A little blue chapel in one of the furthest reaches of Cornwall has been given protected status as one of the last surviving examples of a ‘tin tabernacle’.
Designed as a temporary structure, until something more permanent could be built, the Church of St Mary’s, in the fishing village of Cadgwith, in fact remains in its original state to this day.
It has now been given a Grade II listing by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, on the advice of Historic England, thanks to its important links to the RNLI, during the 200th anniversary of the charity.
Just down the road from the UK’s most southerly village, the church is described as important for its unusual architecture and its connection with a major event in the history of the RNLI.
St Mary’s was built as a mission church and chapel of ease - an Anglican chapel situated for the convenience of parishioners living too far from the parish church - for the local community in 1898.
It is an example of a ‘tin tabernacle’ - a prefabricated corrugated iron building developed in the mid-19th century as a relatively low-cost way to establish a place of worship in fast-growing urban and rural areas.
Many were built during the upsurge in Non-Conformism, which was particularly strong in Cornwall. Few of these buildings survive today, having been designed for temporary use until permanent structures could be built.
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The first vicar of St Mary’s, Reverend Henry Vyvyan, was an active member of the RNLI and was recognised as one of the most distinguished honorary secretaries of the institution, serving the Cadgwith station – already Grade II listed - from 1898 until his death in 1937.
He received an RNLI silver medal for gallantry for his active role onboard the Cadgwith lifeboat Minnie Moon, in the rescue of 227 survivors from the White Star liner Suevic when it ran aground off the Lizard Point on March 17, 1907.
The rescue of a total of 456 passengers and crew from the liner without any loss of life remains the largest in the institution’s history.
To mark the 200th anniversary of the RNLI, Historic England has also launched a new interactive map featuring south west landmarks connected with the lifesaving charity.
They include lifeboat stations, churches and memorials to those who risked their lives to save others.
The two organisations are now asking people to add their own contributions to the Missing Pieces Project, to add to the story of the listed landmarks in the form of photographs, videos, stories and memories on the National Heritage List for England.
You can find the Missing Pieces Project at https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/missing-pieces/
Hayley Whiting, the RNLI’s heritage archive and research manager, said: “Through this project with Historic England we have been able to share rarely seen photos from the RNLI archive of sites around England which have a close connection with the RNLI and its lifesaving heritage.
“The list includes boathouses, collection boxes, monuments, and memorials, many of which are no longer RNLI-owned or managed, but all of which have a fascinating and important connection with the charity’s long lifesaving history.
“It is particularly significant that we have been able to collaborate with Historic England on this project during the RNLI’s 200th anniversary year, and we hope many members of the public will now be inspired to go online to the Missing Pieces Project and add their own contributions, to really help bring to life the stories, history and character of these significant sites.”
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