St Kew parish comprises several hamlets, this church being in St. Kew Churchtown. The main village is a mile away at St. Kew Highway, having grown around the railway in the late 19th century. The church was built in the 15th century, and is believed to have been built on the site of a chapel belonging to a nearby 6th century monastery, which was associated with the cult of Docco. The name St. Kew suggests that here lived another Celtic saint. According to local legend Kew was the sister of Docco, some sources saying that she tamed a wild boar for him, some saying that it was a bear, so that he would receive her at the monastery. The story is typical of the legends surrounding Cornish saints, which created stories of them befriending animals, or exterminating pests, in their endeavour to provide instructive models of morality, fortitude and charity.
The earlier church was established as a parish church, dedicated to Landocco, the prefix Lan describing a raised, sub-rectangular churchyard, and it also indicated that the cemetery was here before the church, and that it would have been of moderate importance. The first vicar in 1283 was Reymond de Landoho, and at sometime prior to the 15th century it became dedicated to St Kew. As Cornwall gradually succumbed to the influence of the Roman church, so in St Kew also papal authority and tradition superseded biblical authority, and a gothic style granite church built. In 1443 Richard Portelond was instituted to the "church de Sancta Kewa".
Walking along the path from the gate towards the church the Polrode Cross can be seen on the right hand side. The top section of this was found at Polrode Mill, in the Allen Valley, and the lower section at Higher Polrode Farm. It was erected in the churchyard in 1926.
On the North side of the church is the Chapel Amble Cross, discovered in Chapel Amble in 1912 and placed in the churchyard, on a family grave.
The church, built in perpendicular style, was financed by the tithes and taxes of local landowners.
Entering the church through the south door (possibly the original) we see that the nave is high and that certain capitals are carved of Pentewan stone. There is a wagon roof, with original beams and carved angels at the foot of each principal beam, above the saints in the heavenly hierarchy.
The carved Victorian Rood screen, incorporating a small part of earlier work, replaces the original screen which presumably was destroyed in the reformation. This would have been covered with pictures of saints, the apostles being predominant, all standing under the Cross, or Rood, at the entrance to the chancel, in their role as intercessors for their clients. The newel staircase beside the screen leads to where there was once a loft, from which a veil would have been suspended throughout Lent. In this late medieval period the priests kept the people in ignorance of the Bible, enforcing the dogma from Rome, which emphasised personal salvation rather than the worship of God
The pulpit is possibly Elizabethan, but could be Jacobean; the carved figure could be that of King Charles II hiding from the Roundheads in the oak tree.
Pews are thought to have appeared in churches from the 15th century. People were seated in churches according to their importance in the community. These pews were restored in late Victorian times, but there are some original pew ends, bearing local coats of arms. Around the walls and on the floor are memorials, the surnames echoing those of the headstones in the churchyard
The Font is almost certainly late medieval, being octagonal in shape, a symbol of re-birth. On each of the panels each set of four overlapping circles form a quatrefoil, these being symbolic of the four evangelists. Circles, figures without beginnings or endings, are often used to represent God.
An outstanding feature of this church is the stained glass windows, the most notable being that of the North East Chapel, which depicts Christ's passion. This window, restored in 2005, dates from the late 15th century, somehow escaping destruction by the King's commissioners during the Reformation. The window depicts scenes of the Christ's Passion, as enacted in the Cornish Ordinalia. Detailed information on this window will be found in the Chapel.
In the South West corner, to the right of the flag, is the Ogham stone. Ogham (pronounced Oh-am) is an ancient Irish script of twenty five characters originally used as territory boundary markers, and later used as markers for burial sites, with the name of the person, the name of the father and the name of the grave engraved upon it. The stone also bears the same inscription in Latin. Latin becoming the written language after Christianity had reached Cornwall, and these stones are indicative of the presence of Irish settlers. This stone may well have been used to mark a monk's grave in the 6th or 7th century.
The three tiered church tower was restored in 1923. During the restoration a skull was found and was placed in a glass case on the tower wall. It has since deteriorated. Another of the treasures of the church tower is the 'Ringer's Rhyme", mounted on a wall in the tower, and dates 1793. In 1552 there were four bells, which were recast in 1760 to make six, and recast again in 1813.
In order to work out the final co-ordinates you will have figures from four sites within the churchyard. You can take the final co-ordinates as N50 AB.CDE W004 FG.HIJ where:
A=the sixth digit on the plaque at stage four
B=the same as A, but you knew that anyway
C=the sum of the eighth digit at stage three and the eighth digit at stage four
D=this is easy, the second digit at stage four
E=the sum of digits eight to fifteen (inclusive) at stage four minus the third digit on the plaque at stage five
F=the third digit, on the plaque, at stage two minus the sum of the ninth and fourteenth digits at stage four
G=the sum of the seventh digit at stage four and the first digit on the backrest at stage two
H=at stage five, the sum of the digits of the month and the first and last digits of the year
I=the first digit at stage three multiplied by the fifth digit on the plaque at stage two
J=the sum of the sixth and seventh digit at stage three plus the first digit visible at stage five
checksum is 43
You have the co-ordinates, now enjoy the short walk to GZ.