The area on the east bank of the River Fowey is a very rural area, with nothing more than fields and a few houses and small villages scattered here and there. At the hamlet of Lanteglos Highway, a narrow lane leads through the riverside hamlet of Penpoll, and then up a hill. On top of this hill stands something unexpected, the Medieval parish church of St Veep.
Surrounded by nothing more than a few houses and farms, the church at St Veep overlooks the surrounding countryside. It is dedicated to St Cyricius and St Julitta, a mother and son who lived between the 3rd-4th centuries AD.
The church was originally dedicated to Saint Veep, who the village is still named after to this day, however it was later dedicated to St Cyricius and St Julitta, when the church was rebuilt in 1336. None of the old church which was dedicated to Saint Veep survives, and most of the present church dates from the 15th-16th centuries, with the tower being the original one from the 1336 rebuild.
Situated in the church's 14th century tower are six bells. These are one of the only peal of bells in Britain which are perfectly in tune, and the only ones in Cornwall which are.
St Veep Church serves a relatively large parish, although the vast majority of it is fields and rural area. The parish does, however, cover part of the village of Lerryn, which is the main village in the parish. St Veep parish is bordered by the parishes of St Winnow, Boconnoc, Lanreath, Lansallos, Lanteglos, and, across the River Fowey, St Sampson.
28 сен 2024
