We paid a visit to Boconnoc after spending the day at The Eden Project, as it was in the same general part of Cornwall. Ærchie, an email pal in Australia, had forebears at Boconnoc, and the visit was to look up the place for him.
As Stephen and I both took pictures at Boconnoc and I've amalgamated them all onto one page, I have indicated who the photographer was under each picture. (This does not imply that pictures on other pages on this site are not copyright, it merely shows who owns the copyright on individual pictures on this page.)
It should also be noted that it was probably 7:30pm when we arrived at Boconnoc, and although it was close to being the longest day of the year, it was very near to sunset on a less than bright day and the light was very flat.
In the event, Boconnoc turned out to be a private estate. We followed the signposts as far as we could, but appeared to be approaching private property, so we stopped and asked directions from a man who was once an estate worker and still lived in a house on the estate. He told us to continue along the somewhat rough track we were following and we would reach the church, so with his blessing, we continued and did indeed arrive at the church.
©Helen Stephenson
There is a cross roads of sorts just prior to where the main estate buildings of Boconnoc are located. It is seen here looking back from near the cross, and open parklands can be seen beyond.
©Helen Stephenson
Also looking back from near the cross is this further open vista, currently under crop.
Looking towards the centre of the estate, the road bends to the right.
©Helen Stephenson
The steps that can be seen lead to the cross, which is a war memorial. The view from behind the cross is the open field under crop shown above.
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If you follow the bend of the road, you will end up in what was probably once the stable block, which is just the other side of the church. There are inhabited dwellings in this part of the estate. In fact, one of the residents came to see what we were doing, and told us that it was somwhat irregular to visit without making an appointment first!
©Stephen Andrews
©Helen Stephenson
If, instead of following the bend, you go through the gate at the apex of the bend, you go up the drive to the "big house", which is currently unoccupied and undergoing restoration. The church is located between the main house and the other buildings, and part of it can be seen on the right side of the picture on the left.
©Stephen Andrews
©Stephen Andrews
To the right is the view of the big house from the rear of the churchyard. The picture on the left is something growing in one of the walls which Stephen thought looked interesting.
©Stephen Andrews
©Stephen Andrews
The church, whose east end faces towards the road, is approached via a gravel pathway which passes by many of the gravestones. The gravestones are not limited to this part of the churchyard however, and more can be found to the sides and to the west end of the building.
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
©Stephen Andrews
©Stephen Andrews
©Helen Stephenson
The gravel pathway goes down the left side of the church. It passes by the south door, which is the main entrance to the church.
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
The path then continues past a small tower in the south west corner of the church.
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
The three gable design evident from the east end of the church is also apparent from the west end.
©Stephen Andrews
©Helen Stephenson
This distinctive yellow lichen covered gravestone is for John Olver, and also, I think, for his wife Philippa.
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
Still with the Olver family, we have the marker for William.
©Stephen Andrews
©Stephen Andrews
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
There is a separate stone for Dinah, the wife of William Olver.
©Helen Stephenson
This marker, consisting of a large stone behind a much smaller one, is located at the side of the church, not far from the south west tower. I believe, after studying my orignal scan, that this is a Haley marker.
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
©Stephen Andrews
©Stephen Andrews
Some people connected with the church arrived while we were in the churchyard, and they allowed us ten minutes inside the building while they were collecting some papers that they needed for parish business.
Stephen has an inbuilt flash in his Canon camera, and he took these two pictures of the interior, which are very good indeed.
©Stephen Andrews
©Stephen Andrews
I did not have a flash unit handy, and opted to record some of the stained glass in the few minutes I had available. It is possible that I need to rescan these pictures, as I think that in trying to render the interior visible that I've overexposed the glass, but this may be on my scans rather than my negatives, hence the possibility of rescanning.
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
When we left Boconnoc, we took the estate road that went past the Obelisk, which was erected to the memory of Sir Richard Lyttleton.
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
©Helen Stephenson
There are other houses elsewhere on the estate which we did not photograph, and a web search even turned up the information that at least one of them is available for holiday lets.
