As we enter 2001 the St Piran Project
is making real progress. The Oratory of St Piran, which is one of the
oldest Christian edifices in the British Isles, and which is of
considerable significance to Cornwall and the Cornish, has been buried
in sand for the last twenty years in order to protect it against human
and natural despoliation. The adjacent Church of St Piran is unprotected
and lies half buried in the dunes.The sand dunes in which
the sites are located are of special ecological interest, and are
designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. They are also a
candidate Special Area of Conservation (European Habitat).
The sites are thus of great importance for
cultural, ecological and historical reasons, and their development will
require the utmost sensitivity and care.
Establishing a Trust
The project is currently being supported by a
Steering Group. In January the Project will become a limited company,
and an application to the Charity Commissioners has been prepared
to give charitable status to the St Piran Project Trust (the name
has yet to be confirmed).
The St Piran Project Trust will be a non-profit
charitable Trust which is committed to the development, protection and
good administration of the historic sites on Gear Sands connected with
St Piran. The Trust will promote awareness of the cultural, educational,
historic and scientific significance of those sites for Cornwall and for
Europe.
The objectives of the Project are to
Ÿ
uncover the Oratory of St Piran on Gear Sands, with the
support and cooperation of all interested bodies;
Ÿ
protect, preserve, maintain and administer the Oratory,
the site surrounding the Oratory, and access to the site;
Ÿ
develop, protect, preserve, maintain and administer the
Church of St Piran, the site surrounding the Church, and access to the
site;
Ÿ
promote the cultural, historical and educational
significance of the sites of the Oratory and the Church in an inclusive
manner, relevant to all the population of Cornwall and other interested
people;
Ÿ
support schools, educational and cultural organisations so
that they can promote greater awareness of Cornish and Celtic culture
and history.
Feasibility
Study
The Group has held meetings with officials of
organisations with statutory responsibility for the sites of the Oratory
and Church of St Piran, including Cornwall County Council, English
Heritage, and English Nature, as well as, of course, Perranzabuloe
Parish Council, which owns the sites. The result of those discussions
has been agreement of Terms of Reference for a Feasibility Study to look
in detail at the issues which will affect uncovering the Oratory and the
Church. Those issues include the difficulties of excavation, and how the
site might be protected and managed in the future.
A shortlist of qualified consulting companies
responded to the Terms of Reference, and discussions are currently being
held with one of the bidders: discussions on funding are at an advanced
stage.
Next Steps
We hope that the Feasibility Study will be
completed by the Spring. The recommendations of the study will form the
basis of a symposium to which interested parties will be invited. It is
obviously not possible to predict the outcome of the study - we would
all wish that it could lead straight to excavation and protection in
time for the Cousin Jack events in early 2002. Once the results of the
Study are available, and decisions made on how to proceed, we will know
better what finances will be required for the next stages.
The eventual intention is to establish an
endowment out of which the St Piran Project Trust will be able to manage
the sites for the benefit of all. We will need to raise considerable
finance for such an endowment.
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