St Piran's Oratory

Aim

To maintain St Piran's Oratory, a focal point for Cornish identity and the oldest Christian building in mainland UK.

Join us in helping to preserve and maintain St Piran's Oratory, a focal point for Cornish identity and the oldest Christian building in mainland UK.

Why are we crowdfunding? 

In the sand dunes near Perranporth, St Piran's Oratory is a focal point for Cornish identity and one of the oldest Christian buildings in mainland UK. We are crowdfunding in order to preserve this building and it's rich history. We have been fighting to save the oratory and have successfully secured some funding from bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and SITA Cornwall Trust - we're now just £10,000 short of the funding we need. 

We need all of Cornwall to get behind us, so please join us and help to preserve St Piran's Oratory.

The history of St Piran's Oratory

The Oratory is the oldest Christian building on mainland Britain, founded over 1,300 years ago. In 1980, the Oratory was buried in sand for its own protection. However, expert opinion now holds that the building is now at risk. In 2010, the St Piran Trust received grant funding to conduct a detailed study looking at the best way to uncover and conserve the remains of the building for future generations.

Preserving for the future 

In 2014 St Piran's Oratory was uncovered. After the Oratory was fully exposed, archaeologists identified an urgent need to stabilise the fabric of the building, requiring specialist conservation. The site regularly floods and we need to investigate ways to help alleviate this to allow continued access to the chapel for all to enjoy.All of this needs to be done very carefully. We will need to negotiate with specialists to help deal with the sensitivities of the site in which the building lays - a Scheduled Ancient Monument in a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

We are crowdfunding to pay for this essential work to ensure the site is preserved and can be enjoyed by future generations.

Take a look at this fantastic animated story about the life of Saint Piran by Emily King, Millie Owen and Katie Ellery for Perranzabuloe Museum, Cornwall.

The St Piran Trust 

The St Piran Trust was established in 2000 with the aim of uncovering St Piran's Oratory and is committed to its preservation. We work in partnership with many bodies and are an inclusive organisation without affiliation to interest groups or political parties, being concerned only to achieve our objectives for the benefit of all Cornish people, whether at home or outside Cornwall and people who wish Cornwall and the Cornish well.

The St Piran's Trust is a registered charity 1103471. 

We need your help in order to reach our target, so please share this page across your own networks. 

Pledge your support and join us take part in shaping the future of this iconic Cornish place. 

Thank you. Meur ras bras dhis. 

This project closed unsuccessfully on 1st April 2015