From the Royal Cornwall Gazette, Thursday 22nd December 1892, page 4.
The Church of St. Paul, Chacewater, Chacewater, was reopened on Tuesday, when the Bishop of Truro preached in the morning. On entering the old church, even the most hopeful person could hardly glance round without a feeling of despair as to the possibility of doing anything with such a structure in the way of restoration. Erected 65 years ago, it consisted of a parallelogram 90 feet long, and 53 feet wide, exclusively of the western tower, and a small eastern projection 15 feet wide, and only 7 feet deep, which formed an apology for a chancel, whilst a narrow projection of 18 inches in the middle of the north and south walls did duty as transepts. The tower at the west end opened into the church by a lofty arch, and vestries were formed by two ungainly erections of wood at the east end of the aisles. Raised some 12 feet above the floor were enormous galleries, which viewed from above presented a multitudinous array of seats so crowded together that standing was easier than sitting, and kneeling an impossibility. Over head a vast expanse of ceiling covered the entire area at a height of 32 feet from the floor, from which of late pieces of plaster had occasionally dropped, with a very visible promise of more to come. The hideous structure was a costly one, the walls having been very substantially built.
The new building consists of nave and chancel, with north and south aisles to both, and the old western tower has been retained to do duty until something worthier can be provided. The nave is 62 feet long and 24 feet wide, the total length being 110 feet, and the extreme width 53 feet. The enclosing walls of the old church were no less than 30 feet high, and were pierced by two tiers of windows with wooden frames above and below the galleries. The north and south walls have been lowered to a height of 14 feet, the window openings being retained and new granite three-light windows with cusped heads inserted. These walls are connected with the new clerestory walls over the new arcades by a lean-to roof, thus forming north and south aisles. New foundations had to be provided for these arcades, involving no small trouble and expense, for it was necessary to go in some places to a depth of no less than 16 feet, and then to build on concrete four feet thick. The arcades are of local granite, except the shafts of the piers, which are of Polyphant stone. The springers and bases are of solid granite slabs, and weigh considerably over a ton each. The clerestory walls are built of the old stone from the upper part of the original walls (which was found to be very good), and are pierced by one-light cusped headed windows of Polyphant stone. Above, at a height of no less than thirty-one feet from the floor, the wall plates carry an open barrel roof of the old Cornish type, the wide sweeping lines, having a remarkably bold effect. The fifth bay of the arcades is included in the chancel, and separated from the nave by a low screen of granite and Polyphant stone, the roof above being boarded and panelled. The shallow east end projection has been formed into a sanctuary, and opens into the chancel by a granite and Polyphant arch, the roof being covered within and covered externally with red tiles, with pleasing effect, the rest of the church being covered with blue slates.
The east window has an interesting history. It is the old east window of the parish church of St. Mary, Truro, and has been most kindly given to the parish of Chacewater by the rector and vestry of the new Cathedral Church. It is a well executed work of Portland stone, with five lights, and its old stained glass, executed early in the present century by Warrington, and one of his most artistic productions, has been most carefully restored by Messrs. Fermiloe, of London. The rest of the glazing has been admirably carried out by Messrs. Solomon, of Truro. The interior of the church has been pointed throughout, the fine quality and the warm colour of the old stone, and the large size of the blocks, making a substitute for the large expanses of plaster as easy as it is desirable. The tower remains in its original state structurally, but the old wooden windows have given place to the new traceried windows of granite or Polyphant-stone. It need hardly be said that no portion of the old fittings could be re-used, except the font, which was designed by the late Mr. J.D. Sedding for the parish church of St. Erth. On the discovery subsequently of the ancient font it was, of course, restored to use, and the new one was purchased by Rev. R.F. Fraser-Frizell, and erected as a memorial in lieu of the unsightly painted stone basin previously used as a font at Chacewater. It is now fixed in the new baptistry which has been formed at the west end.
The seating throughout is new, the nave seating being of red deal, not stained, with traceried ends. The chancel seats are of oak, and were executed by Rashleigh, Pinwill, and Co., of Plymouth. They have given great satisfaction, and are of somewhat unusual design. The back of the boys’ seats are filled with open tracery, divided into panels, and enriched with careful carving. The boys’ desks are divided into bays by moulded uprights, the heads being filled with arches of quaint outline, having carved terminations. These, together with the vestry, organ, and parclose screens, are gifts of the vicar. The pulpit is composed of various coloured serpentine marbles from the quarries of the Poltesco Company, Ruan Minor. It consists of an irregular-shaped octagonal shaft of light-green serpentine, with a black plinth and black moulded cornice, which forms the floor of the pulpit. On this rests the superstructure, consisting of arched openings, supported by circular light-green shafts with moulded caps and bases, the upper cornice being of black marble. The pulpit was given by the vicar’s wife, “In thankful remembrance of G.H. Wilkinson, second Bishop of Truro.” The lectern is of oak and consists of a large figure of St. Paul with bent head on which rests the Bible. It was given by Rev. A.S.B. Freer, assistant curate of Chacewater, and has been admirably executed by Mr. Harry Hems, of Exeter. The new oak altar is divided in front into three panels of which the centre is the largest. It is spanned by a segmental arch enclosing three panels, the middle panel containing a cross. This and the two sanctuary chairs were the gift of Mrs. Hodge, of Detroit, U.S.A., to the church of her native parish, and have been well executed by Messrs. Gill, of Truro. The oak altar rails supported by wrought iron standards enriched with embossed brass heads, were given together with a marble tablet, by Miss Church, in memory of her brother, who was for 42 years vicar of the parish.
The sanctuary hangings are very beautiful and are the gift of, and worked by, Mrs. Fraser-Frizell, from designs supplied by Mr. E. Sedding. The altar frontals are also the gift of the vicar’s wife and her friends; they have been worked by Miss Wetton, of Upper Wimpole-street, London.
The church is lighted most brilliantly by Vulcan lamps, most artistically hung by Messrs. Read and Skewes, of Truro.
The contractor for the rebuilding is Mr. W.H. Moyle, an old and deservedly respected inhabitant of Chacewater, whose high reputation for excellent workmanship and careful choice of materials will be enhanced by his work at the parish church. The organ has been considerably enlarged and repaired by Hele and Co., of Plymouth. The church has been heated by Messrs. Longbottom’s high pressure system, which has given great satisfaction. The sub-contractor for the masonry work was Mr. John Odgers, of Redruth. The granite work was supplied by the Granite Company at Carnmarth, and the Polyphant stone by Mr. Nicholls, of Polyphant, near Launceston. The mainspring of the reconstruction scheme was the vicar (Rev. R.F. Fraser-Frizell), whose untiring energy and indefatigable perseverance from first to last, both as a large contributor and the active chairman of a competent and painstaking committee, are worthy of all praise, and are happily rewarded by the wonderful transformation which he has been able to effect within two years of his institution. The architect for the reconstruction is Mr. Edmund Sedding, of 7, Buckland-terrace, Plymouth; and it is simple justice to say that the vicar of Chacewater and his parishioners must be congratulated on their choice, and on the dignified and beautiful church, which has taken the place of a structure which was simply repulsive in its ugliness, and was frequently mistaken for a factory by travellers on the Great Western Railway.
There was not a visitor to the restored church on Tuesday when the re-opening took place who was not fairly surprised at the wonderful transformation, and loud in praise of the skill and taste of the architect.
The day’s proceedings commenced with a service of re-dedication, matins, and celebration of the Holy Communion at eleven, when there was a good congregation, including many visitors. The service opened with the processional hymn “O Jerusalem the blissful,” from the appendix to Hymns A. & M. The procession included the Bishop of Truro (Dr. Gott), Archdeacon Cornish, Chancellor Worlledge, Canons Donaldson, Bourke, J.H. Moore, and A.P. Moor, Preb. Hedgeland (Penzance), the Revs. R.F. Fraser-Frizell (the vicar), A.R. Tomlinson, R.D., E.C. Graff (curate), A.M. Cazalet, T.F. Maddrell, B. Christopherson, R.D. (Falmouth), G. Pole-Carew (Kea), R.E.S. Buck, (St. Allen), S. Raffles Flint (Ladock), J. Stona (Mount Hawke), C.E. Meeres and S.F. Marsh (Perranzabuloe), E. Drew (Lostwithiel), F.E. Lewis (St. John’s, Truro), C.F. Mermagen (Feock), D.G. Whitley (Baldhu), Jocelyn Barnes (Breage), W.R. Erskine (Treleigh), W.A. Cousins (Camborne), B. Smart (Mithian), J.J. Murley (St. Day), A.J. Perry and C.F. Hocking, St. Gwinear; Dr. Hugoe and Mr. J. Hall (churchwardens), Mr. J.W.Mc.W. Bamfield, and the choristers. Prayers were intoned by the Revs. A.M. Cazalet, T.F. Maddrell, and the Vicar. Chancellor Worlledge and Sub-Dean Bourke read the first and second lessons respectively; the epistle was read by the Rev. A.R. Tomlinson, R.D. (St. Michael Penkivell), and Archdeacon Cornish read the Gospel. Mrs. R.F. Fraser-Frizell presided at the organ.
The prayer of re-dedication, said by the Bishop, was as follows: “O Merciful and Eternal Father, we humbly pray Thee to revisit this Thy House which we re-dedicate to Thee; beseeching Thee to pardon all irreverent deeds or words which may have been committed or spoken within these walls while the work of renovation was in progress, and all else that has been evil in Thy sight. And grant to us Thy servants, and to all who shall hereafter worship here, an access to the Throne of Grace through the mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord, in the power of the Holy Ghost who with Thee livest and reignest ever one God, world without end. Amen.” Then was sung, all kneeling, hymn 157, “Veni Creator.”
The Bishop preached from St. Luke ⅹⅴ., 6—“And when he cometh home he calleth together his friends and neighbours saying unto them, Rejoice with me.” And, dear people, he said, you have come home to-day. You have come home to old Mother Church and you find her waiting for you, having decked and adorned her house to welcome you. Very different indeed is she to that time when I was last within this church, and walking down that aisle—I seem to see it now—walking along that aisle towards the altar, there was a sheet of water within the church. And now you have come home. Well, I remember years ago when my church in Leeds was shut up for many months to be restored, and when one had been elsewhere for worship, and at last the day came when my feet trod once more the old familiar church, and it seemed as if all other returnings home—from holidays or from abroad—were as shadows to that time when we once more found home in the House of God, and in His presence and in the presence of those who in other years have worshipped there and who now were asleep in the Lord;—so, to-day, you have come home and have called your friends and neighbours to rejoice with you. From many parts of Cornwall they come, and it seemed this morning as if there was a procession leaving the train of neighbours and friends, come to rejoice with you. There must also be many at work this morning who cannot come—people at Chacewater whose hearts are here, but whose bodies are at work in that state of life to which it has pleased God to call them. And there are people elsewhere in England, and miners in the gold fields of Australia and California, who are offering up some kindly thought or wish, and who are among the friends and neighbours who rejoice with you to-day. There is one where those bright waters of the Mediterranean wash those rocks of black and gold in the Gulf of Spezia; and in London there is one at least who has sent a word this morning to you to say he is among the friends and neighbours who rejoice with you in the House of God restored, and the home yours once more. I will read the words of him whose blessed memory still lives amongst us in this pulpit, my saintly predecessor. “Let me congratulate you,” he writes, “on the successful termination of your work for the glory of God and the good of His Church. That work has been begun, continued, and ended in the spirit of devotion and self-sacrifice, the effect of which will be continued long after the service of the congregation is ended. May our Lord bless you and bless all who have laboured with you in rearing up this beautiful and noble church.” I say this parable is a piece of history and tells you more than in a parable how your neighbours and friends rejoice with you. On such a morning as this you want no preacher to bid you to enter into the joy of your Lord. Joy is not only a spiritual quantity, but on a morning like this it is a very natural one. You know that which is so often absent, and so sorely missed from outward joy—the joy of worship, that eucharistic joy and gladness of heart. You remember well that these words of my text occur three times over in the same chapter. They are the heart of three parables—three parables which are the heart of all other parables, and of the Gospel of God our Father. When the shepherd missed his sheep which was lost and went and searched for it and found it, when he came home he called his friends and neighbours together saying “Rejoice with me.” Here our Lord took a great spiritual truth and clothed it in the parable of a working-man who had missed a sheep,—the commonest of the handicrafts of Palestine, which they inherited from Jacob and Abraham. He took that for a fact of the Divine life, and treasured it up for future use in the daily work of some labouring man; and because it should include all mankind, he went at home into the domestic cares of a woman who had lost a piece of money; and so He covered the two outward habits of man’s life—the busy work of men out of doors and the busy work of women indoors; and then He included all that remained of the home life—the father and the son who was missing, and the brother who did not care about it. And then when the father had found “My son, which was dead and is alive again, which was lost and is found,” he called his friends and his neighbours together, saying, “Rejoice with me.” Our dear Lord, in order to put that great spiritual fact for ever in the hearts of Christian people, brought together three outward shapes of the common facts of daily life in which He might clothe and store up, the inestimable spiritual treasure, the truth of God searching for man, and finding one’s self, and bringing him home with great joy. But this morning I see the parable around me in the church restored; I only need to look at it to couple with it the inner meaning, which is this—first of all you bear in mind the story of this church which is more familiar to you than to me. But it is full of interest to me—the story of this church falling gradually, stealthily, into decay. No great wind sweeping across the Atlantic blew down the tower, no lightning from heaven blasted it, no mines underneath caused it to sink into ruin; only by slow decay, so slow and gradual that very few of you were aware of it until it stood you in the face what a poor and unworthy church you had. Then a great many of you felt it unworthy of being a temple of God, and felt the need of someone coming to sweep it and to cleanse it. And so it is often with our hearts. Gradually, through carelessness, our hearts are apt to become as much unworthy of God and of His indwelling as this church was unworthy. This church was less clean and dry than any cottage in Chacewater; and there are hearts within less clean, less worthy than the homes in which people live. Then, again, you may become aware that the life of some neighbour has become altogether a new thing, one whose life is now beautiful and helpful to those around. When you compared your old church with the cathedral at Truro or with many another church in that neighbourhood you began to think that your church was not what it ought to be, that it might be far nobler, and you resolved that it should be, God helping you. So people also sometimes become aware that their lives, not through any great fall or any big sin, yet had become altogether unworthy what they might be. So you compare yourself with someone else, with the character of some good biography, or you read your Bible until you see Jesus Christ before you, the express image of the Father’s glory, and all the beauty that beautifies, all the beauty of love and heaven, and you become aware of what you might be; and then, with a great resolve you said “I will.” Have you passed that? Have you made that great resolution? When I came and talked over the affairs of this church with some of you, the difficulties were so great that different schemes were suggested by which you might with some half-measures shore it up and let it go on for a while by making it a little more dry and clean. All these half-measures were discussed but those prevailed who thought that the whole thing should be done worthily. You will find just the same in your own inner life. When you resolve to be what you ought to be, half-measures suggest themselves, timid thoughts arise, “You cannot make yourself holy, you cannot make your heart a place for God to dwell in.” That is the devil’s voice. You can be a saint of the living God, you know you can; and by just that same energy, by just that same self-denial, by which you have transfigured this church— that is the word that arose to my mind when I first entered it to-day—you may transfigure your own lives, by God’s help; and it wants resolution, and effort, and cost and time. So your lives will become fair and beautiful, and you and your friends and neighbours will rejoice; and those blessed dead who have worshipped here before you, who have loved you, as they look from Paradise and see the inner heart of you is transfigured as this your church is, will rejoice and all neighbours and friends of Christ will rejoice. The personal life may be compared with the holy of holies in the temple; be quite assured there is no spot so holy in God’s sight as men’s hearts. But next to the holy of holies in the temple, there was “the holy place”—the Church, not that at Chacewater or the Church in Cornwall, but the whole Church, including the Church of England, that pure and blessed branch of Christ’s Holy Catholic Church, which by God’s mercy year after year seems more transcendantly to call forth my deepest gratitude—that Church founded in this land, of which you and I are sons and daughters; that pure, apostolical, reformed, and greatly-forgiven Church of England. There was a time when the Church of England, though still the Church of God in this land, was most unworthy of what it might be—as your Chacewater Church was when last I ministered here. Then, perhaps, many people said they could not come here because of the draughts and cold and damp that gave them illness, and so they left it for a time; and many left the Church of England because of the cold and damp they found there. But if these people return now to the Church of their race which they have left they will find it very different—the Church of England is as different from it was when their forefathers left it as you find this Chacewater church different to-day. The Church of England is indeed the same Church, but it is cleaner, it is swept, it is worthier and more beautiful. You have each one had some share in making this church what it is now. It was not done by one great gift, or by the industry and skill of one man; each one has done something, and as you look around you may think, “I helped in this matter.” So it is in the restoration of dear Mother Church. Each one must do something. You must not leave it to the bishops, or your leaders, or your vicar. If Mother Church is to be true as an inner power and a noble fabric, each must do his share. Then there was a third part of the temple, consecrated, but not so holy as the holy place—the outer court, and that is symbolical of the great world of God. The temple, the first Church and the Mother of all churches was in three parts—first the holy of holies—the heart of man; secondly, the holy place—the Church; thirdly, the outer court—the world itself, with all the bad and heathen, the Jew, Turk, infidel—yes, the infidel,—and heretic, all were made for God, all were made by God, all consist in God, and all shall be God’s at last. Wherever men leave ship and rest on land, there the Church should do her work of restoring a fallen world, repairing the ruin of mankind, and bringing sunshine into men’s hearts, drying up the swampy waste places, and making all this world as true and beautiful a Church as this your Chacewater church now is. I have gone far afield and have travelled with you through years past and to come, and through the whole humanity spread throughout the world. Let me return to that one spot, your own heart and this parable. Let this church be an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace in each heart here. Let this church be a means of grace to beautify and cleanse and make a dwelling place for God of each heart, that no one may be wanting at that time when the Advent has come and the Master Himself is visible amongst us. Then I trust that you and I shall be at His right hand, that all our friends and neighbours shall be there, that all the world, if I can help it, shall be there. This is no mere sentiment, no vain aspiration, but the will of God, as it should be the will of all God’s children to do what we can by our own lives—for the mightiest instrument of conversion that God has given to man is a holy example—and by prayer and work, to make the world fairer and more beautiful and so restore the house of God for ever and ever, for the coming advent of our Lord and Master.
Subsequently, luncheon was served in the schoolroom, under the direction of Mrs. Clarke (W.F. Clarke and Co.) of Truro, who kindly gave her services. The materials for the luncheon were given by friends. The Vicar presided, and those present included, besides the Bishop and most of the clergy who took part in the service, Mr. J.C. Williams, M.P., Mr. Edmund Sedding (architect), Mr. W. Naylor Carne (Falmouth), Mr. R. Dobell, Mr. W.N. Gill and Mr. B. Williams (Truro), Mr. Carah (Crowan), Mr. Littleton Geach and Mr. Rouse (St. Agnes), Mrs. Fraser-Frizell, Mrs. J.C. Williams, Mrs. Naylor Carne, and Miss Fraser-Frizell, and many other ladies.
In the afternoon Mr. M.J. Monk, Mus. Doc., organist Truro Cathedral, gave an organ recital in the church.
Archdeacon Cornish preached at a well-attended service in the evening, at which the choir did itself infinite credit, seeing it has only been in training a month or two.
Over £1,500 has been raised toward the restoration fund. The offertory on Tuesday included a cheque of £50 from Mr. J.C. Williams, M.P.
The Vicar has arranged an octave of services of the re-dedication, the preachers being:—Wednesday, Chancellor Worlledge; Thursday; Canon Carter, Friday, Rev. F.E. Lewis, St. John’s, Truro; Saturday, Rev. D.G. Whitley, Baldhu; Christmas-day (morning) the Vicar, (evensong) Rev. E.C. Graff, curate; St. Stephen’s Day (Dec. 26th), Rev. E. Drewe, Lostwithiel; St. John the Evangelist’s Day (December 27th), Canon Donaldson; Holy Innocents’ Day (December 28th), Canon Bourke.
$Id: chacewater1.xhtml,v 1.1 2011-12-26 17:33:32 mkc Exp $