Medieval History
South Cerney Christ, originally uploaded by Aidan McRae Thomson.This beautiful Romanesque polychromed head and foot, is all that remains of a rood dating from c.1130. The fragments were found in 1913 walled up behind the respond of a nave arcade at South Cerney in Gloucestershire. Sadly the rest of the figure perished, but originally the corpus would have been around 80cm tall and extremely striking. A remarkable survival, this is one of only two Corpus figures in England to survive the sixteenth century iconoclasm. The other, an earlier 16th century example from Cartmel Fell in Cumbria, was discovered in 1876 in use as a vestry fire poker!
The South Cerney rood is now in the British Museum and I am grateful to Aidan McRae Thomson for his photograph. More information on the rood can be found in R. Deacon and P. Lindley's Image and Idol; Medieval Sculpture (London, 2001)
- Lenten Array ... One That Got Away
Fairford Gloucestershire, originally uploaded by Vitrearum (Allan Barton).I fully intended to post this photograph during Lent. The Lady altar in the Tame chapel at Fairford in Gloucestershire has a reredos of 1913 by Geoffrey Webb, covered during Lent...
- Layer Upon Layer Of ...
East Shefford, Berkshire, originally uploaded by Vitrearum.medieval wallpaintings. The tiny church of East Shefford in Berkshire, now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust has some fascinating wallpaintings in the nave. The east wall of the...
- Medieval Pulpits
Quite a good number of medieval pulpits survive in English parish churches. I suppose that is not surprising really given that this was an element of medieval church furnishing that wasn't controversial to the reformers. Here are just a selection...
- The Rood Loft At St Margarets In Herefordshire
St Margarets, Herefordshire, originally uploaded by Vitrearum.St Margaret's church in the remote hamlet of St Margarets overloooking the 'Golden Valley' in Herefordshire, has a remarkable survival. A complete early sixteenth century rood...
- Pre-reformation Devotional Images Of Our Lady
This glorious fragment of sculpture was discovered in 1879 walled up within Anwick church in Lincolnshire. It is a remarkable survival. It is a seated figure of the Virgin and Child, dating from the early years of the fourteenth century. Sadly it has...
Medieval History
A remarkable survival
South Cerney Christ, originally uploaded by Aidan McRae Thomson.
The South Cerney rood is now in the British Museum and I am grateful to Aidan McRae Thomson for his photograph. More information on the rood can be found in R. Deacon and P. Lindley's Image and Idol; Medieval Sculpture (London, 2001)
- Lenten Array ... One That Got Away
Fairford Gloucestershire, originally uploaded by Vitrearum (Allan Barton).I fully intended to post this photograph during Lent. The Lady altar in the Tame chapel at Fairford in Gloucestershire has a reredos of 1913 by Geoffrey Webb, covered during Lent...
- Layer Upon Layer Of ...
East Shefford, Berkshire, originally uploaded by Vitrearum.medieval wallpaintings. The tiny church of East Shefford in Berkshire, now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust has some fascinating wallpaintings in the nave. The east wall of the...
- Medieval Pulpits
Quite a good number of medieval pulpits survive in English parish churches. I suppose that is not surprising really given that this was an element of medieval church furnishing that wasn't controversial to the reformers. Here are just a selection...
- The Rood Loft At St Margarets In Herefordshire
St Margarets, Herefordshire, originally uploaded by Vitrearum.St Margaret's church in the remote hamlet of St Margarets overloooking the 'Golden Valley' in Herefordshire, has a remarkable survival. A complete early sixteenth century rood...
- Pre-reformation Devotional Images Of Our Lady
This glorious fragment of sculpture was discovered in 1879 walled up within Anwick church in Lincolnshire. It is a remarkable survival. It is a seated figure of the Virgin and Child, dating from the early years of the fourteenth century. Sadly it has...