The Parish Church of Looe, Cornwall

ST. MARTIN'S CHURCH holds Holy Communion services at 11am every Sunday.

Under the brow of the hill sheltered from the wind off the sea, stands St Martin’s Church, cruciform in shape, built of local stone and roofed with slate.

The Church has a fine tower with a peal of six bells. The well proportioned Norman doorway with its deep mouldings probably dates from about 1140. The interior of the Church is of a typically 15th century appearance with chancel, nave, south aisle and two transepts, but parts of the building are much older.

Holy Communion services and a monthly Family Praise Service are held at the Church on Sundays; for full details of our service times please either see below or click here.

A Sunday School is held to coincide with Holy Communion. The adjacent Church Hall is home to the exuberant Sunday At Ten services which are held at 10 am on Sundays. The Church Hall is available to hire for functions and benefits from ample parking.

The contractors began the restoration of St Martin’s Church roof in September 2005. This work has been successfully completed. The Church has also been rewired as part of this Restoration Programme.

ST NICHOLAS CHURCH, The Quayside, West Looe

Originally the Chapel of St Nicholas belonged to the Church of Talland, as also did the village of West Looe. Later it came under the authority of St Martins by Looe and was looked after by the Rector of this Church. In 1845, however, by an Order of Council, the parish of ‘East and West Looe’ was established. But it was not until 1852 that the Church of St Nicholas was taken back into the care of the Church commissioners.

In its history, the Church has served many purposes in the Looe community; from the mid-16th century serving both as a Town Hall for the ‘West Looe Corporation’ and as a Church whenever Civic business was not being undertaken. Later it was used as a free mathematical school and in the 19th century for the use of ‘strolling players’. In 1547 it was decided to build a prison (‘the Dark Hole’) occupying about half the length of the North wall with an outside entrance. The blocked entrance is still visible on the ‘new’ North wall which was originally the windowless outside wall of the prison. The East end of the Church was used as a court until about 1839.

The exact date as to when the Church was built is not known, but it was certainly before 1336 when Sir John Dawnay and members of the Parish of Talland endowed the Church. Surviving the Chantry Acts of 1547 and 1548, which the nearby Chapel of Lamana and Chapel of St George on Looe Island did not, it is recorded that in 1549 Commissioners noted that St Nicholas possessed a partially gilt Chalice weighing 8 oz and also ‘two bells hanging in the tower’. The present bell was cast in 1730 and in 1835 an Italianate wooden cupola was added to the tower. The Millenium was marked by placing a new clock on the tower, which was dedicated in December 2000.

Major restoration work has recently been completed, including repairs to the “fisherman’s” Church roof and the vestry has been repaired and improved. Earlier work on the inside of the tower and remedial drainage on the Hannafore Road mean that the long running damp problem should be solved.

Services are held every Sunday morning and also during the week; for details please either see below or click here.

DID YOU KNOW?

St Martin was a Roman soldier who gave half of his cloak to a beggar. He later dreamt of Jesus Christ wearing the beggar's half of the cloak. St Martin became Bishop of Tours in France.

DID YOU KNOW?

NOTICES

St Nicholas Church requires a voluntary organist for the 9.00 am Sunday service. To apply, please contact David Jones at Culmore Coach House, Shutta, Looe, Cornwall. Tel. 01503 263382.

SUNDAY SERVICE TIMES

On the first Sunday of the month, however, there is a Combined Service at St Martin's Church at 10.00 am instead of separate Sunday at Ten and Holy Communion services.