I gave E a lift into Solihull on Monday as she was meeting a friend for lunch so, as I had two hours free time before running her home, I decided to revisit the Parish Church of St Alphege as the first visit I made a few years ago was fairly brief. The oldest part of the church dates back to 1180 with additions made in the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. The church is dedicated to St Alphege who was born in 954 and was made Archbishop of Canterbury 1006-1012. He was killed by invading Danes and canonised in 1078.
I had a walk around the outside of the church first - here we have marks made by arrow sharpenings over the centuries. The long marks were made by Broadheads and the round ones by Bodkins (these are different types of arrowhead used with the long bows).
A Solihull Geology Trail booklet I have mentions that this rock is a glacial erratic - i.e. a rock that is different from the local bedrock and which was transported from another area by glaciers during an Ice Age and then deposited as the ice melted.
The Northern Porch dates from around 1360 and
contains two lovely stained glass windows.
The font dates from the 14th century but the stonework was dressed in late Victorian times.
The stained glass (apart from a few fragments of medieval glass) dates from 1845 onwards. It really is very beautiful - so rather a lot of stained glass window photos in this post!
The Candlemas Window designed by Claude Price in 1977.
The West Window - the Tree of Jesse by CE Kempe dates from 1879
The Resurrection by CE Kempe
In the bottom left hand part of the photo you can see a wheatsheaf - Kempe's mark.
This window shows Thomas Becket being murdered by four barons in Canterbury Cathedral. It dates from 1956 and is the work of Lawrence Lee once Professor of Stained Glass at the Royal College of Art and the designer of windows in Coventry Cathedral (another place I must revisit one day).
St Katherine's Chapel which contains a Reredos with paintings of Saints
Stained Glass in the Chancel
The East Window by William Vailes of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
The Chantry Chapel of St Alphege
Upper Chapel
Fragments of Medieval wall decorations
The East Window of 1908 containing flora and fauna images was by Bertram Lamplugh (a follower of the Arts and Crafts Movement)
The Lower Chapel - the Crypt Chapel of St Francis (medieval, built around 1277 and once the Chantry priest's chapel and chamber). The Altar is original.
Another photo of the church as I was leaving.
Lovely to see some thistle seedheads left to flourish near one of the entrances to Touchwood Shopping Centre.
Passion flowers - why doesn't mine flower like this?!!!
E had originally suggested going on to one of the local National Trust properties where Spotted Flycatchers have been seen recently but by the time we met up it was too late. So we stopped off in Coleshill on the way home and I had a browse round "Books Revisited" while E looked for Pokemons! Did have a cup of tea and a slice of Victoria Sandwich in a tearoom - no photo as I had left the camera in the car boot!
Reference: St Alphege Solihull Guide Book
