Church of St Mary and St Julian, Maker

St Mary and St Julian’s stands on rising ground above the Hamoaze in Maker, a village on the Rame Peninsula in south-east Cornwall. The church is built of local red sandstone with granite dressings in the Perpendicular style. It has a nave, north and south aisles, a chancel, a north transept, a south porch and a three-stage tower at the west end. The tower once served as an Admiralty signal station during the 18th century and the Napoleonic Wars. The church dates back to the 15th century, though parts may be older. The church is worth visiting for its long history and the 1873–74 restoration led by architect James Piers St Aubyn. The restoration cost about £1,662 and included re-roofing, reseating in pitch pine and relaid floors of encaustic tiles. The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe commissioned a memorial window for his family, and an organ by Hele & Co of Plymouth was installed in 1875. The church’s Bodmin-style font is 12th century, and the sundial above the entrance is dated 1768. Inside, visitors see the nave and aisles, the north transept housing the organ, and the Edgcumbe Chapel added in the 19th century. The tower contains six bells recast in 1808. Outside, the churchyard holds Grade II listed headstones and chest tombs from the 18th and 19th centuries. The holy water stoup in the porch was found in the churchyard in 1923. The setting offers views over the surrounding countryside and the Hamoaze below.