St Uny's Church, Lelant

St Uny’s Church stands in the village of Lelant, a short distance from St Ives on Cornwall’s north coast. Built entirely of granite, it is a medieval church with Norman nave arcades and Perpendicular windows. The Grade I listed building has resisted centuries of wind and sand, its fabric shaped by grants, disputes and repairs. Its history includes grants from Thomas Becket in 1170 and a letter of thanks from King Charles after the Civil War. The churchyard holds four medieval wheelhead crosses, moved or repositioned over time. The church holds fine memorials to two William Praeds and graves of Henry Jenner, first Grand Bard of the Gorseth Kernow, and artist Peter Lanyon. An early 18th-century rate of £263 15s paid for repairs after sand damage, and a 19th-century restoration by J. D. Sedding cost £1,175. The tower was struck by lightning in 1878, leading to urgent repairs funded from diverted cathedral money. A 1572 court record shows Cornish as the usual language, with terms like Kalan Gwav for Allhallowtide. Inside, the north chancel contains an organ installed in 1913 and returned to its original position in 1989. The tower holds six bells, two dating from 1836. The church keeps a copy of Charles’s letter and a record of the feast of St Uny on 1 February. Visitors find a quiet granite church with plain furnishings, memorials and ancient crosses set among graves and Cornish landscape.