East Portlemouth

One of my last parishes before retirement was East Portlemouth near Salcombe in South Devon. The mediaeval Rood Screen there has on the chancel doors a representation of the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We tend to forget that it was a 'Roman Catholic' church before the Reformation. This screen is a reminder of our common heritage in England.

The Lord in Glory is also depicted on the screen. This should have been on the other centre panel opposite the Virgin Mary, as below, but got moved in one of the restorations onto the right hand pair of doors by the organ.

East Portlemouth - Saints

Also painted on the screen are :- Possibly St. Henry VI (Good King Harry) and St Roche with his dog on hind legs giving him a loaf of bread; St Helena, mother of Constantine, with the true cross; St Cecelia with her portable organ and St Barbara with her tower; St Jerome with his lion. There are a number of other saints depicted too. If you are in Devon it is well worth a visit.

Madron near Penzance

The small village of Madron should be famous for its very early carved gravestone said to date from around 700AD. In the Churchyard is a typical Celtic cross. However....






















.....the thing that sticks in my memory is the door! "Jesus said 'I am the Way'" but obviously NOT this way! (There is another door into church which is open during the summer season).

A Carver with 'Attitude'

In the small church at Brent Knoll (near the M5 Sedgemoor Services) are some wonderful mediaeval pew ends. The carver obviously had little respect for mitred abbots (or is it a bishop?). He is shown as a fox preaching to an audience of animals including geese. Above him is a 'monk'(ey) holding a moneybag while underneath two monks (sorry monkeys) grill a goose on a spit. The fox (abbot) is then shown in chains, under judgement (owl in top section) and finally he is hung by the geese with the dogs applauding underneath. The whole seems to be a commentary on the greed of the monastic system!

Eardisley near Hereford

The font at Eardisley church is one of the most ornate 'Romanesque' fonts in the U.K. The local legend is that the Lord of the manor went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. He was so impressed with the carvings there (The famous "Portico de Gloria") that he suborned one of the masons and brought him back to the Welsh Marches. The result is the combining of Celtic, Saxon and Romanesque sybolism found in churches in the area.
The theme of the carving is the saving of a sinner from hell by Our Lord Jesus Christ. Norman soldiers as 'devils'?? Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove resting on His shoulder, appears to be dragging the reluctant sinner to safety.
This font is well worth a visit if you are in or around Hereford.