Friends

Would you like to support us? The simplest way is to become a Friend of the Cornish Historic Churches Trust. Friends membership is available to individuals or Churches.

Individual and joint Friend membership - an annual report is sent along with invitations to all of our special events.

Church Friend membership – a Church Friend applying for a grant has the benefit of a maximum possible offer increased from £5,000 to £10,000 as well as being directed to other grant funding bodies which have helped with similar projects.  We very much hope that every church in the Duchy will become a Friend.

Friends Events

As part of your membership, you are invited to four unique Friends events each year. These events provide enjoyable opportunities to meet other members and to raise funds for the CHCT.

Summer Events: In 2024 we shall visit Menabilly Garden in June which is not usually open to the public with afternoon tea.

The Annual Friends of Cornish Churches Visit is when Friends can enjoy a visit to a selection of religious buildings, mainly Churches, but Chapels and meeting houses have previously been included. There is an informative talk at each and the afternoon concludes with tea.

The Annual Meeting for Friends of Cornish Churches takes place at an especially interesting church within the county and again is followed by a lecture and tea. In 2017, we started a timeline of charting the architectural development of Cornish Churches; each year we will cover a key architectural period, starting in 2017 with the Romanesque period. More information can be found in the Annual Meeting section below.

The Champagne Christmas Party which is usually held just before Christmas, alternately at Scorrier House, near Redruth, and Boconnoc, near Lostwithiel.

Current Events Diary

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust

2024 Events
Christmas Party Monday 16th December
Boconnoc, Lostwithiel 6.30 – 8.30pm
Champagne and canapés
Tickets £25 from https://buytickets.at/cornwallhistoricchurchestrust/1415962
sponsored by Jonathan Cunliffe and Taylor Money

If you would like to make a donation to the trust you can do so online via give.net/chct

You can also make donations, pay for events, or send us your fundraising, via bank transfer using the details below.

Account Name: CHCT    Account number: 30287113   Sort Code: 20-87-94

If you would like to make a donation to the trust and you are a UK tax payer, the government will increase your donation by 20% by adding Gift Aid. If you would like to do this you can download Gift Aid form here.

Next Event

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust

In the meantime why not take a virtual trip around some of Cornwall’s historic churches here or if you fancy a day out why not try one of our Drive About Trails.

News from recent Friends events

2023 Christmas Drinks Party

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust

Our Christmas Drinks Party on 18th December back at Scorrier after a Covid enforced three year gap was a sell-out success. Libby Reed and her team of volunteers once again produced a mouthwatering selection of canapés ably served by a team of five, dare I say, assorted children and the champagne flowed freely.

We are especially grateful for the support of our sponsors Bonhams and Jonathan Cunliffe who for a second year have ensured the party is also a financial success for the Trust raising over £7,000.


l-r: Verity Vickers, Jonathan Vickers representing Bonhams, Jonathan Cunliffe and Claire Cunliffe

The Christmas Hamper was won by Liz Harris pictured with Cecilia Bisson, Chairman.

Summer Party 2021 Raffle Winner

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust

Our thanks to all those who organised or attended parties on behalf of the CHCT through the summer raising £600. Congratulations to Mrs T Kittow who won the draw for lunch for two at The Quarter Deck, Nare Hotel kindly sponsored by Mr and Mrs Toby Ashworth

Annual Christmas Party 2019

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust

Savills team (l-r) George Hill, Chris Clifford, Rosey Murphy and Michael Pennington.

When our Chairman, Caroline Tetley, initiated the CHCT Christmas Drinks Party I am sure she never conceived how popular it would become.

The generosity of Elizabeth Fortescue at Boconnoc and Caroline and Richard Williams at Scorrier in offering stunning venues on alternate years has meant that the Party reaches most of the Cornwall and its lengthy geography.  This year we were able to attract guests spanning nine separate decades.  The youngest, Master Barnaby Hodgson, declared after handing around canapes that it was ‘not too bad after all’ and he would be keen to return in 2020.  Praise indeed.

We are so grateful to Savills who have been the most generous Sponsors of this event and the team on the night is massively helpful to the CHCT committee.  This year over £6,000 was raised.

Susie Gore galvanised her team once again to produce the most mouth-watering canapés and plenty of them!  The kitchen is always great fun on the night and Susie has us brilliantly organised.

Jill Jobson

Our hosts: Caroline and Richard Williams.

Vanessa Leslie with Father Christmas

Friends of CHCT Annual Lunch

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust

The annual lunch this year was held on the longest day – 21 June – in glorious sunshine at Caerhays Castle, the home of Charles and Lizzy Williams. The castle was designed by John Nash and built in the early years of the 19th century for John Bettesworth Trevanion, but the enterprise bankrupted the family whose home Caerhays had been since the early 15th century. John Trevanion fled to the continent and the castle remained empty for some years, its papier-mâché roof letting in the rain and ruining the contents.

The estate was purchased in the 1850s by the Williams family who rebuilt much of the castle and restored the parish church; successive generations have created the glorious gardens which surround the castle.

Over 80 friends enjoyed a wonderful lunch prepared by committee members, and afterwards were taken on a guided tour of the gardens. St Michael Caerhays church had organised a flower festival a few days previously and a visit to this lovely and ancient building to see the beautiful floral arrangements provided a fitting end to a wonderful day.

We offer our grateful thanks to Mr and Mrs Williams and their extremely helpful staff for all they did to make the event run so smoothly, and to the Nare Hotel for its continuing sponsorship. Your committee is already planning next year’s lunch!

Christine Edwards

Our hosts, Mr and Mrs Charles Williams, drawing the raffle with our Trustee Caroline Tetley

Annual General Meeting 2019

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust

We met for our annual meeting at St Michael Penkivel to hear the most enlightening talk by John Allan, who is the Exeter Cathedral archaeologist. John had us riveted for over an hour as he explained how during the Decorated period c.1250-1350 work down in this part of Cornwall was as elaborate in design as some of the work being done at Exeter and Wells, the leading Gothic-style in Europe at the time. Although not on the same scale the use of ‘S’ shaped tracery and elaborate curvilinear designs can be found in quite a few of our parish churches here in Cornwall like St Michael Penkivel and also a group in South East Cornwall centred on St Germans, St Ive and Sheviock.

Notes from the talk by John Allan

Nick Jeanes also made a short presentation about St Michael Penkivel church and pointed out the face of William Morris planted on the little figure of the devil in the bottom left corner of the East window – a jest by the artist who did not credit William Morris with the respect he was getting at the time.

It was a great pleasure to have our Honouree Life President Lord Falmouth with us. In his centenary year Lord Falmouth remains as interested and supportive of the work of the Trust as ever having himself been one of the founder members.

A cream tea rounded off the afternoon in the old school house and was enjoyed by all.