Stones from Glasney on loan to another College

History Leaders, Sowena, Maddy, Thomas, Thora, Zen and Rosie welcomed stones from Glasney College to Penryn College at the end of 2021.

The loan from Cornwall Council is part of a project to raise awareness and engagement with the public open space at the site of the former Colligate Church, one of the most important religious and cultural centres of learning in medieval Cornwall. They now take pride of place in the school entrance along with multiple shields and awards, reflecting the importance of this history to the Penryn community, and will be used as a teaching resource.

The students tried guessing what the stones had been used for: Being fragments of Beer Stone chalk from Devon, a soft stone that was easily carved, they would have featured in the interior of the church. One is a section of door head-jamb, with roll moulding, whilst the other is a fragment of a gothic archway, Glasney having been of the Decorated Gothic style. The stones have been recorded by an archaeologist, prior to the loan, having been re-found during recent works to enhance the site for biodiversity and public interest through the ERDF funded Making Space for Nature project.

“The scheme has been a pleasure to deliver, with such rich heritage to take as inspiration”, said project advisor Charlotte Evans, a former Penryn College student herself, “working under the conditions of the Scheduled Monument Consent approved by Historic England, meant we had to be innovative in our planting scheme”. Design elements to use only minimally intrusive methods include the construction of raised beds at the site of the former tower, both evoking a sense of the former structure and hosting a mix of pollinator friendly herbs inspired by the plants grown in mediaeval monastic gardens.

You can visit the site to see the enhancements, and the relic wall of Glasney Church at:

Glasney Playing Field, College Hill, Penryn TR10 8JS

Find out more about the project at: www.cornwall.gov.uk/spacefornature

The stones now on loan to Penryn College.

History Leaders, Sowena, Thora and Rosie receive the stones.

Green Infrastructure for Growth 2 is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund