We’re excited to announce that we’re now protecting the foundations of a chapel near Looe thought to date back to the 13th century for future generations.
Cornwall Heritage Trust has taken ownership of Lammana Chapel – an important historic site on the mainland near West Looe containing the stone foundations of a chapel, which was part of a medieval priory based on Looe Island.
The independent charity protects historic sites across Cornwall, which are all free for the general public to enter.
CEO, Cathy Woolcock, said: “Lammana Chapel has a fascinating history and is incredibly close to the hearts of the people of Looe – it’s a lovely addition to our portfolio of historic sites and we’re so proud to now be looking after a much-loved local historic asset. There’s quite a bit of work to be done at the site and we’re excited that this essential maintenance can now get underway.”
First recorded in a surviving document in 1144, the name Lammana contains the Cornish place-name elements ‘lann’ and ‘manach’, meaning ‘the early Christian enclosure or monastery of the monk’.
Historically, the name was first applied to an earlier chapel on Looe Island that was part of the large estate belonging to the medieval abbey at Glastonbury, Somerset. The island chapel was dedicated to St Michael and became a centre of pilgrimage during the medieval period. Looe Island is now a marine nature reserve managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.
It is thought that the chapel on the mainland may have been built as a result of the number of pilgrims attempting to reach the island chapel on St Michael’s Day (29th September) sometimes in hazardous conditions.
The chapel as it may have looked in the 13th century (Image credit – Artist unknown)
The two chapels are precisely the same height above sea level and archaeologists believe that each would have been visible from the other. It is thought that the buildings may also have acted as landmarks for shipping and it has been suggested that the two chapels may have contained lights maintained to help guide sailors away from dangerous rocks and safely into the harbour at Looe, though this is not certain.
Archaeologist C.K. Croft Andrew excavated the site in the 1930s and in 2008 Channel 4’s Time Team carried out excavations on Looe Island and the mainland chapel.
Cornwall Heritage Trust now protects 14 historic places across Cornwall, which include the East Cornwall sites of Trethevy Quoit, The Hurler Stone Circles, King Doniert’s Stone and Dupath Well.
Find out more about Lammana Chapel here https://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/our_sites/lammana-chapel/
