous for its Flora Day, for it is a town which speaks eloquently of its prosperous past.
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Memorial to Penberthy & Henry Trengrouse
The East Window depicts St Michael, the Protector of Cornwall, and the saint to whom both church and town are dedicated.
The royal Coat of Arms dominates the front of the Gallery.
St Michael's Church at the time of the Coronation of King George Vth 1911. Note the two side balconies
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The past is mirrored in this parish church - quite unlike any of the others in this part of Cornwall. The present building replaces the earlier church which was pulled down and entirely rebuilt between 1756-1763 in the style known as mock-Gothic, by Lord Godolphin. The result, at the time, was a typical ‘Town Church’ of the period which would have looked quite at home in the smarter suburbs of London. (Its architect came from Greenwich). Much, however, has changed even since then. Godolphin’s church had high box pews - they have gone and in 1837, galleries around 3 sides supported on short iron columns were added. Parish churches responded to the needs of the worshipping community of the time: the galleries went, and a central altar was installed in a massive re-ordering of the church in 1971 - so what is to be seen today is, in many ways, quite close to the church of the 18th Century. One immediately remarkable feature of Helston lies in its churchyard. Nowhere else in the country are such graves and monuments to be found. Massive blocks of granite with letters in high relief a foot and more high suggests that Helston might be the burial place of giants! In fact, many of the grave spaces cover family vaults: beneath the granite are sheets of slate over the top of brick vaults; within the vaults lie the coffins of six or more members of the same family. The size and sheer weight of the granite not only indicated the relative affluence of the family concerned, it also had a practical value, for it deterred grave robbers, at a time when bodies were stolen to be used for medical purposes. In the same way, the massive table tombs with their bricked sides, made theft more difficult. The other unusual feature of Helston churchyard is the cast iron grave plates a further indication of social history, for the town used to have a Foundry, and it was considered smart to have one of these plates made. In this churchyard, as in many, skulls and crossbones can be found on gravestones and memorials. They do not indicate the presence of a pirate’s remains! In former times the dead were placed in charnel houses, and after a decent length of time the skull and the thigh bones only were removed and buried or placed in a vault. In vaults or ossuaries in Europe it is common to see rows and rows of skulls, and similar rows of thigh bones - those were all that were considered necessary for bodily resurrection! Thus the skull and cross bones on tombstones, perhaps surprisingly, symbolise the hope of life after death. There are 2 interesting memorials near the porch: the Penberthy monument with its handsome cross, and the stone commemorating Henry Trengrouse , the inventor of the Rocket Apparatus (1722-1854) responsible for saving countless lives at sea. The Victorian stained glass over the porch is unique.
The interior is light, spacious and distinctly ‘open plan’ with its central altar and carpeted areas; at the west end one of the original three galleries remains, approached by an attractive stairway.
Unusually, the Rood, or Crucifix with attendant figures, is not central at St Michaels, but occupies a dominant position on the north side of the church, immediately opposite the entrance.
The Victorian reredos , beneath the East Window, depicts the Last Supper, and is a particularly good example. There are a number of fine memorials to be found throughout the church including the Hooker memorial below left.
Many churches contain Bequest Boards ; here the Penberthy Bequest is to be found on the South wall. A regular practice was to spend the money given on bread and beef for the poor of the parish, particularly at Christmas; bequests often included land, cows, or money to fund apprenticeships, so that they offer a fascinating glimpse of social history.
The building on the left was the original National School opened in 1828. It was here that one of Helston’s more famous sons, Bob FitzSimmons, the prizefighter, went to infant school. In 1987 the building was completely renovated as part of the church's programme of social action and now provides a number of excellent facilities.
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