St Werburgh's Church, Warbstow is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the

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, ...

Warbstow Warbstow () is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The parish has a population of 439 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 520 at the 2011 census. The parish is one of the few left in England to still have ...

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, ...

History

Both the neighbouring parish of

Treneglos Treneglos () is a village and a civil parish in north-east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in the Registration District of Launceston. Treneglos is described as a village "where the old Cornish "trev" ettlementis no more than a trian ...

and Warbstow belonged in the 12th century to the Lords of

Cardinham Cardinham () (the spelling 'Cardynham' is almost obsolete) is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and a village in mid Cornwall, England. The village is approximately three-and-a-half miles (6 km) east-northeast of Bodmin. The hamlet ...

who donated them to the priory of Tywardreath. Warbstow was then a chapelry to Treneglos and the two benefices were later united as a vicarage. According to Charles Henderson, writing in 1925, "The presence ... of St Werburga ... is not easily accounted for (though the parish is famous for geese which figure in her legend)". The church was originally

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

, but largely rebuilt in the 15th century. The north porch was added in 1601. It was restored in 1861. There is a tower of two stages to the west of the nave and a north aisle; until 1861 the church also had a south transept. Features of interest include the north porch of granite blocks (the north doorway is of Polyphant stone) and the font which is a fine example of the Altarnun type.

Parish status

The church is in a joint parish with * St Gregory's Church, Treneglos * St Winwaloe's Church, Poundstock * St Anne's Church, Whitstone *Our Lady and St Anne's Church,

Widemouth Bay Widemouth Bay () is a bay, beach and small village on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic Atlantic coast of Cornwall, coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is about 3 miles (5 km) south of Bude. This stretch of coast is steeped in the ...

*St Gennys’ Church,

St Gennys St Gennys () is a coastal civil parish and small settlement in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village of St Gennys is about southwest of Bude.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 190 ''Bude & Clovelly'' It is on high ground ...

* St James' Church, Jacobstow * St Mary the Virgin's Church, Week St Mary

Organ

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 ...

References

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