Fowey Parish Church

Truro Diocese
A warm welcome awaits you at St Sampson's Church every Sunday. 
Morning Services are followed by coffee and refreshments

News from St Sampson's Church  The flower arrangers in the church never cease to amaze me! The displays they produce at festivals are al­ways wonderful but on Easter Day they really excelled themselves. Word soon got around. Within half an hour of the service ending, people were turning up to see the floral arrangements. Over the succeeding days there were many visitors. "Wow!" was a common reaction when they entered the church.

The service on Easter Day was very well attended and it was really great to see so many families with young chil-dren. We had decided to shorten the service by not singing the normal setting. We know from experience that keeping very young ones content in a strange environ-
Some observers of the church building thought we had had a break in recently because part of a window in the south aisle had been boarded up. In fact, it was a sign of preparatory work to improve ventilation. Two small opening windows are now in place, one by the main altar (south) and the other by the organ console (north). This is designed to provide a gentle, steady flow of air to help the fabric of the building.

Successive quinquennial surveys & the requirements of English Heritage when allotting grants for the restoration over ten years ago, highlighted the need for such opening windows. It featured in the long list submitted by English Heritage in the late 1990s. That list divided all the prob­lems into three time scales. For example, the south facing roof had to be dealt with urgently. The ventilation win­dows were to be actioned in the long term. The original plan was for the vents to be on opposite sides of the church at the east end. But, in the main, that would have only ventilated that part of the building. The organ builder was delighted to support the action that has been taken, as condensation is a perennial problem within such instruments. When drizzle falls outside, conditions on our granite floors can be treacherous. The porch floor and the one leading to the organ almost run with water. The moisture produced eventually begins to affect the fabric inside. Last year, with its damp summer, the smell of mould was apparent on many occasions. The opening vents (with built in bird & bat guards), together with other work which is about to start with ex­tra ventilation in the tower, should help to reduce the det­rimental affects of condensation.

It's amazing how many people leave the door open when they enter or leave the church. We have a bead cur­tain in place and a notice warning about swallows flying into the building. Unfortunately, one got in recently. Both Gillie & I went along during the day but were un­successful in our efforts to get the poor creature out. It's not an easy task. Usually they are very lively for a few hours & then weaken enough so that they can be caught and taken outside. In this case, I'm afraid it died quite quickly. Please- shut that door!

I mentioned in the last issue that a few things had gone missing from out goods on sale in recent months. During all the years that we have left things on trust, we have lost only a couple of tea towels and, maybe, the odd card. I am afraid that things have changed recently. Eighteen cards were not paid for on one day plus other goods totalling more than £20. Also, tea & coffee has been taken from a cupboard in the kitchen area. Please- can we all keep our eyes open for anything suspicious.

Anno Domini does catch all of us up eventually and it's certainly true in my case! For that reason, I decided at the beginning of 2011 that I could not carry on directing the choir. In fact, my last Sunday will be on July 23rd when we celebrate the feast of St Sampson. I shall continue to play for any other services as required. I shall miss all my interaction with choir members greatly & wish to thank them for all their hard work & patience. I hope that I shall still have opportunities to work with them on other musical ventures in the future. Sheila Funnell will be lead­ing the choir from September onwards; the Revd James Funnell will be playing for one of the two choral services each month.  

The Churchyard  

The churchyard this year has been a rich source of interest to all those who love flowers. The double lady's smocks were particularly fine though, as lovers of moist, marshy conditions, the dry weather curtailed their display somewhat. Last year, in deference to those who hate to see plants going to seed, I was tempted to cut the area along the side of the path early, & observers may have noticed that the lady's smocks were not as plentiful in that area this year. I had failed to let them set seed for long enough. Steimming the whole churchyard will be taking place soon though! The plant debris will be left to lie & dry for at least three days to enable the seeds to fall on to the ground before being raked up. Plus: Mullein (Aaron's rod) is beginning to spread from the lower to the middle churchyard. Minus: I still have to use weed killer to lessen the numbers of hogweed, the juice of which can lead to skin problems when strim-ming- it flies everywhere!   MGH         

____________________

Philip de Grey-Warter

Vicar of Fowey & Golant

The Vicarage, Fowey

Cornwall PL23 1BU

01726 83 35 35

vicar@foweyparishchurch.org

www.foweyparishchurch.org

The Church in late autumn  viewed from the South

Cornwall has more saints than any other county! Saint Sampson is the only one whose life was recorded in some detail (Vita Saint Sampson c610-615AD). Many of the Cornish saints and others who travelled to Brittany and beyond landed from Ireland but mainly from Wales somewhere on the north coast of Cornwall and walked the " Saints Way" from north to south often stopping on the way to attempt to convert the heathen to Christianity. (The Saints Way from Padstow to Fowey via Golant is a popular route for walkers today who frequently make reference to their journey in the visitors book in the Church). St Sampson stayed sometimes in Golant and legends about him are depicted in some stained glass in the Church. He later travelled to Brittany ( see picture below taken from window by organ ) and eventually became Archbishop of Dol and the chief of the Seven Saints of that province.

Water flows continually into his Holy Well  near the entrance porch which is sheltered by a rude arch of stonework, apparently of great antiquity; the water drawn from the well is still used today for baptisms.

The church has a star rating in Simon Jenkins book 'Englands Thousand Best Churches' which he describes as 'warm and welcoming'. Both the  nave and south aisle have beautiful wagon roofs and are divided by clustered arcading. (since the book was published the plaster ceiling in the nave has been reinstated). Three granite arches in the nave are thought to be the remains of the original oratory. The pulpit, reading desk, bishops chair and a screen are superb examples of early 16th century carving depicting Saints  and coats of arms of local families. A restoration and some rebuilding took place in 1842 at a cost of £534 when the screen which formed the chapel and the chancel at the east end was removed. The organ was installed about 10 years ago in 1992 and is a hybrid using some of the pipes from the two organs which were originally in St Michaels Church, Newquay during the 20th century. On the north wall is a huge coat of arms of James II  in recognition of the Royalist sympathies which existed in this part of the county. The building is faced with granite and the battlement two stage tower is of the same material.

The stained glass is relatively modern except for two small portraits in medieval glass(St Sampson and St Anthony) in the north wall by the nave altar. Sir John Betjeman judged the pews in the nave to be the most uncomfortable in Cornwall!

Some of the real life drama of the love triangle of King Mark, Princess Isult(Isolde) to whom he was betrothed and his nephew, Tristan, was played out in the area and it is recorded that Isult attended the church and gave her wedding dress to be made into a priest's chasuble.

The South Aisle     East Window

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