Church of St Ildierna

St Ildierna’s Church stands in the village of Lansallos on the south-west coast of Cornwall. Built in the early 14th century, the building is a Grade I listed parish church of the Church of England. Its stone walls and slate roof show the marks of time and a serious fire in 2005. Inside, the church holds carvings and fittings from several centuries. The square Norman font is carved with a ‘tree of life’ motif. Fifteenth-century records mention the remains of St Hyldren, once kept here. The church is worth visiting for its rare 16th-century woodwork. Thirty-four of the original benches and bench ends survive, each carved with figures and patterns. A slate memorial tablet from 1579, made by stonemason Peter Crocker, still hangs on the wall. The wagon roofs above the nave and aisles were restored in the 19th and early 20th centuries by Edmund Harold Sedding. Eight bells were added in 1938 under the care of the Reverend N Rivers-Tippett. Visitors find a quiet interior lit by clear windows. The Norman font stands near the west door, its carving still sharp after seven centuries. The Jacobean vestment cupboards hold records of the church’s long life. Outside, the churchyard looks over rolling Cornish fields towards the sea. The restored wagon roofs rise above the pews, their ribs forming a delicate pattern against the plaster.