Church of St Germanus

St Germanus’ Church stands on a hill above the village of Maker-with-Rame in Cornwall, its slate walls catching the light of the sea nearby. Much of the present building dates from the 13th and 15th centuries, though a Norman carved tympanum shows an earlier church once occupied the site. In 1259 the Bishop of Exeter rededicated the church to St Germanus, a 5th-century bishop who is said to have landed in the neighbourhood while travelling to Britain. The tower and spire rise from the west end, while a south aisle and chapel were added in the 15th century. A major restoration in 1883–85 by the 6th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe uncovered the Norman stone and renewed much of the timberwork. The church is worth the journey for its layers of history and the craftsmanship preserved within. The wagon roof of the south aisle survived the 19th-century restoration, and fragments of 15th-century oak seating were reassembled to form new seats. A traceried oak pulpit and newly glazed windows were added, and the Bishop of Truro led the reopening service in 1885. Inside, a 14th-century octagonal font and late 15th-century pews remain in place, while a screen by Herbert Read of Exeter was installed around 1930. The church’s monuments include those to Mary Ashton and other local families, dated between 1664 and 1797. Visitors find a nave and chancel under slate roofs, a west tower with broached spire, and a north porch leading to transepts and a vestry. The south aisle contains the reassembled medieval seating and a late 19th-century organ loft. Services are held by candlelight, with no electricity or gas installed. Outside, the churchyard holds Grade II listed headstones from the 18th century, each carved with names and dates that tell part of the parish’s story.