Little St Mary, Cambridge

      I'm staying in Cambridge for a few days.  This morning I headed north to Ely on the train for my first visit to the city in some seven years, and this afternoon I headed into Cambridge city centre to Little St Mary and King's College Chapel.  A busy day, and I'm going to start with the parish church of St Mary, Fitzwilliam St. - almost opposite Pembroke College - known as Little St Mary to differentiate it from Great St Mary, the University Church.  It doesn't, as you might have expected, refer to its size.  Yes, it has no aisles or transepts, and no tower, and it is unicameral, having no architectural distinction between nave and chancel, but that single space is on a large and ample scale; with the exception of King's College Chapel and Great St Mary's, larger and grander in conception than any other medieval church in Cambridge.  Larger than some cathedral choirs in, say, Scotland or Wales.   I mention that because St Mary's is a fragment - like the chapel of Merton College Oxford, the chancel of an intended collegiate church. Built to serve Peterhouse next door (the buildings are actually connected) and it served as both parish church and college chapel until 1632, Matthew Wren (uncle of Sir Christopher Wren, if you were wondering) built the chapel at Peterhouse

     Built in the Dec style St Mary's has some very fine window tracery. The interior is vast, limewashed and light-filled, rather East Anglian in feel. It smells of stale incense, and it is a church I'm rather fond of (although these photos don't do it justice) and I've worshipped there on a couple of occasions in the past. The roof is a Victorian recreation of the original (I think by Sir George Gilbert Scott - he restored the church 1856-7 so it seems likely.), and it works rather well, like being in an upturned boat.  Whatever was the original form there was, until that restoration, a rather fine Jacobean roof; perhaps it dated to the time of Robert Crayshaw, the priest, poet and mystic.  It is also possible to mourn the loss of the 18th century paneling, that covered the lower walls of the chancel. Half way along the length of the church is a door and recess on each side; these originally led to chantry chapels of the 'barnacle' variety.  The south one, unblocked, now leads to a Lady Chapel of the SSPP, 'Back to the Baroque', Anglo-Catholic Congress type.  The work of T H Lyon and dating from 1931. A period piece. 

     Following on from Scott senior, his son, the ill-stared George Gilbert Scott Jnr worked at St Mary's (see the reredos at the back of the church behind the font), as did Sir John Ninian Comper after him.

Church crawling: Witham-on-the-Hill and Clipsham

   A visit from A this last Saturday and a jaunt out into Rutland in spring like weather.  A journey from the fen edge across limestone country.  A visit too to three 'estate villages'.

   Firstly, on our way to lunch we made an impromptu stop in Witham-on-the-Hill, an attractive stone built village off the A 6121, to look at the church.  I've been past it any number of times, but this was my first sight of the interior.  I think it would be fair to say we were both disappointed with it.  It lacked something, but I'm not sure I can put my finger on what precisely...the numinous?  There are fittings by George Gilbert Scott jr, but the screen in particular was a lack lustre performance.  Sad too that the elaborate, pinnacled, font cover was languishing on the floor.  Much better if it and the font were moved into the centre of the nave and the cover, restored to its rightful position coloured and gilded in the medieval manner.  At least there wasn't too much clutter. 

   The exterior had much more going for it with the Georgian tower and spire to the side of the church,1737-38, the design of George Portwood sen. of Stamford.  It is a robust design of quiet dignity, part classical and part gothic, perhaps a little quixotic too.

   After lunch we headed into Rutland and yet another attractive stone built village - we are rather blessed with them in this part of the world - Clipsham. An estate village too, which is always a good thing.  The church is close to the hall - owned, I think, by the Davenport Hanleys - and is reached by a wide gravel drive from the village street.  The delight begins there for on the north side of the drive is a superbly constructed dry stone wall.  A fantastic piece of craftsmanship, and love, as each course is set a few millimetres in from the course below. That is not all, for the entrance to the churchyard is marked by gothic cast iron gates and stone gothic gate piers.  It's tempting to ascribe them to Edward Browning who restored the church in 1858.  And so to the church a small structure with a thick set west tower and spire - unusually detailed too.  Striking too the great square headed Dec windows of the south aisle.  

   The interior is a delight, low, spreading, very atmospheric and full of fittings.  Much of it dates to Browning's restoration but there is an earlier reredos (Commandments and Moses & Aaron) perched on the north wall.  The long-slanting light contributed greatly to the sense of place.  The stained and painted glass, by Wailes, which fills all the windows is very good.  (18.09.2019: I learnt today that the lovely encaustic tiling is probably from Godwin of Lugwardine, designed by that great Gothic master John Pollard Seddon.) I think of all the churches restored by Edward Browning I have visited this is about his best.  A schatzkammer, yes, but without the slightly oppressive, wilful quality of his work at Uffington.  I had been to Clipsham years ago, but didn't remember it to be so good. Virtually clutter free too!