St Peter

This ‘gaunt, severe Gothic’ church was designed by William White and built ‘in bleak country on a hilltop site’ two miles from the village in the mid nineteenth century (Beacham & Pevsner, 2014 p. 358). The spire and tower were removed in 1898, the latter rebuilt by Cowell, Drewitt & Wheatly in 1928, a few years after the work below. Mithian Church was declared redundant in 2009 (churchofengland.org) and when visited in 2016 was in the process of being converted to residential accommodation.

Screen and Rood – Plans (CRO X272/54/1-4) R.F. Wheatly architect; 1924

Four plans for a screen and rood, including a full-size tracing of the rood baluster, are deposited at CRO. The screen diverges from the usual Gothic Revival and owes more to the Jacobean style. The lack of ornamentation on the screen acts to focus attention on the figures in the rood above. These are identical to those carved for Truro Diocesan Training College chapel a few years earlier, verifying that they are products of the V. Pinwill company, despite the absence of any other evidence. The screen and rood were erected in memory of the Revd Benjamin Smart, vicar of St Peter’s for 30 years, with the cost of the screen being defrayed by public subscription and the rood, in English oak, the gift of the family (Western Morning News, 1924). They were dedicated in October 1924 by the Chancellor of Truro Cathedral.

Sources

Beacham, P. & Pevsner, N. (2014) The Buildings of England. Cornwall. Yale University Press, London.

CRO X272/54/1-4 Plans. Mithian. Rood and Screen.

Western Morning News (1924) Memorial to Late Vicar of Mithian. 21 October p. 5.