More shadows of former things
Theddlethorpe All Saints, Lincolnshire, originally uploaded by Vitrearum.
All Saints, Theddlethorpe is in the remote coastal fringe of Lincolnshire. Many of the churches in this area are relatively unrestored and retain a lot of medieval fittings and furnishings. All Saints Theddlethorpe is about the best. It retains a fifteenth century painted rood screen and two parclose screens dividing the eastern bay of the nave aisles from the rest of the aisle. I will come back to the screens at a later date, as they are an interesting survival from the Marian restoration. 
The south chapel contains a refixed stone altar with a medieval mensa and behind it the windowless east wall is pierced with this rather interesting reredos or should I say tabernacle for a reredos. The tabernacle with crocketed canopy appears to be late fourteenth century and fits in nicely in terms of date with the aisle itself. So what did it contain. Well it's not very deep, so my feeling is that it contained a low relief panel, perhaps a large rectangular alabaster of freestone panel. Sadly we will never know. 
- Memorial Altarpiece
The parish church of Youlgreave in the Derbyshire peak district, has a rather remarkable and interesting medieval alabaster panel. This rectangular panel is currently set into the wall above the altar at the east end of the north nave aisle, though it...
- Shadows Of Former Things Part Iii
Site of a former side altar at Glentham in Lincolnshire, an arched niche that probably contained a panel of a reredos and beside it a bracket for an image. How tantalising these remains are, but sadly so difficult to put in any true context without...
- More Empty Niches!
A little more evidence of late medieval devotion for you. This glorious Perpendicular tabernacle is in the east wall of the late fifteenth century north aisle of St Bartholomew's Aldsworth in Gloucestershire. No prizes for guessing whose image it...
- Shadows Of Former Things
My apologies for neglecting the blog, it has been rather a hectic ten days. My day off last week, which is the day I usually write for the blog was taken up with a visit to Nottinghamshire with Gordon Plumb. We went to a couple of very fine churches....
- Lincolnshire Churches - Building Materials
Theddlethorpe All Saints, Lincolnshire, originally uploaded by Vitrearum.Lincolnshire churches, particularly those in the Wolds and some parts of the marsh have a wonderful texture due to the wide range of materials used. Take this wall at Theddlethorpe...