Church of St Stephen

The Church of St Stephen stands in Saltash, Cornwall, beside the Tamar Estuary. Built in the 15th century, it replaced a 13th-century church consecrated in 1259. The present building has three aisles, five bays and a three-stage tower topped with a slate roof added in 1866. Inside, a square Norman font echoes styles found elsewhere in Cornwall. Behind the high altar, a seven-bay Gothic reredos rises in rich detail. The church holds Grade I listed status, awarded on 17 January 1952. In its churchyard stands a Gothic lantern cross first recorded by Joseph Polsue in 1872. The cross spent years in the vicarage garden before being moved to the churchyard in the 1970s. Andrew Langdon believes it once stood in the same churchyard long ago. The parish belongs to the Saltash Area Ministry within the Diocese of Truro, under the patronage of the Dean and Canons of Windsor. Visitors find a quiet space of weathered stone and slate. The Norman font and Gothic reredos draw attention inside. Outside, the lantern cross offers a glimpse of medieval craftsmanship. The churchyard holds the grave of Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton. Saltash’s waterfront views complete the setting, linking land and river in one view.