Parish Church of St Anne

St Anne’s Church stands in the quiet village of Whitstone in Cornwall, a Grade I listed parish church of the Church of England. Its oldest parts date from the 13th century, while the upper tower and arcades belong to the 15th century. The chancel, porch and interior were rebuilt in 1882 by Samuel Hooper of Hatherleigh. Messrs Beer and Driffield of Exeter added new windows during the same work. The church belongs to a group of seven parishes spread across north Cornwall. The church’s bells tell a story of craftsmanship over centuries. Three medieval bells became four in the 18th century. In 1831 the tenor bell was recast by Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Two treble bells were added in 1885 by Llewellyn and James of Bristol, and the tenor was recast again by John Warner & Sons. A new organ arrived in 1880, presented by Edward Mucklow of Bennets in the parish. Inside, the rebuilt chancel and porch frame a simple nave with clear glass windows. The tower rises above the west end, its 15th-century stonework still bearing the marks of time. The interior walls show the careful work of 1882, with new arches and a plain roof. Outside, the churchyard holds weathered headstones leaning gently in the Cornish wind. The village around it remains unhurried, letting the church stand as the centre of local life.