St Nicholas
Looe, Cornwall
St Nicholas is cosy and inviting, and known as the Fisherman's Church, being right next to the river at Looe.
It is in a romantic setting, on a steep westward facing slope, beside the south west coast footpath, between Looe and Polperro. Talland church is a place of peace and tranquility. The approach to the church through the churchyard is lined with headstones, set side by side, which give a sense of watchful history.
Talland church, as we see it today was not built to serve a large community but to maintain a holy site where the Christian faith had been established some 1500 years ago.
The dedication to St Tallan is obscure and virtually nothing is known about this saint, although many Cornish churches are dedicated to missionaries from Ireland and Wales. ‘Tal Lan’ is Cornish for ‘on the brow of the hill, the Holy place’.
The three lancet windows in the west wall date the present church to the 13th century and much of the old woodwork and carved pews remained unspoilt by religious changes.
The first surprise which Talland has to offer is the tower as it is set apart from the church to the south and joined to it by a cobbled porch with a waggon roof. In the tower is a small slated window with interesting perforations which will appeal to card players!
One of the glories of Talland is its bench ends: there are no less than 49 from the early 16th century. The central one on the north side of the south aisle is outstanding: male and female busts with stylised headdresses facing each other, and the seahorses are particularly fine.