St Mary’s Church History

In November 1840 the Revd George Treweeke and John Basset of Tehidy Park petitioned: that because the Parish of Illogan contains 7000, many of whom to the amount of about 700 are resident at or near Portreath within the said parish at a distance of two miles from the Parish Church; that …. there has been erected on a spot of ground within the said hamlet of Portreath a …. chapel of Ease to the Parish Church of Illogan.

Portreath Chapel, dedicated to Saint Mary, opened in 1841 and was said to contain 256 sittings and, in consequence of a grant from the Incorporated Society for promoting the Building and Enlargement of Churches and Chapels, 228 of that number were declared to be free and unappropriated for ever.

By the late 1950’s the chapel had deteriorated badly – possibly because of a water course that ran beneath its foundations – and worship was being conducted in the church hall. The bold decision was therefore made in 1963 to demolish the old building and erect a new church on the site.