Churches of the British Isles

A piece of granite Gothic arch is today appended to a hedge and may be a remnant of the lost Tresillian Chapel. An aerial photograph shows a large rectilinear feature around the grid reference for this location, with this being assumed to be the outline of a perimeter wall rather than the chapel itself. Possibly this implies the site of a cemetery adjoining the chapel. A granite mullion in the orchard was found nearby and is also thought to be part of the chapel.

St Mary & St John the Baptist Old Chapel of Degembris is found from Tresillian House by heading south on the A3058: take the minor westbound turning about 1,500 metres later, and take the second southbound turning, to Degembris. The farmyard cottages are on the left with the farmhouse on the right. This hamlet was acquired by the Beaupe family in the 1200s. On 3 July 1319 the family had licence to raise a chapel here, while the name is recorded in a papal bull of 1276.

Nancemeer Old Chapel's former site can be found by heading south and west from Degembris to reach Mitchell Lane and then by turning left (heading southwards). There are two fields on the left-hand side which can be seen through the far gate in this shot. Nancemeer Farmhouse is diagonally opposite. A chapel may have been sited in 1840 in the field which is known as 'Chapel Close', although later OS maps show no signs of any structure.

St Francis Old Chapel for wayfarers sat in Mitchell (originally La Medeshole) from before 1234, on the old course of the A30, now avoided via a dual carriageway. The chapel's location is at the Mitchell crossroads, to the left of the cottages shown here. The chapel existed until it was destroyed during the Reformation. St Mary's Old Chapel (corrupted to 'St Michael') existed in the parish until it was destroyed in 1414, although its location has been lost to history.

Mitchell Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Mitchell, can be found on the northern side of the main road through the village, which runs parallel to the A30. It sits about 500m west of 'The Plume' public house and was built in or around 1845. In 1932 it became Mitchell Methodist Church, although online records also show it as Mitchell Free United Wesleyan Chapel. It was forced to close in 1989 owing to a lack of renovation funds. It was converted into a private dwelling in the 1990s.

Four photos on this page by Jo Lewis, and one kindly contributed by Martin Handley via the 'History Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group.