History
A map of 1700 records the area as Torpoint Field but it was known locally also as Tarr Point, due to the work undertaken on the surrounding foreshores where the wooden ships' hulls were ‘tarred’. The building of Plymouth Dock (now Devonport Dockyard) on the east bank of the river Tamar, created a need for increased housing as men and their families settled close to the new dock. Torpoint greatly benefited from the marshland which surrounded Plymouth Dock, as Stonehouse and St Levan were both tidal creeks. In 1780 Torpoint had been a small hamlet of four or five houses, within the parish of Antony, but by 1820 there were more than two hundred houses on the Cornish side of the River.
Originally within the parish of Antony, Torpoint residents had to walk there every Sunday to receive holy communion. At the time there was no public transport, or even made-up roads to make the journey from Torpoint to Antony, and so on a wet and cold winter’s day you can imagine the state of Torpointer’s when they arrived for the communion. There was an obvious need for a church within Torpoint however, this vision required a great deal of faith as at that time all parishes were being asked to donate money to build the new Cathedral in Truro. Torpoint was a planned town, built on land owned by the Pole-Carew’s of Antony house; however, their historic allegiance was to the much older parish church of Antony, and thus Torpoint had no rich benefactor either.
Against the odds permission was granted for a chapel-of-ease, to the Church of Antony, and the Right Honourable Reginald Pole-Carew laid the foundation stone of the Church of St. James the Great in 1816, and construction was finished in 1817. The original building was rectangular as the Chancel, Lady Chapel and Vestry were added later. The upper gallery extended out on both sides of the building, being integral to the building's design as they helped to hold up the north and south walls. There was no organ within the church and so the congregation was originally accompanied by a cello.
The new ‘chapel of ease’ was licenced to hold all church services, except weddings and funerals, which still only took place in the parish church at Antony. An official record of the time stated: the church “had been badly built in a time of great financial stringency”. Blunt as this description was, it was still perhaps kinder than a local newspaper who described Torpoint’s new church as being “big as a cathedral, and as ugly as a barn”.
The Next Chapter
On St James’ Day 1872, Torpoint became a parish in its own right, with the Revd Edgar Huxtable instituted as the first Vicar of Torpoint parish. In 1885, under the direction of Revd James H Du Boulay, the present Chancel, Lady Chapel, and Vestry were built and the Gallery was reduced to its present size. The latter explains why there are a number of inaccessible family plaques where they would originally have been accessed by the gallery.
In 1902, the cello was exchanged for a new organ (sited in what is now the Lady Chapel) and was designed by Claude Fowles the resident organist at St Mary’s church Torquay. It was manufactured by John Hele & Co at a cost of £365, and dedicated on 16th July 1902. The organ was re-sited to its present location in the Gallery, and first played in this position on 11th November 1935.
By the 1930’s under the ministries of Revd Bernard S Lowe, the poor original construction of the building meant that a major reconstruction was needed. The original design of the gallery meant that it had been supporting the north and south walls, and its reduction in size had caused the walls to become unstable. Sir John Carew Pole offered the Cambridge Field, some two hundred metres to the west of the present Church (and now a play park) as a new site. The decision came down to cost, with repairs to the current building estimated at £11,895 and a new construction quoted at £13,681. Insufficient funds for a new building decided that repair was the only option.
An extension to the southside of the building, contained a modern boiler house and flower room on the ground floor with a Choir Vestry built above, giving a new access point to the gallery and organ. The lower windows in the north and south walls of the Nave were bricked in, and the original external wooden buttresses were replaced with stone upgraded versions on the north, west and south walls. The original design intended to extend the nave on the southside of the building, to mirror the design of the north side’s Lady Chapel, and to include a new turret. Unfortunately, insufficient funds again meant that the project had to be scaled back and these design features were lost.
One of the most interesting features of the 1930’s repairs is the mystery of the white stone, inlaid into the floor of the nave. The original Nave floor had been built on timbers laid directly on soil, which had rotted to the extent that it all had to be replaced, and at that point the Revd Lowe had a tomb inserted in the main aisle for his ashes, which were capped by a white stone.
Community and outreach
The 1970’s saw an explosion in the need for community spaces where people, groups and organisations could meet. Youth groups such as the Scouting movement, or organisations like the Women's institute required cheap and regular accommodation to meet, and so in 1974 the Revd John Prothero, oversaw the construction of the church hall, kitchen and toilets. The spirit of community helped to pay for the works by the selling of goods from a caravan in the churches car park, and a regular ‘bring and buy’ sale still continues every Friday morning.
In 1981 Revd Kenneth Noakes oversaw the restoration of the interior walls, as the lime plaster had begun to fall off of the Nave walls. The opportunity was taken to rewire the electrics, and then replaster the walls with the original with lime mortar as would have been used during the original construction. It was at this time that the wooden columns and sills were fitted to the Nave windows, and the whole interior was re-painted. In 1983 it was decided to extend the altar steps and floor towards the west and move the altar so that the priest could be seen by their congregation