St. Ervan

St Ervan is a small rural civil parish and hamlet in the Hundred of Pydar, located about three miles southwest of Padstow. The parish comprises the hamlets of Churchtown, Rumford, and Penrose, surrounded by a landscape of farmland and wooded valleys. The area has a quiet, traditional character, with many farms and local businesses still run by families that go back generations. The church, dedicated to St Hermes, is tucked away at the end of a lane that leads only to a 13th-century mill, and it is surrounded by a Victorian rectory and a schoolhouse built in 1853.

History: St Ervan is named after St Erbyn, said to have been the father of St Selevan, though the present dedication is to St Hermes. The 13th-century cruciform church escaped enlargement in the 15th century but was not so fortunate in the 19th, undergoing restoration. The church has a very unusual tower, which was originally 50 feet high and built in the 14th/15th centuries. The upper part was brought down by explosives in the 1880s, and it was not properly capped until 1956, now standing 24 feet high. The church was supported by the Arundell family, who lived at the manor of Trembleath as early as 1240. The parish was historically agricultural, with the economy based on farming and milling. When the mill at Millingworth was in use, St Ervan had an annual fair on 10th October, which ceased around 1850. The parish has a Holy Well down the valley below the church, and water from the well is still used for christenings. The church bell is featured in Sir John Betjeman's poem "Summoned by Bells," and the bell and poem are still displayed in the church. Today, St Ervan remains a small farming parish with a closely-knit community.