St Crewenna lies in the little granite village of Crowan in the rural hinterland between Camborne and Helston. It is close to the manor of Clowance, once home to the St Aubyn family many of whom are commemorated in the church.

Pevsner led us to expect the worst. Three over-enthusiastic restorations in the C19, two of them by the family’s architect Piers St Aubyn, certainly destroyed many of the medieval features of the church but what remains is not unpleasant.

It would have helped if Piers St Aubyn had matched the arcading of the south aisle, in both rhythm and style, to that of the north. As it is, he sets up an inelegant contrast between the two. The capitals of the north aisle have charming angels holding escutcheons while those of the south are dull and the rhythm depressingly uniform. Thankfully, he did not re-insert a rood screen.

The most fun is the St Aubyn chapel in the north aisle where monuments, and some interesting brasses, commemorate the family heroes of the past.

Incongruously, a group of chairs had been arranged in a circle in the chapel. How much better if these had been at the west end where there would have been more space with less effect on the surrounding monuments.

Close by is medieval granite font which is not exceptional but does have some delightful simple lions guarding its feet, not dissimilar in style to two carved heads to be found high up on the west exterior of the aisle.

The church is well set-up for tourists and casual visitors with some very and well-worded sheets highlighting various features and giving insights into St Aubyn family history. There is also a bound history and a useful list of burials.

Outside, the junction between the south transept and main aisle of the church must be a recipe for disaster (and leaks), with the transept set rather far east. There is also a strange and very untypical chimney on prominent view. We also wished that Piers had harmonised the exterior granite finishes.

There is the remains of a Cornish cross almost buried in the grass near the south porch and, in a rather under-cared for jungle, the vault of the St Aubyn family can be uncovered.