The Church
The church of St Bartholomew is a plain building of stone, with granite facings, in the Norman style, erected in 1842, and opened August 3rd in that year. It consists of chancel, nave, vestry and a turret containing one bell. There are several stained glass windows and in 1891 the church was thoroughly restored at a cost of over £2,000, from plans prepared by Mr. G. Fellowes Prynne F.R.I.B.A. and a beautiful baptestry added by Capt. J.P. Rogers R.A. in memory to his father, John Jope Rogers Esq. There sittings for 300 persons and the register dates from the year 1842. The earliest reference to St Elvan is found in the registers of the Bishops of Exeter in 1257 - 1280 when a chapel dedicated to St Elvan in the parish of Sithney, is found. In 1270, the Bishop "assigned to the vicar of Sithney and his successors the hay-tithe of Ventonvedna and St Elvan, the tithe of beans and peas growing in the gardens and place where the priest used to dwell." The chapel of St Elvan remained for many years but was finally destroyed, perhaps at the Reformation. The Christian inhabitants of Porthleven then had to make the three-mile trek to Sithney for their worship, and this continued until 1842. The Anglicans built the new church in the parish which opened in 1842 to counter the inroads made by the Methodists, and it was served for the time being by Assistant Curates attached to Sithney Church. In the early days after 1842, the Church of St Bartholomew served as a 'Chapel-of-ease' to the Mother Church at Sithney. However an Order in Council, dated 7th October 1844 allowed Marriages, Baptisms, Churchings and Burials to be solemnised at the Chapel of St Bartholmew, and the independent parish was born.
Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who led the attack on on the Ruhr dams in May 1943, had close links to the town of Porthleven. His mother and grandparents were from Porthleven and he always returned to the port until his death in action in 1944.The Dambusters raid was said to be a great morale boost during the war and was immortalised in the classic 1955 film. 2004 marked the 60th anniversary of the Dambusters pilot's death, and a memorial took place, lead by Reverend Colin Short. The second waypoint takes you to his memorial stone.
The Cache
The cache can be found at:
N50 (A+B-F)(A+D).B A (E+B)
W005 D (A+E).(D+E-F)(F-E)(C-F)
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