But where?
I'm not a photographer, not by any means. I have a DSLR camera, a remote control, and a tripod. That's it. But have you ever visited somewhere, or gone walking in enchanted forest land with the dog and just thought, my God this would be the perfect setting for my such and such outfit? I have, many, many times.
I usually take to my back garden for pictures, but that comes with it's own dangers. Mainly, my nosy neighbours. I don't like conversation with people and will avoid it at all costs, especially when I stick out like a sore thumb in my Victorian or Georgian ensemble. It's just not really something I want to chat about with my neighbours. This means my photoshoots are often rushed, which isn't ideal.
Then I came across the idea of using abandoned places to take photoshoots. There must be hundreds, even thousands of places in this country that have been abandoned but still good for a photoshoot. Hell, I used to live practically beside an abandoned victorian asylum (which unfortuantely was still attached to a functioning hospital).
On my recent holiday in Cornwall I decided that because I was away for a week it was a great opportunity to take pictures of the outfits that I'd finished but never photographed. I did what any savvy millenial does when they have a problem, I took to Google. I searched for abandoned places in Cornwall and wasn't disappointed. Turns out this is a big-ish category.
Amateur costumers like myself aren't the only ones who need cool places for photographs of their products. Obviously I was limited by geography (Cornwall is surprisingly large), because of where I was staying it took ages to get to a main road, and I didn't want to spend long driving. Some of the places were abandoned/derelict buildings, but in towns and villages, so not really ideal if I didn't want to have a chat with strangers.
Then I came across a location better than I could've hoped for. St Cohan's church in Merther, just south of Truro. It was 30 minutes away from my holiday let, and from the pictures I saw it was hauntingly beautiful. Who doesn't love an abandoned church?
St Cohan's church was reportedly built in the 14th century and enjoyed success right up until the end of the Victorian era, when it began to decline. The population of the parish unsurprisingly dwindled duing this time until the church was completely abandoned in the early 20th century. A gruesome fact was that it was also used as a mortuary chapel for a while because it's replacement church didn't have a graveyard, but St Cohan's did.
The church in 2019 has mostly been reclaimed by nature, and there's a small notice at the entrance advising people not to enter because it's unstable and may fall down at any moment. To be honest you can't see the church from the road, and barely any brick is left uncovered by the ivy that's engulfed this once thriving wee church. It is enchanting to look at though.
It's very peaceful, despite the people who still live beside it doing their gardening whilst I was there. No main road will take you directly to it, and it's surrounded by farms, fields, and narrow country roads (thank God for my go-kart size car). The upside is that you'r sat-nav will take you right there, just be careful not to miss it!
As I said two people actually live beside it, and there's a farm at the end of the lane which you can just see from the churchyard. It is unsafe to enter, although I saw a picture from 2017 of the inside, so not that unsafe, apparently.
I didn't go inside, just in case someone took issue to it. Someone still takes care of the grounds though, and apparently they still have an easter service outside every year.
The church's future is unclear, but for now, it's a pretty destination if you have costumes to photograph.
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| 1890s evening gown |
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| Pumpkin spice natural form era gown |
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| Fantasy Baldoch dress |
