Friday 31 August 2018
Own work: Design for a Moumental Gateway
Last week and I finally got around to making a something of a sketch design I did months ago. Mixed media on watercolour board. 40.3 x 54 cms
Wednesday 8 August 2018
St John the Baptist, Harringworth
A came over and after High Mass at St Mary's in Stamford we headed off on a very short jaunt to Harringworth on the Northamptonshire side of the Welland valley - another absurdly attractive stone-belt village. Very sleepy under this summer's unrelenting sun. Quintessentially an English scene. At first glance quite a conventional church, with west tower and spire, aisled nave and unaisled chancel, but things are always more interesting, more individual than that. And that's what makes visiting an old church like Harringworth worthwhile.
The oldest part of the structure is the tower - Transitional, built of limestone and richly coloured ironstone. The spire is later, and oddly has carved heads above the broaches. The rest of the exterior is Decorated and Perp. One thing I noticed quickly was the difference in size between the north clerestory and the much smaller south.
The interior is spacious, perhaps even a little uninspiring - not really a place of mystery but still beautiful. Another chance however to compare and contrast the two mismatched clerestories - I think the north is Late Medieval except for the west bay which appears to have been rebuilt sometime after the Reformation; I think it is either Elizabethan or Jacobean. The tower arch has very beautiful Transitional capitals. The chancel screen is Medieval, and there are a couple of grand benefaction boards either side of the s door and the east window is rather fine; however the notable thing about the interior is the family vault that occupies the eastern half of the north aisle. "Like something out of a M R James ghost story", I said, gazing down through the railings to the sealed door.
Next to the church is the Manor House, an house of the late 17th century. And well worth inclusion in this post.
The interior is spacious, perhaps even a little uninspiring - not really a place of mystery but still beautiful. Another chance however to compare and contrast the two mismatched clerestories - I think the north is Late Medieval except for the west bay which appears to have been rebuilt sometime after the Reformation; I think it is either Elizabethan or Jacobean. The tower arch has very beautiful Transitional capitals. The chancel screen is Medieval, and there are a couple of grand benefaction boards either side of the s door and the east window is rather fine; however the notable thing about the interior is the family vault that occupies the eastern half of the north aisle. "Like something out of a M R James ghost story", I said, gazing down through the railings to the sealed door.
Next to the church is the Manor House, an house of the late 17th century. And well worth inclusion in this post.
Saturday 4 August 2018
Carreg Cennen Castle
Standing there with a great pastoral landscape heaving and undulating around us like a great, green ocean it was hard to think that not so far away from us, behind those blind bracken covered hills on the horizon was a different, scarred, landscape of industrialisation and the 'world of telegrams and anger' - Swansea, and the small industrial towns of the Tawe valley and southern Carmarthenshire. This landscape seemed much older, much more settled and at ease with itself. Of course it really isn't as simple as that but standing there amidst the wreck of Carreg Cennen Castle it was easy to think it was.
Carreg Cennen Castle sits on a great crag of limestone, at a dizzying height above the tiny Cennen river that flows on to meet the Towy at Llandeilo Fawr.
The history of the castle is complex, changing hands many times throughout the Middle Ages, but site started off as an administrative centre in the Kingdom of Deheubarth and at the end of the War of the Roses it was awarded to Sir Rhys ap Thomas, who is now buried in St Peter's Carmarthen, before passing to the Vaughans of the Golden Grove, the Cawdors and finally into government ownership in 1932. (Thankfully the castle retains one, at least, of those beautiful 'Ministry of Works' signs.) Architecturally speaking the important event in the castle's history is its capture by Edward I - most of what can be seen dates from the period shortly after when it was completely rebuilt by the Giffords who had been granted the castle in 1283. The best bit, apart form those breath-taking views is the mural passage leading to a cave under the castle. (Flashlights are provided for hire for this but we found the light on my mobile phone a very useful supplement.)
Looking at the plan of the castle I was struck, given the irregularity of the site, by its regularity; a plan that displays its origins in the Late Antique. It's always said that such designs were brought back to the West by the Crusaders impressed by the Eastern Roman and Islamic fortresses they encountered. The Crusaders, I think, were pretty overawed by the walls of the Imperial City of Constantinople, indeed it is thought that they were the inspiration for Edward I's mighty fortress at Carnarvon, which is a sort of mimetic model of the 'Holy City of Byzantium', in the same way that some scholars have understood Umayyad Damascus, but it must be remembered that both the Eastern Romans and the Arabs were essentially working in a continuing Late Antique tradition, an example of this can be seen the walls erected around Cairo in 1087-92 (a maidan was even laid out in the shape of a Roman hippodrome), or in the country houses erected in the Syrian Steppe by the Ummayad elite, and whose plans follow that of the Roman fortress - even the name for such a residence 'qasr' is derived from the Latin 'castrum'.
The shadow of Rhufain - Rome - is very long.
The history of the castle is complex, changing hands many times throughout the Middle Ages, but site started off as an administrative centre in the Kingdom of Deheubarth and at the end of the War of the Roses it was awarded to Sir Rhys ap Thomas, who is now buried in St Peter's Carmarthen, before passing to the Vaughans of the Golden Grove, the Cawdors and finally into government ownership in 1932. (Thankfully the castle retains one, at least, of those beautiful 'Ministry of Works' signs.) Architecturally speaking the important event in the castle's history is its capture by Edward I - most of what can be seen dates from the period shortly after when it was completely rebuilt by the Giffords who had been granted the castle in 1283. The best bit, apart form those breath-taking views is the mural passage leading to a cave under the castle. (Flashlights are provided for hire for this but we found the light on my mobile phone a very useful supplement.)
Looking at the plan of the castle I was struck, given the irregularity of the site, by its regularity; a plan that displays its origins in the Late Antique. It's always said that such designs were brought back to the West by the Crusaders impressed by the Eastern Roman and Islamic fortresses they encountered. The Crusaders, I think, were pretty overawed by the walls of the Imperial City of Constantinople, indeed it is thought that they were the inspiration for Edward I's mighty fortress at Carnarvon, which is a sort of mimetic model of the 'Holy City of Byzantium', in the same way that some scholars have understood Umayyad Damascus, but it must be remembered that both the Eastern Romans and the Arabs were essentially working in a continuing Late Antique tradition, an example of this can be seen the walls erected around Cairo in 1087-92 (a maidan was even laid out in the shape of a Roman hippodrome), or in the country houses erected in the Syrian Steppe by the Ummayad elite, and whose plans follow that of the Roman fortress - even the name for such a residence 'qasr' is derived from the Latin 'castrum'.
The shadow of Rhufain - Rome - is very long.
Wednesday 1 August 2018
St Cynnog, Defynnog
I realize I've ben a bit lax of late when it comes to posting - apologies. Last week I was in Wales visiting with the bf. On the Thursday we went over the Brecon Beacons and down into the valley of the Usk and that excellent market town of Brecon, which I have blogged about before. On the way we stopped off at the attractive village of Defynnog in the Senni valley, being attracted by the strong, severe church tower. We were not disappointed. It is a place of almost serene beauty.
The tower is a rather martial, confident design - the belfry windows, as you can see, are tiny. Like most medieval church towers in Wales it is unbuttressed but, like the tower of St Peter in Carmathern and the tower at Llangathen the ground floor has a pronounced batter. Defensive or structural, I wonder? but here the simplicity seems particularly at ease in the spectacular landscape. The church is equally as simple, really nothing more than a long rectangle with a projecting s porch and a large chapel to the n of the chancel. Though looking back at the photographs I took, there seems to be some sort of disturbance to the s wall of the nave that suggests there may have been some sort of projecting chapel at some point in the past. That said I really know nothing of its history except that the projecting eaves etc, which give it quite a domestic air, suggest a Victorian restoration. The lychgate is certainly Victorian. There is perp tracery in both the east windows, and Gothick at the west end of the nave, what intrigued me however were the round headed windows elsewhere - were they original or Late Victorian? Either way a very satisfying design.
Pushing open the door I was met with a surprise. Firstly the door jamb seemed unending, (quite a surreal moment!), as though the wall of the church was immensely thick. It soon turned out not so for built right against the edge of the doorway was a wall running across the whole width of the nave. We had stepped into what was in effect a tall, narrow narthex - that was the second surprise. The narthex had sliced the nave into three parts with the west end divided off as a vestry (not a vestry but a schoolroom - 06.08.2018). When, I wondered had this all been undertaken? Not recently I think. Not that the subdivision of the nave meant a cramped place of worship. The interior is broad and spacious, and - delight of delights - it is still lit with oil lamps. Betjeman and, indeed, John Piper would have been pleased. Fittings were not that exciting, except for a number of wonderfully evocative ledgerstones in the n chapel. In all, however, eminently satisfying.
Alas I was too interested in the architecture and landscape to notice the yew trees in the churchyard. One in particular is immense, and is very old - ancient in fact, being at least 5,000 years old.
(06.08.2018 - turns out this was not the only treasure we missed, there's memorial immured in the tower that dates back to the 5th century, that is to somebody who quite conceivably had lived during the last days of the Roman Empire in Britain. Incredible.)
The tower is a rather martial, confident design - the belfry windows, as you can see, are tiny. Like most medieval church towers in Wales it is unbuttressed but, like the tower of St Peter in Carmathern and the tower at Llangathen the ground floor has a pronounced batter. Defensive or structural, I wonder? but here the simplicity seems particularly at ease in the spectacular landscape. The church is equally as simple, really nothing more than a long rectangle with a projecting s porch and a large chapel to the n of the chancel. Though looking back at the photographs I took, there seems to be some sort of disturbance to the s wall of the nave that suggests there may have been some sort of projecting chapel at some point in the past. That said I really know nothing of its history except that the projecting eaves etc, which give it quite a domestic air, suggest a Victorian restoration. The lychgate is certainly Victorian. There is perp tracery in both the east windows, and Gothick at the west end of the nave, what intrigued me however were the round headed windows elsewhere - were they original or Late Victorian? Either way a very satisfying design.
Pushing open the door I was met with a surprise. Firstly the door jamb seemed unending, (quite a surreal moment!), as though the wall of the church was immensely thick. It soon turned out not so for built right against the edge of the doorway was a wall running across the whole width of the nave. We had stepped into what was in effect a tall, narrow narthex - that was the second surprise. The narthex had sliced the nave into three parts with the west end divided off as a vestry (not a vestry but a schoolroom - 06.08.2018). When, I wondered had this all been undertaken? Not recently I think. Not that the subdivision of the nave meant a cramped place of worship. The interior is broad and spacious, and - delight of delights - it is still lit with oil lamps. Betjeman and, indeed, John Piper would have been pleased. Fittings were not that exciting, except for a number of wonderfully evocative ledgerstones in the n chapel. In all, however, eminently satisfying.
(06.08.2018 - turns out this was not the only treasure we missed, there's memorial immured in the tower that dates back to the 5th century, that is to somebody who quite conceivably had lived during the last days of the Roman Empire in Britain. Incredible.)
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