St Swithin's Church, Launcells

A church at Launcells existed by the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, probably dating from the late Saxon or early Norman period. In the early 12th century it was granted to Hartland Abbey in Devon, and the first recorded vicar was Hugo de Moltone in 1261. The church was originally dedicated to St Andrew but was rededicated to St Swithin in 1321. The porch was added in the late 15th or early 16th century, and the west tower dates from the 16th century. The east end was partly altered in the 17th century, marked by a datestone of 1689. Some window tracery was replaced in the 20th century. The church was designated a Grade I listed building in 1985.

The church is built of stone rubble with granite dressings and slate roofs. The porch uses Polyphant stone, a local greenish igneous stone from near Launceston. The largely Perpendicular plan comprises a chancel, nave with north and south aisles of five bays, west tower, and south porch. The aisles contain mainly four-light Perpendicular windows, some with 20th-century tracery based on 16th-century designs. The east window of the chancel is a repaired late-medieval opening altered in the 17th century. The north aisle has a moulded granite string course, hood-moulded windows with label stops, and a blocked north doorway. The west tower is a three-stage, battlemented Perpendicular tower with…