St Martin's Church, Liskeard is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

parish church in

Liskeard Liskeard ( ; ) is an ancient stannary and market town in south-east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Plymouth, west of the Devon border, and 12 miles (20 km) east of Bodmin. Th ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, the second-largest parish church in Cornwall after

St Petroc's Church, Bodmin St Petroc's Church, Bodmin, also known as Bodmin Parish Church is an Anglican parish church in the town of Bodmin, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The existing church building is dated 1469–1472 and was until the building of Truro Cathedral ...

History

The church includes some Norman fragments, but is mostly 15th century. The South Chapel dates from 1428, the south chancel aisle from 1430, and additions to the north side from 1477. The tower was repaired in 1675, but was largely rebuilt between 1898 and 1902 at a cost of £6,400 () by John Sampson of Liskeard. The structure of the church was restored in 1878–1879 at a cost of over £3,700 () under the direction of

Richard Coad Richard Coad (13 February 1825 – 1 November 1900) was a 19th-century Cornwall, Cornish architect.St Keyne St Keyne () is a village in the civil parish of St Keyne and Trewidland, in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The parish lies between the parishes of Liskeard and Duloe. The parish population at the 2011 census was 492. The village is ...

until the renovation was complete. The renovation replaced the pews with stow-able chairs, a new heating system, much improved AV facilities, improved toilets, and added the welcome addition of a small cafe.

Organ

An organ was installed in 1844 by

James Chapman Bishop James Chapman Bishop (1783 – 2 December 1854) was a notable British organ manufacturer of the 19th century. History He was apprenticed to Benjamin Flight and then set up his own business in London in 1807 initially at York buildings in Mary ...

at a cost of £300 (). It was opened on 24 November 1844 by Mr Marsh, late organist at Penzance. This was replaced (except for two stops which were retained) in 1879 at a cost of £200 () by an organ built by Hele and Company. This was renovated and enlarged in 1914 by William Hill and Son. In 1923 by Hele and Company rebuilt it with tubular pneumatic action at a cost of £1,000 (). The opening recital was given by

Hubert Stanley Middleton Hubert Stanley Middleton (11 May 1890 – 13 August 1959) was a cathedral organist who served at Truro Cathedral and Ely Cathedral before taking up a long-standing organist and teaching appointment at Trinity College, Cambridge. Background Midd ...

on 20 June 1923. It was restored again in 1980 by Lance Foy. It now contains three manuals and 40 speaking stops. A specification of the organ can be found on the

National Pipe Organ Register The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

The bells

The tower currently has eight bells in the key of E flat. The 1st, 2nd and 6th are by Mears and Stainbank dating from 1901, the 3rd is by John Pennington from 1819, the 4th is by Christopher Pennington dating from 1755, the 5th is by Thomas Mears from 1825, the 7ths is from 1735 by John Peninngton, and the tenor of is by Christopher Pennington of 1755.

Parish status

The church is in a joint parish with St Keyne's Church,

St Keyne St Keyne () is a village in the civil parish of St Keyne and Trewidland, in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The parish lies between the parishes of Liskeard and Duloe. The parish population at the 2011 census was 492. The village is ...

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline

Liskeard