Sea rescue-linked church given listed status

The Church of St Mary in Cadgwith has been listed as Grade II

A church in Cornwall linked to the rescue of more than 400 people from a ship in the 1900s has been listed by Historic England.

The Church of St Mary in Cadgwith has been given Grade II-listed status due to its connections with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), which is marking its 200th anniversary this year.

The National Heritage List for England is the register of all protected historic buildings and sites in England.

Duncan Wilson, Historic England chief executive, said some of the listed buildings in the south west "tell the stories of the men, women and communities who have made our seas safer".

The listed status has been given to the church because the first vicar of St Mary’s Church was Rev Henry Vyvyan, an active member of the charity, who was awarded a RNLI Silver Medal for gallantry.

He received the medal with the Cadgwith lifeboat Minnie Moon, in the rescue of 227 survivors from the White Star liner Suevic when it ran aground off the Lizard Point on 17 March 1907.

The rescue of a total of 456 passengers and crew from the liner without any loss of life remains the largest in the institution’s history.

St Mary’s was built as a mission church and chapel for the local community in 1898.

The listing will be added to a new interactive map of south west landmarks connected with the RNLI has been created to mark the charity's anniversary.

Hayley Whiting, the RNLI’s heritage archive and research anager, said: “Through this project with Historic England we have been able to share rarely seen photos from the RNLI archive of sites around England which have a close connection with the RNLI and its lifesaving heritage.

"The list includes boathouses, collection boxes, monuments, and memorials, many of which are no longer RNLI-owned or managed, but all of which have a fascinating and important connection with the charity’s long lifesaving history.”

Other listings with connecdtions to the charity include the Penlee Point Lifeboat Station in Newlyn, Cornwall, the RNLI Teignmouth Lifeboat Station in Devon and the Watch Tower Studio and Former Lifeboat Shed in Looe, Cornwall.