The Lizard Revisited 2022: Part 2

 Another day of inclement weather: another day of pottering about on The Lizard. What's not to like?

A rather murky start to the day.

St Corentin's Church at Cury. Norman in origins but its position in an oval enclosure would suggest it was a 'lann' and may have been built on the site of an earlier building. St Corentine died around 490 and was the first Bishop of Cornouaille, modern day Quimper, in Brittany. His cult spread to South West England, where he was know as St Cury. The tower and North Aisle are 15th Century additions to the original, relatively small single-aisled building.

The south door is Norman in the Romanesque style, with a fine tympanum above. Look closely at this and the arch and traces of paint can be seen. It is thought that these probably date from the Victorian restoration rather than from any earlier period. The 15th Century builders of the North Aisle managed to brick over part of the right side of the door jambs.

The porch is a later 19th Century addition, slightly assymetrical because of the 15th Century North Aisle.

A warm but rather ornate interior. It was obviously a 'high' church, with the Stations of the Cross etc. I'd hazard a guess that Catholics would not feel out of place here. My preference is for something much simpler but it is not without its interest.

The font is thought to date from the 12th Century - from the original church? The panels between the shafts are carved with simple geometric patterns. The supports for the font are probably 20th Century replacements of whatever was there before. They feature the almost obligatory serpentine.

A lepers' squint, through which the unfortunates could observe what was going on within. And through which the bread of the sacrament could be passed - the glass was a relatively modern addition.

Stained glass in the North Chapel, showing St Michael, Christ and the Angel Gabriel. It was made and installed in 1949.

A detail of the stained glass window in the west North Aisle - the Adoration of the Magi. It dates from 1924.

Common Gull on a chimney pot. Despite its name, it's actually not that common.

Their website describes the Museum of Cornish Life in Helston as "a treasure trove of memories and curiosities". And so it is. An eclectic mix of artefacts relating to Helston specifically and The Lizard more generally. Well worth a visit as there's a lot to see - possibly too much for a single visit. Although the museum was founded in 1949, the building itself was originally designed as the town’s Market House in 1837, with two separate buildings – one for butter and eggs, the other the meat market, and retains the original sloping granite floor. The Museum expanded into the meat market in the early 1980s, then into the adjoining Drill Hall in 1999. Because of all this, the building is long and narrow and a bit like a Tardis - there's a lot more inside than you'd think from the exterior.

Those were the days (1854) when ladies' sensitivities were taken into account. A menagerie but "the animals are few and, as their odour is rather bad and their propensities somewhat peculiar, ladies are not admitted". They didn't know what they were missing!

I've heard of poor losers but A C Cade appears to be a poor winner. This post-election poster comes from 1905. A quick Google search shows that A C Cade seems to be a serial complainer and, my words, a right pain in the arse. I'm not surprised that many people took against him. And I bet he was a Tory.

Looking eastwards across the beach at Coverack. Lowland Point and Manacle Points are the headlands in the distance.

A male Stonechat taking a break from hopping around on the rocks. I won't show the 20 other out-of-focus shots of the same bird.

A rather murky end to the day.