St Winwalloe, Gunwalloe
St Winwalloe, Gunwalloe
St Winwaloe (also Winwalloe) is a Grade I parish church on the dunes at Church Cove, Gunwalloe, Cornwall, in the Diocese of Truro and the parish of Cury with Gunwalloe. It is often called the Church of the Storms and is the only Cornish church sited on a beach.
- Location
- Gunwalloe, Cornwall
- Country
- England
- County
- Cornwall
- City / town
- Gunwalloe
- Address
- Gunwalloe, Cornwall, TR12 7QE
- Postcode
- TR12 7QE
- Built
- Late C15 or early C16; west gable possibly earlier; re-roofed c.1869–71
- Architect
- J D Sedding (restoration 1870-71)
- Denomination
- Church of England
- Dedication
- Winwalloe
- Diocese
- Truro
- Parish
- Cury with Gunwalloe
- Grade
- I
- Style
- Perpendicular three-hall church
- Materials
- Shale rubble with granite dressings; grouted Delabole slate roofs
- Grid reference
- SW 660 205
- Opening hours
- Open every day.
- Access
- Accessible toilets nearby. Level access to the main areas
Overview
Historic England dates the church to the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century, re-roofed about 1869–71 and restored by Sedding. The fabric is shale rubble with granite dressings and grouted Delabole slate roofs. The plan is a three-hall church: nave and chancel under one roof, north and south aisles of similar width, south porch and a rood-stair projection. The west gable of the nave is said to survive from an earlier church, possibly before 1400. Five-bay arcades divide nave from aisles. A detached thirteenth-century bell tower is listed separately.
Cornwall Historic Churches Trust notes that Gunwalloe was a chapelry of Breage when first recorded in 1332, and that the miniature three-hall plan never passed through a cruciform stage. Wikipedia records a Norman font among the fittings. The church is open daily.