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St Anthony-in-Meneage |
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Near the mouth of the Helford river, on the bank of picturesque Gillan Creek beneath Dennis Head, stands the old grey church of St Anthony. Its setting could hardly be more attractive, almost at the water’s edge, with huddles of boats pulled up on the slaty beach, hydrangeas round the farmhouse, and great trees cascading the steep hill behind. This is an example par excellence of what can be achieved by a small community, and its friends, to preserve and enrich a historic place of worship: after centuries of neglect St Anthony was in a ruinous state before its careful restoration in 1890, but what was so carefully and lovingly done then has been further enhanced by the enrichment made in the twentieth century to present what is seen today: a place of worship, beauty and peace.
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This window on the south wall is a beautifully lettered memorial to Willie Jenkin who died in 1989 and contributed much to the present state of the church and the locality.
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The present church consists of a 12th Century Nave, chancel and south transept with a 15th Century tower and north aisle. Approached from the little car park by the shore, the perfectly proportioned tower, rising 65 feet against the trees, is impressive; angel figures support the tower pinnacles, and at the corner of the base, of elvan stone, is a chain: this used to hold the parish stocks and the nearby carved head is a friendly one..
The South porch contains a Holy Water Stoup ; in the earlier period of neglect this was frequently used by poultry as a nesting box - at the time they were using the belfry as a roost! There is a dog door cut into the base of the door, which may look like an early cat flap, but was intended to permit sheepdogs, which accompanied their shepherd masters to church, quiet entry and exit.
St Anthony’s lost much of its church furniture, its rood screen, wall paintings and its stained glass during the period following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, for the church had been held by the Priory of Tywardreath, dissolved in 1535. Fortunately the wagon roofs remained intact, and the immediate impression of the interior with its pleasingly whitewashed walls and vigorously carved bosses is of a church completely restored to a place of prayer and worship.
The impression of restoration is emphasised by recent provisions of a carpet, and of brightly embroidered hassocks presented by parishioners and friends. There is no electric light at St Anthony: the 18 fine brass sconces and chandeliers provide only candlelight for services. The 15th Century font , just inside the South door, has four angles in relief and an inscription in old English lettering: the Latin translated means “Behold, the beloved of the true God shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit”. Between the angels the four pairs of initial letters are probably monograms of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The base of the 12th Century font beside it was found in the churchyard. The East window of the North aisle is a good example of the style known as Early Perpendicular: there is a fragment of the early mediaeval glass within it. Below is a carved oak reredos of the Last Supper, presented by a parishioner in 1939; it is thought to have originated in Newstead Abbey.
In the North aisle, the Royal Coat of Arms are those of William IV, recently professionally refurbished. Beyond them there is a projection to hold the Rood Loft stairs, with the unusual feature of a door from the outside. No trace of the Screen remains.
The earliest parts of the church include the Chancel and the Nave; the shallow South Transept is a later addition. In 1948 it was furnished, at the cost of a parishioner, as a Chapel of Thanksgiving for all those who lost their lives in the two World Wars. The carving of the Last Supper in the niche is 15th Century German work. There is an interesting Holy Well in the North corner of the churchyard. St Anthony In the pulpit’s centre panel is the carved figure of St Anthony, the Egyptian Saint to whom the church is dedicated, with his symbols of a T Cross, a bell and a pig - hence the title of St Anthony Pigs for people born in the parish, and the old name for the Parish Feast, held on the Sunday nearest 26th December - Piggy Feast. The Pulpit was made in Miss Pinwell’s workshops in Plymouth in 1950. Near the South door is the Visitors’ Book. - please record your visit, buy the excellently documented church guide, and remember with gratitude those who have preserved this place. In three languages above is a useful reminder of how what is seen today might so easily not have been. Recently the friends of the Church had a major project to recast the bells and re-hang them. The bell ropes are in Cornish Colours.
Near the South porch in the churchyard is a monument set up to the memory of an unfortunate road surveyor, Richard Roskruge who was killed by a labourer with a ‘biddaxe’ in August 1797. The Vicar of the time considered the widow’s poetic offering which included the line ’Doomed by a cruel ruffian’s hand to die’ inappropriate. The verses on the slate are his, more Christian offering.
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