churches

The original churchyard surrounded Christchurch but was only used between 1845 and 1854 and just a few headstones have been found there. Burials were mainly carried out in Gwennap until this second churchyard was established on the 8th August 1911 by Act of Parliament and it cannot be formally closed without Parliaments consent.

There are few elaborate headstones in the graveyard and many plots are unmarked, reflecting the relative lack of wealth in the area.

Unfortunately there are no burial records for either of the first two churchyards. There are at least 670 graves in the second churchyard and where identifiable a list of these graves and the inscriptions on the stones have been posted here. 

By the mid-1970s the churchyard, which is owned by the Parochial Church Council, was full and no more burials were allowed until 2001 when Lanner parish Council purchased additional land and created the Lawn Cemetery. In 2005, the Parish Council created a Garden of Reflection which provides a peaceful environment, with views across the valley to Cam Marth for visitors to the churchyard or cemetery.

During excavation for the Garden of Reflection several items of interest were revealed dating between late Medieval and Tudor times. These artefacts are with the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro.

The Lych Gate was constructed by builder John Tiddy in 1921 as a memorial to those who fell in World War One. A plaque to remember the fallen of WWII was later added.

Christchurch, Lanner

Christchurch Lanner was consecrated in 1845 and comprised the Chapel of Ease built in 1840 and adjoining school room built in the 1830s. The Ascension window above the alter was installed in 1883 and presents a welcoming aspect in the evening when the church lights are on. Two ancient granite crosses stand in its grounds believed to have belonged to a Roman Catholic chapel destroyed in the Reformation. The first is the damaged head of a round headed cross with Christ crucified in high relief on both sides and fixed to a new roughly hewn pillar. The second is also a round headed cross but with a Latin cross on each side.

Lanner War Memorial

The war memorials in Lanner are on the walls of the lych gate to the churchyard. There is one for the First World War, 1914 - 1918, and one for the Second World War, 1939 - 1945. There is also a memorial outside the Methodist Church Hall a little further down the road from the churchyard.