Always a relief to see a sign that the church is open :)
The nave looking towards the chancel
Titian's Lost Last Supper
The Last Supper painting in Ledbury Church is a workshop painting from Titian's Shop c 1560-1580. It was bought in Venice by John Skippe of Ledbury and donated to the Parish Church in 1909 by his descendant Waldyve Martin. It was cleaned and restored by Ronald Moore in 2018.
Originally the Last Supper was in the Convertite in Gaudecca in Venice. It was listed as being there in 1773. The Four Apostles with white beards were painted by Girolam Dente who left his monogram on them. There were probably six or more painters involved in the work probably over a period of 20 years. The ewer or jug in the painting contains Titian's signature which can now only be seen under ultra violet light.
There are two fonts - G G Scott's font of 1852 and a late C17th font.
Early C14th corbel of a winged lion attacking a human headed monster. I missed the one with fighting dragons.
Royal Arms of George III.
Pulpit by James Fowler of Louth 1883. Carved by the Reverend John Jackson.
Stained Glass
As I've mentioned I only had 30 minutes to rush round and take as many photos as possible. So I really didn't take much in at the time. There was a lot more stained glass than shown in the photos as some photos were too poor to publish and I missed others. Its probably just as well I didn't take them all as there are enough here!!
Pevsner states makers of the stained glass but I couldn't work out which was which in most cases but there are windows by Ward and Hughes 1895, Veronica Whall 1920, Morris & Co, Kempe and Preedy
This modern window is the Heaton Window and is by John Clarke of Glasgow 1991. It is an interpretation of the Benedicite - a Biblical poem which speaks of all creation praising God.
Fragments of Medieval Glass
The Sundial Window which acts as a sundial when the sun shines through it.
Looking towards the Chancel
Lovely kneelers
Monuments and Memorials
There were a lot and again I didn't get photos of them all. Unfortunately my Pevsner is in Herefordshire and I foolishly didn't note down details of many of them. I would have liked to buy some leaflets and a guide book of the church if there was one but I didn't have any cash with me. There was a machine where you could scan your card for donation but I wasn't sure if you could pay for shop items that way and I didn't have time to ask. I am kicking myself now for that lack of time!
The C17th Skynner Family Tomb which records the lives of Edward and Elizabeth Skynner who both lived to be over 80. Their baby who died young is shown between the kneeling parents. Their 5 sons and 5 daughters who survived to adulthood are shown below. Edward was one of a group of wealthy clothiers who between them were responsible for building many of the fine houses of Ledbury.
Memorial to Captain Samuel Skynner who died July 1725 - look at all those naval symbols!
A chapel behind railings
A few of the many ledger stones in the floor. Sadly I missed the brasses and the effigy of a C13th monk.
The Reredos behind the altar in the chancel is by local artist Thomas Ballard dated 1824 of Leonardo's Last Supper.
Surviving medieval fragments
War Memorials
Sorry for all the photos. I took a lot in that 30 minutes!
I hope I can return one day and spend more time so I can take in what I see and buy a guide book.
I hope everyone is staying safe and well.
All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one or more I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).
Reference: Pevsner Buildings of England Herefordshire by Alan Brooks and Nikolaus Pevsner Yale University Press 2017
Britain Express website on Ledbury Church
St Michael's Church website which has a very brief history of some of the features.
8 comments:
Well done. You covered this much more thoroughly than I did and in just 30 minutes too. Did you go up the separate bell tower? That was something I missed out on when I was there.
Goodness for 30 minutes you certainly got the lot, didn't you? Hopefully next time you will have more time. I know what it's like, trying to rush round, trying to take it all in. And taking photographs as well. My goodness, you've done really brilliantly well. Stunning stained glass. Beautiful kneelers too. Interesting information regarding the Titian. Amazing that such a relatively small painting took so many. Years. Well, two decades to complete.
Bovey Belle - Thanks so much. It is a church I think where you need several hours! No I didn't go up the bell tower and I am not sure if it was open. Perhaps next time also family like going up towers so that might keep them amused!
Rustic Pumpkin - Thanks so much. It was such a rush believe me. I need to do more research on the painting as I am not sure if its importance was realised for years but I may be wrong. Do wish I could have bought a church guide book as often useful info in there.
Wonderful photos, you managed to see and record so many details in your short time there. It looks a lovely church with so much to see. I liked the windows and the kneelers and the seasonal flower displays too. Hopefully next time you visit there will be a guide book you can purchase as they do give lots of local information not always found in books or online and are a nice souvenir to keep too:)
Beautiful church and a lot to see with some wonderful stained glass to see. A lot of more modern effigies and memorials in the church as well. I love seeing the older ones especially seeing the floor tombs with old dates on them, You wonder what sort of people they were.
Rosie - Thanks so much. There was quite a lot of items on sale. I must admit I haven't used cash since before the pandemic as I buy so much online and most shops take card payments too. I really must get some cash from a hole in the wall as there was another church I went in fairly recently when I hadn't got any money to buy a guide book.
Billy Blue Eyes - Thanks so much. Yes I wonder too about the people who are buried in churchyards and churches and the lives they led.
You have captured some lovely details of the church. I hope you get the chance to go back and explore in more detail.
CherryPie - Thanks so much.
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