St Grada and Holy Cross Church, Grade

St Grada & Holy Cross Church, Grade is the Church of England parish church of Grade with Ruan, Cornwall. The church is a Grade I listed building, having been added to the listed buildings register on 10 July, 1957.[1]

St Grada & Holy Cross Church, Grade
St Grada & Holy Cross Church, Grade
LocationGrade
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
History
DedicationSt Grada & Holy Cross
Architecture
Heritage designationGrade I listed[1]
Administration
ParishSt Ruan with St Grade
DeaneryKerrier
ArchdeaconryCornwall
DioceseDiocese of Truro
ProvinceProvince of Canterbury

History

The parish was called St Cross in 1261, but by 1310 it was known as St Grada, Virgin. The font dates from the 13th century and the church contains a brass to James Eryssy and his wife, 1522.[2]

Parts of the church, which is built in the Decorated style, are of thirteenth century origin and the tower dates from around 1400. The thirteenth and fourteenth century nave and chancel were rebuilt in 1862−63, incorporating some of the original structure to the designs of the architect Edward William Godwin of Bristol. The construction is mainly of rubble stone, with some large blocks of granite and serpentine in the tower. There are separate slated, steeply-sloping roofs for the nave, chancel, vestry and porch. The unbuttressed tower is at the west end and has two stages.[1] The font from the previous church was retained. The serpentine and Caen pulpit was the gift of the Lizard Serpentine Company. The lectern was the gift of Mr Cox, the agent of the company. The church was reopened for worship on 24 July 1863.[3][4]

The funds for the rebuilding in 1862−63 ran out and it was not until 1882 that an organ chamber and vestry were built, according to the original plans of Godwin.[5] The organ was built by Brewer and Co of Truro and the new organ was ″opened″ on 12 March 1885 when a recital was given by Mr G R Sinclair, the organist of Truro Cathedral.[6] The specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[7]

Parish status

The settlements of Grade, Ruan Major and Ruan Minor were united into a single civil parish called Grade-Ruan in 1934. The former parish church of Ruan Major is now in ruins. St Grada & Holy Cross is part of a group of parishes comprising:[8]

  • Interior looking east
  • Sanctuary
  • The organ

References
  1. Historic England. "Church of St Grade  (Grade I) (1141938)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  2. Dunkin, E. (1882). Monumental Brasses. Spottiswoode.
  3. "Re-opening of the Parish Church of Grade". Royal Cornwall Gazette. Falmouth. 3 July 1863. Retrieved 27 September 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. Pevsner, Nicholas (1970). The Buildings of England, Cornwall, 2nd ed. Penguin Books.
  5. "The St Ruan Art Gallery". The Cornishman (193). 23 March 1882. p. 7.
  6. "A New Organ in Grade church ...". The Cornishman (348). 19 March 1885. p. 7.
  7. "Cornwall Grade, St. Grada and the Holy Cross [D00797]". The National Pipe Organ Register (NPOR) V2.19.1. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  8. "Grade: St Grada & Holy Cross, Ruan Minor". The Church of England. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
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