Parish History
While the area we call Chacewater Parish has a very long history, the Parish and the Parish Council have had a much shorter existence. This timeline shows how today’s Chacewater Parish Council came to be.
1828
A new church of St Paul is built
The parish of Chacewater was created from parts of Kea parish in 1828 when a new church dedicated to St. Paul was built in the village to serve the large population working in the mines around the area.
The church of St. Paul was widely described as the largest and ugliest church in Cornwall. Despite its aesthetic shortcomings it was well-attended with congregations of up to 1,500 parishioners.
1865 to 1866
Disaster strikes
On 25 November 1865, a great storm carried away the whole of the southern roof. Whilst still being repaired, the church was again struck by lightning on the morning of 3 February 1866 when another great storm came, and was significantly damaged beyond use. Divine services had to be moved to the Sunday School.
1888 to 1889
Beginnings of change
Local government throughout this time had been by the Parish Vestry, a committee of local people under the chairmanship of the vicar. The Local Government Act 1888 introduced district and civil parish councils. This was followed by the Local Government Act 1889, which introduced county councils as the highest level of local government. Civil government came under Kenwyn Parish for the residents of Chacewater.
1892
Parish renewal
Following the damage in 1866, the church had to be rebuilt with only the four-stage embattled tower – the second highest in Cornwall – remaining of the original structure. The present church along with a new Lych-gate was completed and consecrated on 20 December 1892.
1929
New powers for councils
The local area was still administered under Kenwyn Parish Council and Chacewater continued to be only an ecclesiastical parish well into the twentieth century. This eventually changed when the 1929 Local Government Act introduced powers for county councils to restructure urban and rural districts into more efficient units.
1934
A civil parish is created
As a result of the 1929 Act, Cornwall County Council undertook to restructure local government across Cornwall, resulting in the Cornwall Review Order. This Order proposed (amongst many other changes) the creation of Chacewater Parish Council which came into effect on 1 April 1934. The new parish council was the lowest tier of government, sitting below the then Truro Rural District Council.
1974 to 2009
Post-war reorganisations
Truro Rural District Council was later abolished and replaced with Carrick District Council in 1974.
Carrick District Council was, in turn, later merged with the other five district councils and Cornwall County Council to form a unitary authority, Cornwall Council, in 2009.
2009 to today
Your parish council
Chacewater Parish Council is now the only local tier of government below Cornwall Council and has an important role to play in supporting the development of our local communities and delivering vital local services.