St Mewan
Encyclopedia
St Mewan is a civil parish and village in south Cornwall
, United Kingdom
.
The village is approximately one mile (1.6 km) west of St Austell
. It is a small settlement, comprising the parish church
, rectory
, a school and nearby farms. St Mewan parish includes the villages of Sticker
, Trelowth, Trewoon, and most of Polgooth
.
, a sixth-century Celtic saint who was born in Wales
, visited Cornwall, and is mostly venerated in Brittany
. The current building dates from the 13th century and is mentioned in a bishops' inquisition of 1294 as the 'Ecclesia de St Mewany'. It was, however, substantially rebuilt in 1854 by George Edmund Street
and enlarged in 1890. The church tower is of only two stages and is built of granite blocks. Local legend suggests that the original builders were prevented from raising it higher by the devil, who threw down their stones each night.
in 1874. The schoolmaster's house had previously been the St Mewan Inn. The school currently has around 400 pupils.
. It is a tor exposure of quartz-topaz-tourmaline rocks that has been made a SSSI for its geological interest. St Mewan Beacon was studied by Cornish mining engineer and mineralogist Joseph Henry Collins
who published an account of it in 1914.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The village is approximately one mile (1.6 km) west of St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
. It is a small settlement, comprising the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
, a school and nearby farms. St Mewan parish includes the villages of Sticker
Sticker, Cornwall
Sticker is a former mining village in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It lies in the parish of St Mewan. The nearest town is St Austell three miles to the north-east.-Great Hewas Mine:...
, Trelowth, Trewoon, and most of Polgooth
Polgooth
Polgooth is a former mining village in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It lies mainly in the parish of St Mewan and partly in the parish of St Ewe...
.
Parish church
The church is dedicated to Saint MewanMéen
Méen of Brittany was a Breton saint, thought to be Cornish or Welsh in origin.According to tradition, he followed Samson of Dol to Brittany, accompanied by Austol. There the abbey of St-Méen or St-Meon carried his name. He is also honoured at St Austell and St Mewan in Cornwall.-Notes:...
, a sixth-century Celtic saint who was born in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, visited Cornwall, and is mostly venerated in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. The current building dates from the 13th century and is mentioned in a bishops' inquisition of 1294 as the 'Ecclesia de St Mewany'. It was, however, substantially rebuilt in 1854 by George Edmund Street
George Edmund Street
George Edmund Street was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex.- Life :Street was the third son of Thomas Street, solicitor, by his second wife, Mary Anne Millington. George went to school at Mitcham in about 1830, and later to the Camberwell collegiate school, which he left in 1839...
and enlarged in 1890. The church tower is of only two stages and is built of granite blocks. Local legend suggests that the original builders were prevented from raising it higher by the devil, who threw down their stones each night.
Education
St Mewan Community Primary School was founded (as St Mewan Board School) in the nineteenth century, the main building being designed by Silvanus TrevailSilvanus Trevail
Silvanus Trevail was a British architect, and the most prominent Cornish architect of the 19th century. He was born in Luxulyan, Cornwall in October 1851. He rose to become Mayor of Truro and, nationally, President of the architects' professional body, the Society of Architects. His success...
in 1874. The schoolmaster's house had previously been the St Mewan Inn. The school currently has around 400 pupils.
St Mewan Beacon
This natural landmark lies some distance from the village, to the north-west of TrewoonTrewoon
Trewoon, pronounced true-un, is a village in south Cornwall, United Kingdom in St Mewan civil parish. It is situated on the western outskirts of St Austell on the A3058 road, about one mile from the town centre....
. It is a tor exposure of quartz-topaz-tourmaline rocks that has been made a SSSI for its geological interest. St Mewan Beacon was studied by Cornish mining engineer and mineralogist Joseph Henry Collins
Joseph Henry Collins
Joseph Henry Collins FGS, , mining engineer, mineralogist and geologist. Of Cornish descent, he was born in London.-Career:He was at various times the secretary or president of the three learned societies of Cornwall - Royal Geological Society of Cornwall , the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society...
who published an account of it in 1914.