The parish was called St Cross in 1261, but by 1310 it was known as St Grada, Virgin. The
font dates from the 13th century and the church contains a brass to James Eryssy and his wife, 1522. Parts of the church, which is built in the
Decorated style, are of thirteenth century origin and the tower dates from around 1400. The thirteenth and fourteenth century nave and chancel were rebuilt in 1862−63, incorporating some of the original structure to the designs of the architect
Edward William Godwin of Bristol. The construction is mainly of rubble stone, with some large blocks of granite and
serpentine in the tower. There are separate slated, steeply-sloping roofs for the nave, chancel, vestry and porch. The unbuttressed tower is at the west end and has two stages. The organ was built by Brewer and Co of
Truro and the new organ was ″opened″ on 12 March 1885 when a recital was given by Mr
G R Sinclair, the organist of
Truro Cathedral. The specification of the organ can be found on the
National Pipe Organ Register. In 1966, St Grada's was used as a
filming location for the
Doctor Who serial,
The Smugglers. ==Parish status==