As mentioned in my last post I had a quick look round the church of St John the Baptist while the rest of the family walked back for an icecream at Henley ices. The church built of local sandstone in the Perpendicular style dates back to the middle of the 15th century (possibly around 1443) and replaced an earlier Chapel of Ease. The church tower was restored/repaired in 1912 and 1979.
The clock on the tower installed in 1868 replaced an earlier one and as someone said on Twitter it does look a bit as though it was added as an afterthought!
On either side of the church porch there are dragons - one happy and
one grumpy/angry.
The stained glass window in the porch with images of St Geroge and St Christopher is dedicated to the Reverend Geroge Bell and his wife Mary who served the Parish between 1876 and 1914.
The font dates back to the 17th or 18th century.
The pulpit has linenfold panelling and I did like the embroidered cloth (sorry not sure of the correct name!) on both the pulpit and lectern which look very recent.
Roof rafters date back to the mid 17th century
The new reredos and altar clothes. The former shows the cycle of the moon and the latter the rising sun.
East Window
I did like these embroidered kneelers by the altar rail.
This north doorway may have been the link between the Chapel of Ease and the present church.
To celebrate the Millennium a new window was installed in the South Wall which shows Christ in the market place surrounded by representatives from local organisations.
The West Window
The original medieval supporting corbels are carved in the shape of angels holding shields.
More corbels in the shape of heads wearing medieval headgear.
Unfortunately I couldn't get a decent photo of this stone carving - a dragon? - as every time I moved near a light came on.
Corbels on the north windows show grotesque animals possibly a bat and a frog - their unpleasant appearance according to the guide book may have warned off undesirables! I don't think I have seen a bat or a frog depicted in a church before.
Water stoup in the porch where in earlier times people would have washed their hands in water before entering the church.
As always when I have limited time I managed to miss quite a few interesting features including a Green Man carving high above the porch. I've gone through photos of previous visits and found what I think is the Green Man taken by D.
Hopefully, I can return to the church as it is only about 30 mins away and I would also like to visit the Norman Church in Beaudesert a few hundred yards away from St John. The castle, if anything remains, also sounds interesting.
*D photo of Green Man taken by my son with the Canon SX50 bridge camera a few years ago
All other photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera
Reference: The Parish Church of St John the Baptist Henley in Arden guidebook
In times past when most people did not own a timepiece of any kind, clocks were featured on many prominent buildings. Then as people became a little better off pocket watches and wrist watches came into vogue, and now of course smart phones are ubiquitous, and clocks are no longer incorporated into modern structures. And more's the pity I say!
ReplyDeleteA lovely church with interesting features , especially the dragons, frog and bat not forgetting the green man. Have to say the clock made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteThe Millennium window is stunning.
Do hope you get to visit the other church in the town.
Amanda xx
David Gascoigne - Thank you. I agree about clocks being on buildings because I do not always wear a watch and half the time I forget my mobile!
ReplyDeleteAmanda Peters - Thank you. The two dragons there are my favourite and I was rather pleased to find the unusual frog and bat. The Millennium Window was beautiful. Will probably go back at some stage on my own so I can spend more time in the churches. Also a few miles away is the stunning church at Wooton Wawen which I need to revisit so I can cram that one in as well.
It is a lovely looking church. The colours in the millenium window are stunning.
ReplyDeleteA lovely building, ancient and modern blending well together. The clock does look as if they forgot it and then found there wasn't really room for it. The carvings are wonderful, love the smiling and grumpy dragons and also the faces, bats and frogs, how unusual they are. The windows are wonderful too:)
ReplyDeleteThat church clock is so wrong! Never seen that before.
ReplyDeleteCherryPie - Thank you and I thought the Millennium Window stunning too :)
ReplyDeleteRosie - Thank you - to be honest I hadn't noticed how wrong the clock looked until someone pointed it out. The carvings were a highlight for me :) It is so easy to forget to look up but I am training myself to do so whenever I go in a church :)
Simon Douglas Thompson - Thank you Simon. Once you notice the position of the clock you can't miss it every time you look at the photo!
Lovely photos Caroline :)
ReplyDeletePam - Thanks so much :)
ReplyDeleteYou really have an eye for seeking out the detail, RR, and helping us to notice it, too ... which I really appreciate. Like others, I am also drawn to the bat and frog carvings. And I love the blue butterfly (echoes of Robert Frost's blue butterfly poem, perhaps...) on what I think folk would call the pulpit 'fall'. I was in Norwich Cathedral on Saturday, where I always like the 'mirror on wheels' which helps one to admire the detail (Noah's Ark etc.) in the roof bosses, so high above our heads.
ReplyDeleteCaroline Gill - Thank you so much :) I think the bridge camera (now I can zoom in such a lot) and also #animalsinchurches hour has helped me notice detail far more these days.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for reminding me of Robert Frost's poem - I had failed to think of that. I do like his work - he was one of the poets from memory in the GCE"O" level set text (10 Twentieth century poets which I finally got a copy of second hand a few years ago).
Thanks for naming the fall too - will try and remember that!! Sadly, I have never been to Norwich Cathedral but the "mirror on wheels" sounds a lovely idea!! :)
I am always filled with admiration for the skills of stained glass workers both medieval and modern.
ReplyDeleteMidmarsh John - Thank you and yes I agree so much to admire and so much beauty :)
ReplyDeletei have a mug from Henley/Beaudessert :) an ex boss lives there and took me to Henley church
ReplyDeletePete Duxon - Thanks you - very jealous of your mug! I must go back to the Beaudesert Norman church - just behind the one I visited in this post. Your ex boss is fortunate - a nice little town :)
ReplyDeleteTrying to catch up again - can you tell that I have had a lot of new books to read?
ReplyDeleteI agree about the clock - what a hoot!
Toffeeapple - Thank you. It is always good to have lots of new books to read :)
ReplyDeleteThe font is the one my twin brother and I were baptized in 1942. Most of my family are buried in the graveyard of St. Nicholas.
ReplyDeletehuman love - thank you so much for the comment and interesting information. I have done a post on St Nicholas Church Henley in the past. Both are lovely churches.
ReplyDelete