St Winnow: Church, Bells and Churchyard

St Winnow is a parish with a Grade I listed church. St Winnow Parish Church combines a building history spanning the 15th to the 19th century with a distinctive set of bells. The churchyard and waterside location add themes of nature and landscape to the picture of the place. For a visit, you can consider these as separate points of interest: the church building, the bell tower and the wider landscape setting.

Church and historical connections

The present-day St Winnow Church was built in the 15th century and restored in the 19th century. St Nectan’s Chapel adds another historical connection: it was also altered in the 15th century and was mentioned in documents from 1250 as a daughter church of St Winnow. The dates relate to different things. For the present-day church, they concern its construction and restoration; for the chapel, they concern an alteration and a historical ecclesiastical relationship. This allows you to distinguish the 1250 reference from the later details about the building history of the present-day church.

Bells in the tower

St Winnow Parish Church has the world’s lightest ring of ten bells hung in a church tower for full-circle ringing. This ring of ten is also the only one in Cornwall comprising ten bells cast at the same time. In addition, the original six bells are kept at the top of the tower and rung electronically. For the ring of ten, the distinguishing features are its weight, the bells having been cast together and full-circle ringing; for the original six bells, the focus is on their preservation in the tower and the way they are rung electronically. Full-circle ringing is a form of bell ringing in which the bells swing in a complete circle in the tower.

Churchyard and landscape

The churchyard takes part in the “Cornwall Living Churchyard” programme. It is managed as a “Living Churchyard” as part of a national initiative to promote biodiversity. The biodiversity aim therefore relates to the care of the churchyard and provides a different focus from the listed church. The South Coast - Eastern National Landscape extends inland along the River Fowey as far as St Winnow; within this landscape area, St Winnow is a parish whose church is beside the water. This places a specific site of churchyard management alongside a wider landscape context.

Walk and access

The “Lerryn to St Winnow” circular walk is 5.1 miles long, moderate in difficulty, and follows the River Fowey and Lerryn to St Winnow Church, which is beside the water. Both the route length and difficulty are specified; the route follows the rivers to the church. Access to the church is via narrow lanes that descend steeply beneath beech trees. Take this into account when travelling there: the moderate rating applies to the circular walk, while the narrow lanes describe the access route.

Discover more destinations: Launcells, North Tamerton, Bodmin, St Pinnock, Roche, Par, Tresmeer, Gorran Haven.

For the main travel overview: Cornwall.