I resume the blog now with the continuation of my June 2014 trip which covers Devon, Dorset, Cornwall, and points North.

June 2014 Day 2
I met up with Maggie at her home in Devon and we left for Sheeptor Church which is situated in Dartmoor.  We parked the car at the local pub near the church and proceeded to take one of the paths that leads up into the surrounding hills.  As usual it was an overcast day that at time was sunny then misty.  It never matters what the weather is the views just distract you from how wet you are getting and how steep the footpath becomes.  At times we would be walking along the road that winds through the moor, a dirt trail, or single muddy footpath.  Every inch of the way you can find something along the route, or at a distance, that takes your breath away. 

Sheeptor in the distance on the right

The road leading down to Sheeptor Church with Sheeptor in the background

It has been far too long since I worked on this blog.  Time has certainly gotten away from me.  I hope to return soon and finish the 2014 trip.  Since I last updated I have made another visit in March of  2017 which I would like to add here.  In 2019 I also hope to return to England for another two week adventure.  Peace to you all.  Happy traveling. 

Whitcombe Church – The church whose dedication has been lost in time Part II

 

Welcome back and thank you once again for your patience.  I wanted to gather not only my thoughts on this next part, but I also needed to explore the subject in a bit more depth.  It is important for me to try to bring my subjects alive for you so that you wish to visit them.  I don’t want to get technical, as I have said before I am not an expert on churches or architecture, but I try my best to look deeper because sometimes a little more information makes the experience more enjoyable.

I purposely did not mention anything of the painting when I described the interior in the previous post because I felt it deserved more attention than just a paragraph.

In this case I needed to dig into the subject of art during the Middle Ages which meant picking up a few more books.  I have many books I use as resources and my library (as is my understanding) is growing it seems with each post. 

That said I will give you my thoughts on the wonderful wall painting I found inside Whitcombe.

**

As I opened the ancient misshapen door the very first thing my eyes fell upon was an amazing wall painting.  St Christopher is depicted giving safe passage across the river to the Christ Child.  It blew me away.  Although it is not complete, what remains is endearing. 

St Christopher is gazing back at the Christ child on his shoulder, perhaps at the moment when he says to the child how heavy he is.  The Christ child holds an orb in his left hand, representative of the world, and the right held in a Benediction pose.  In the background the river runs beneath the saint’s feet, to his right the hermit who trained Christopher, below is a mermaid sitting in the water. The saint holds his staff with his right hand.  Both heads are surrounded by a nimbus – a symbol of sanctity or holiness. 

The Christ Child’s garment has gracefully folded drapery and its blue colour is special as lapis lazuli, the main ingredient, was an expensive import in the Middle Ages.  Yellow and red are the predominant colours which would have been easily made and found locally by the artist.

St Christopher is portrayed as the giant he was and the Christ child has fairly normal proportions. Some of the other detail is hard to make out, but if you change position in the light, you can see the faint outlines of other subjects which now appear as mere sketches.

I really love that the Christ Child actually looks like a child.  In some way the faces of both seem to convey emotion, one of curiosity and the other serenity. I think the painter is making a real effort to show a sense of movement within the scene;The hermit kneeling at the water's edge, the mermaid gazes into her mirror as the Saint navigates the water carefully balancing the child on his shoulder,much like a parent would carry their own child.  

The Hermit

The mermaid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Closer detail the saint's left hand

 

The saint's hand grasping the palm staff

*The wall painting is dated 1425-1450 and was discovered in 1912, as most wonderful finds are, during a restoration project. Conservation credit has been given to Ann Ballantyne

for her careful work in 1968 and 1987.

There are no notes as to the condition they found the painting in and it leaves me curious as to whether, like many iconic items at the time of King Henry VIII dissolution, it had been hidden from sight with the use of lime wash.

The application technique is most likely tempura which means that the paint was applied to dried plaster. Instead of blank staring eyes, the painter has added pupils and uses lines to show texture in the hair and beard. So much to see and it is a privilege to be able to examine it so closely.  Something that I did wonder about however is the dampness and hope that this does not cause further damage.

The village can be seen just over the wall

It’s placement opposite the entrance is very Middle Ages.  St Christopher is known to many as the patron saint of travelers but he was more than that.  He is the protector against sudden death, which was always on the minds of the people who worshiped here at this time.  His image was placed opposite the entrance so that anyone passing could gaze on him, and this alone was thought to be enough to guard against sudden death. The doorway also faces the village which it served across the field protecting it with his presence. A great comfort to travelers. It might not be a stretch to say some may have sought out the church on their journey so that they could feel a 'blessing' from the Saint as they sat in the church. In addition, the painting might have served as a reminder to the parishioners to live a life in Christian service by doing good things for others.

This is the dominating feature of the church, however it is not alone.  Where this adds life to the interior, other objects are more decorative or symbolic in nature.

 

 

 To the left of St Christopher are a seemingly random group of peaked arches which reminded me of the decoration I had seen on rood screens in larger cathedrals.  Since the church has little in the way of furnishings it is hard to work out what this might have been used for.  If you look closely in the center of the design there is a consecration cross.  These crosses are found on interior/ exterior walls of a church and are a physical reminder of it’s consecration by a Bishop with holy water.  

 

  

There are two plain crosses; one just to the right of St Christopher and another located to the side of a window on the north wall. This second location also has just the hint of decorative edging beneath.

It would appear that at one time the interior would have had a great deal of colour and decoration. 

 

 

 

 

 

The more I looked for it the more I found....

including a line of obscure detailing along the edge of the wall above the arches. 

 

and just a touch of stained glass to these two windows

 

Taking one last moment, I stood at the east window and looked out onto the fields beyond. The scene reminded me of a portrait which hangs above the altar in my church back home of Jesus cradling a lamb walking through a field.  

It is perfect setting for a church.

 

***

I finish here and leave it to you take time to explore it yourself. As you can see there is so much to what seems from the road an ordinary field church, but open it’s door, walk it’s yard and you’ll discover a whole lot more.  I found a wealth of history, art, architecture and a glimpse into the lives of the people who once worshiped here, what will you discover?

**
Information on the restoration was sourced from the Churches Conservation Trust - see link on links page. Their website as well as the book 'Mural Paintings in English Churches...' by Frank H Kendon were a great help with this blog entry.

Here are a few more photos ...

 

 

Barn from the adjoining village seen from the footpath at the road
 

I love magnificent trees

The wall that separates the field from the village on the other side

'He maketh me lie down in green pastures...'

Herring bone flooring

Very narrow door that leads to the bell tower steps

a couple more carved bosses

 

The road calls again but this time it will bring me back to Plymouth in Devon where I meet up with Maggie.  We begin our travels together from there with a start in her 'backyard' and another walk in Dartmoor. See you shortly! and thank you for reading.

So far on this one day I have been to two very different churches.  The first, a ruin that stands on grounds that have been used for centuries as a place of worship;  the next, a complete and compact beauty that was saved from the brink of destruction by the words of a poet.

I hope to surprise you once again.

The next presentation is broken up into two parts.  The first will describe the church as she stands in the surrounding countryside along with a description of architectural detail of the interior and the second part covers the interior decoration.

**

Whitcombe Church – The church whose dedication has been lost in time

Part 1

 

 

 

Another comfortable drive from St Andrew’s took me along the A31, A35 and A352 to Whitcombe. I was doing well but did miss the church on my first pass (in my defense it is obscured from view from the road by very large trees). I easily found a safe place to turn around and spotted the brown ‘Historic Church’ sign which also marks the layby used for visitor parking.

 

I tucked the car as far off the road as possible, gathered my cameras and with great caution crossed the road. 

 

 

Access is an easy climb over an outer fence, then through an inner gate which leads down a clear path across a pasture.  

 

I would like to point out that sheep occupy this open ground, including the churchyard so wear boots or shoes you don’t mind getting ‘dirty’.

Once through the church gate I finally got my first real view of the church.  I also got a better look at the ancient tree whose twisted branches are responsible for obscuring the view of the church from road.  Directly beneath it is a grave surrounded by an iron chain and marked with a large cross set into a heavy base.  Looking out from the path, several graves can be seen as well as two table tombs.

 

 

 

The grounds are well kept and do not have the abandoned appearance that some church yards have. I wandered past the entrance  choosing to study the church from the outside first. 

The yard is long and narrow with only a low Victorian rounded brick and stone wall standing between it, and the grazing occupants of the field beyond.

The setting could not be better and is a wonderful example of an English field church. 

Whitcombe Church was built in the 12^th century and appears to have had only a few changes over its long service to the local village.  It was made redundant in 1971 but remains a consecrated sight and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

 

There are two sets of double windows on the south side, one just before the entrance and the other near the east end. The porch leads to a wooden door that is cut to fit the uneven stone archway of the old masonry. 

 

 

 

 

A large plain three panel 13th century window looks out toward the open fields  and rolling hills to the east. 

 

 

 

 

 

The north wall also has two sets of double windows.  The first within the east end and the other not much farther along the wall.  At one time there was a door on this side which has been walled up. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tower which dominates the west end was added in the 16^th century and has a much larger triple panel window.  The architects built the staircase as an attachment which comes out from the side, presumably to keep the interior more spacious.  Small vent windows are found near the battlement top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The overall construction is local stone covered in lichen from years of exposure to the elements. The newer sections are well matched to the much older original church.

 

I made my way back to the south side to examine the table tomb closest to the entrance. 

 

The end facing the road has an hour glass with crossbones on each side.  The hour glass symbolizes the passage of time, in specific a lifetime. 

 

 

The opposite end has a skull with a crossed pick and shovel.  Whilst I have become familiar with the appearance of skulls on graves in English churchyards, the pick and shovel were a surprise  – I have no way of knowing their significance in this case, perhaps the occupant was a miner or worked the earth in some way. The skull’s eyes are carved in such a way that they seemed to stare directly at me.  

 

 

A floral motif graces the long side that faces the path – this signifies triumph over death. 

 

 

 

I entered the church and found myself in a long and very narrow space. Natural light flows freely through the windows from all sides, bouncing off white interior walls. 

Looking right at the end facing the field is the chancel.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the left toward the tower is the pulpit and a very impressive Purbeck marble baptismal font set on a high pedestal, with a carved wooden cover. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wood flooring laid in a herringbone pattern runs from the font to the chancel where the floor is raised a few inches and constructed of local stone and brick. 

A white ceiling above, with plain wood rafters mimic the peaked roof line, from the tower wall to the chancel.  The chancel has a wagon ceiling and like St Andrew’s each beam intersection is covered by individually carved oak boss.   

 

 

 

 

 

The scent of damp fills the air, which is not surprising for the age of the church – only a small window on the north wall remains permanently open to let fresh air in.

There are a great many interesting finds within the walls of this small, yet elegant, church. 

 

Along the north wall where the nave ends and the chancel begins are the remnants of a rood stair. This is an interesting piece of church history.  Medieval churches often had rood screens [rood is an Old English word for Cross or Crucifix] which separated the nave from the chancel.  It had different uses and decoration dependent on the church.  At some time there was a rood screen (or loft) here which would have been accessed by this  staircase.  Rood stairs and lofts were removed at the time of Henry VIII’s dissolution of the Catholic Church in the 16^th century (so if you are ever in a church and wonder about a set of stairs leading nowhere, this is probably the reason).  Rood screens remained, but took on another purpose, which is why many still remain especially in larger churches and cathedrals.  I wanted to take a moment to add this little bit of background because I felt it was important to the story of the church as rood stairs are pretty rare, especially in small parish churches. 

 
Opposite the entrance are the large fragments of two Saxon Crosses with very different relief patterns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again, many of these were also destroyed during King Henry’s reign which is why only fragments remain of these ancient monuments.

 

 

 

Between the two sets of windows at the chancel end is a chair and plaque dedicating the church’s restoration to Dorset poet William Barnes.  He served as minister here from 1847 to 1850 and is famous for writing his poetry in the local Dorset dialect.  He was also a friend of fellow poet and writer Thomas Hardy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**

Part one ends here my friends as I am not finished with this lovely parish church.  It holds another secret which I wish to share with you that I personally feel deserves special treatment.

 I won’t keep you waiting long…

**