Church of St Julitta Lanteglos
The coat of arms below is in a small pane of glass in the north chancel window. It is the clue to a remarkable story that we are researching that links the medieval stained glass windows to the Archbishop of Canterbury John Morton 500 years ago. More news about this as we discover it!
AND THE BELLS ARE NOW FULLY RESTORED AND RINGING WELL. There is now a team of bell ringers both experienced and novice. The sound of the bells resounding and echoing around the valley is wonderful. They are again an important part of the Camelford - Lanteglos - Helstone community. Anyone interested in learning to bell ring should turn up at a bell ringing practice of phone Julian on 07760 238756.
Over the last 3 years there has been massive progress with the restoration of the building and more recently the bells. We have been successful in our fund-raising and most recently we have been able to complete the programme of repair and improvement for the bells. Taylors Bell Foundry of Loughborough have carried out the restoration of the bells with the help of skilled local volunteers the work. Before the bells went back to their bell frame, they were blessed by Bishop Hugh of St German’s
September 13, 2020
The Tea Party on September 13th 2020 was a successful event raising £250 towards the bell fund. Many thanks to Richard Mawson for everything
A conference was planned for the 21st April to celebrate the restoration and reopening of St Julitta’s. This was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The conference was planned to bring together experts in their various fields to place the church in historical, geographical, archaeological and architectural context. Although this was cancelled all the speakers agreed to put something in writing which has now been published.
February 15th, 2020
Following Snowdrop Saturday a ‘first time in living memory’ event was held - Choral Evensong with Deanery Choir conducted by Gareth Stubberfield and Organ played by Steve Tyrrell. The service was taken from the traditional Book of Common Prayer and led by Revd Andrew Lewis. During the service a presentation was made of 30 Books of Common Prayer by Revd Hilary Spong generously donated to St Julitta’s by the Prayer Book Society. Based on the ancient service of vespers, the singing was enthusiastic and fit for a cathedral!
Somehow we have managed to find sufficient funds for the additional rotten timber that put the roofs at risk of collapse. Generous donations and contributions to our crowd funding have helped us through difficult times. Now a year after the restoration started we have been able to reopen and celebrated with an Open Day.
The restoration of the main roofs of Lanteglos Church has been completed. The various problems due to excessive wood rot and decay have been coped with and developing the kitchenette and separate toilet cabin is now well under way. More than 100 people attended the Open Day and the exhibition will remain open in the the church until next year. Our conservation architect, Jeremy Chadburn from Launceston, gave 2 talks on aspects of the restoration and Stephen Tyrrell played the organ for most of the day which helped to create a really happy and friendly atmosphere. Altogether, more than £600 was raised towards the next stage of the restoration – the compostable toilet, the bells and the windows. The contractor Jonnie Starr and his crew are making progress with the installation of a kitchenette at the base of the tower and a bell ringing chamber above.
See how our new lighting - installed by Simon Biddick - lights up the church and check out the new overhead heaters that warm people rather than the space around them
THE ARCHITECT’S LECTURE AT THE OPEN DAY
looking down on the tower roof beam - rotten and not really supporting the roof!
Oh DeAR! THE NORTH TRANSEPT ROOF POSSIBLY 12TH CENTURY
A photo of the tower roof and the north transept roof as a reminder of how bad things were.
The north transept roof was on the point of collapse. The medieval timbers were floating loose and the victorian over-structure was rotten. It was thought that the north transept may have been a separate building built at an earlier date than the church - possibly 12th century
The tower roof appeared sound from above but as soon as the central beam was exposed it was obvious that the rot was extensive
If you would like to keep really up to date with the restoration progress then check out the Facebook group Friends Of Lanteglos Church with this LINK
MORE DECAY in the central valley - A CHALLENGE FOR THE ARCHITECT, STRUCTURAL ENGINEER AND THE CONTRACTOR
St Julitta’s Church Lanteglos-by-Camelford Restoration Project wins National Lottery Support
For the last 10 years the Friends of Lanteglos Church (FOLC) have been raising funds to renew the leaking roof and generally restore this outstanding medieval Church. In April 2018 FOLC became a registered charity No 1177951. Now a generous grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, made possible by National Lottery players, has provided significant support. A large grant of £231,500 has been awarded by the Heritage Lottery to help FOLC and Lanteglos-by-Camelford PCC to progress the project. During the restoration, the Church will be closed until October 2019 but the churchyard will remain open. All Services will transfer to Advent Church during the restoration.
The Restoration Project aims to ensure this ancient Grade I Listed building which is on the at risk register of Historic England will survive for future generations. The work involves the renewal of the leaky roof and sorting out the granite wall blocks that have shifted dangerously over the last 800 years. A composting toilet, a small kitchen and a new heating system are planned in order to bring the Church right up to date and truly accessible for all the community.
St Julitta’s Church has numerous interesting heritage features including some 15th century glass and a uniquely carved font also 15th century, where one of the first circumnavigators of the world Captain Samuel Wallis, discoverer of Wallis Island and Tahiti was baptised. A special feature of the church is that it has wonderful acoustics so it is planned to build on this with more frequent musical events.
Apart from regular services and community celebrations there are frequent events for all the local community such as concerts, candle lit suppers, afternoon teas and morning coffees. The whole project is costed at £550,000, but is still short of at least £22,000. Gifts of money or volunteer time are always needed and greatly appreciated. If anyone would like to get involved with this exciting project please contact the Churchwarden Mary Pearce on 01840 212665
For more information: The Friends of Lanteglos Church can be contacted via this website. Click on this link
It is difficult to describe the wonderful atmosphere when Mike Silver and friends sang recently at Lanteglos It was very special. It is not difficult to pick this up if you listen to this short video clip. The church will be closed for restoration for almost a year, but we look forward to more special evenings with Mike when we open again at the end of 2019.
Caitlin sings again at the Lanteglos Flower Festival. Tintagel Orpheus Male Voice choir specially made a space in their programme so that she could sing. What a wonderful talent.
There is a current exhibition at St Julitta's focused on the amazing heritage of the church and its links with international visitors. The high status stained glass is one aspect of this heritage and is of concern because the stone mullions and tracery in the windows is deteriorating putting the glass at risk. We have already had a stained glass specialist have a look at this and 2 stone masons to assess the window stonework. Their reports will form the basis of further action.
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