A Monumental Improvement to save Medieval St Constantine’s Chapel

It’s all systems go at St Constantine’s Chapel as our Monumental Improvement project (MI) is preparing to carry out conservation works during May and June this year. St Constantine’s Chapel is a scheduled monument which includes the ruined remains of a Medieval Chapel and holy well situated on Trevose Golf and Country Club at Constantine Bay within Section 04 of Cornwall National Landscape.

The Monumental Improvement Project, primarily funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, aims to secure a better future for 40 Scheduled Ancient Monuments within Cornwall National Landscape. The Chapel has been included on Historic England’s Heritage At-Risk Register with the primary risk being due to vegetation overgrowth threating the monuments stability and structural integrity. A Structural Condition Report, commissioned by the MI Project, identified removal of vegetation and consolidation of loose masonry was needed, in order to save the Chapel.

Works will begin with vegetation clearance in early April, combined with an ecological site inspection to minimise any impact on wildlife species. Once the site has been cleared of vegetation, the project will be hosting a stone collecting event on Tuesday the 29^th of April from 10am – 3pm, during which volunteers will be salvaging fallen stone and masonry from across the site which has eroded from the tower and walls and store it for reuse in the repairs. The stones recovered will be from the ground only, and not altering or disassembling the walls or tower. With the site freshly cleared of vegetation it will be one of the best chances to see the chapel in its current condition and see what features we can identify.

Following completion of the stone collecting event, consolidation works to the chapel tower and walls will begin in May, carried out by Cornwall-based building conservation specialists, under the careful oversight of archaeologists. It is expected that the works will involve up to 6-weeks of sensitive repairs to stabilise the structure. A small-scale archaeological excavation will also be carried out, necessary to remove a build-up of material currently putting pressure onto one of the walls.

A brand-new interpretation board, featuring a look-through panel showing a reconstruction illustration of how the chapel might have looked in its heyday, will be installed near to the remains of the chapel tower, allowing visitors to re-imagine the past.  

There will be plenty of opportunities to get involved in the restoration of this fascinating monument, including a chance for volunteers to gain hands-on experience of conservation building techniques. Follow our socials and make sure you sign up to our Project Newsletter via our website https://cornwall-landscape.org/project/a-monumental-improvement/ to ensure you don’t miss out!

The Monumental Improvement Project is funded with generous support from: National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England, Cornwall Council, Cornwall National Landscape, Cornwall Heritage Trust and The National Trust.

This article was written by the Monumental Improvement project team and published in The Cornishman, Cornish Guardian and West Britton.