This is a revival of the church at St Veep, which I originally hid in 2015.
A lot has happened to the bells in the church since then.
St Veep: (Cornish: Sen Vip)
The parish is named after St Veep (Vepus), of whom little is known, not even whether they were male or female. There's some information about this within the church.
The nearby parishes are St Winnow, Boconnoc, Lanreath, Lansallos and Lanteglos.
The church sits in the Hundred of West.
The Church is also part of the Celtic Quiet Places, which has 103 Churches around Cornwall in the scheme, currently. Pilgrim passports can be found within these Churches and small stickers act as stamps.
The Church:
The church is dedicated to St Julietta and St Cyricus but was originally dedicated to St Veep. After it was rebuilt in 1336, it was dedicated to St Julietta and St Cyricus. (Mother and son)
It is a grade I listed building. The tower is 57ft high (55ft in some information online) and there are some unique features about this church. It houses the only known set of virgin bells in England, cast in 1770. The church has 8 solid granite pillars, a granite font and an altar supported by granite legs. The pulpit is also decorated with remnants of a rood screen.
In 1549, following the Prayer Book Rebellion, some well-known Cornish figures were murdered or hanged in Cornwall. One of these people was Richard Bennet, vicar of St Veep. He was killed under orders from Provost Marshal Anthony Kingston.
Buried within the graveyard, there is a Victoria Cross recipient. Captain Robert Edwin Phillips VC (11 April 1895 - 23 September 1968) of the 13th Battalion, The Warwickshire Regiment. Awarded the Victoria Cross for an action at the River Hai, Kut-el-Amara, Mesopotamia on 25 January 1917.
St Cadix Priory is located nearby in Penpol Creek.
There is one Commonwealth War Grave in the Graveyard, belong to Gunner, H Stephens.
Virgin Bells Story:
Originally only 4 bells, one of which was cracked and the others out of tune. Apparently the vicar at the time, Rev William Penwarne, and the church wardens decided to have the peal recast, adding 2 bells and 2.25 hundredweight of metal. By all accounts, when the tenor bell was being cast, the parishioners collected as much old silver as they could, and threw it into the furnace to enrich the tone of the bell. Tradition has it that the bells were recast in a field opposite the church.
Taken from their moulds, the bells were hung on a girder. By all accounts, Pennington, the bell founder, tapped each bell in turn and leapt for joy! He told those present that it was a virgin or maiden peal. Each bell being in perfect pitch, he was more than satisfied with his work and that the bells can never be excelled. The bells have never been tuned since. It is believed that it is the only virgin peal in the entire country and consequently, St Veep is a mecca for Campanologists.
In 2017, the bells were removed, and sent off for refurbishment. One had to go off to repair a 6 inch hairline fracture, before being refurbished. They were then returned back to the church, which had had some repair work done to the tower and the bell area too before the bells were replaced. There are notice boards and pictures of the bells journey, which is interesting.
The cache:
To find the cache, you'll have to find solve the following:
N: 50 GH.(D+F)(H-A)(G) W: 004 FD.(E+G)(F)(B+C-F)
Porch:
On the floor there is a slate with a date and initials. The date - ABBC
How many leaves in total on a whole vine on one side of the porch? D
War Memorial:
How many men from the parish died in World War 1? E
How many men from the parish died in World War 2? F
Back of the church:
How many windows on the back of the church? G
How many crosses are there on the roof? H
Once you have worked out the information, the entrance to the footpath is in the corner. Turn right from the path at the back of the church, and you will see a waymarking post with the arrow pointing your way.
Congratulations to Auntymajulie and pencoise on their joint FTF!