Another Visit to Herefordshire - Part 5: St Michael and All Angels, Croft

 

St Michael and All Angels at Croft predates the present castle. The first church was built in the C12th and the present church dates back to the C14th and the church was enlarged in the C15th.

The bell turret with the ogee shaped cupola was added in the C17th.

The plain octagonal font, according to Pevsner, is probably C14th.

The tiles date back to the C15th/early C16th and are from Malvern and Monmouth with one dated 1486.  They are mostly heraldic.

The Chancel

Looking down the nave from the chancel

East Window by Hardman 1916

This stunning monument is to the memory of Sir Richard Croft, Sheriff of Herefordshire, MP for Herefordshire in 1471 and the Governor of Ludlow Castle He was created a knight after the Battle of Stoke in 1487 and died on 29th July 1509.  The tomb is also for his wife Eleanor who died 1520.  She was the daughter of Sir Edmund Cornewall of Burford, Salop, and widow of Sir Hugh Mortimer of Kyre.

The tomb chest has standing angels holding shields beneath crocketed canopies.  According to Pevsner the tomb was inexpertently reconstructed when it was moved from the former north chapel.

The recumbent effigies have a lion at the feet of Sir Richard and a lion cub and puppy at the feet of Eleanor's effigy.  

It is a pity I am not taller or I could have taken better images of the effigies!

Against the rear wall there are saints in two tiers. The lower tier has St Anthony and St Roche and the upper tier shows St Sitha and St Margaret.

The Mortimer Connection

The Croft family were friends and allies of the Mortimers of Wigmore (Marcher lords).  A traditional story suggests that a member of the Croft family with the Mortimers helped with the escape of Lord Edward from Hereford Cathedral in 1265.

Sir Richard Croft (see tomb in photos above) was a important supporter of Richard, Duke of York and joined his son Edward at the Battle of Mortimer's Cross where they defeated the Lancastrians led by Owen Tudor.  

(A bit of background to this - when Edmund IV Mortimer died in 1425 without a son his Mortimer inheritance passed to his sister Anne's son who was Richard Duke of York.  His son Edward, the future King Edward IV was proclaimed King and crowned after the battle of Towton.  Sir Richard Croft was a close friend of Edward after he became king and his wife Eleanor was governess to the King's son.)

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 of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).

Reference:

"Buildings of England Herefordshire" by Alan Brooks and Nikolaus Pevsner, The  University Press, 2017

November Visit to Herefordshire - Part 3: Croft Castle

 

Thursday was a lovely day - cold but sunny - so we decided to revisit Croft Castle.  Unbelievably this is the first visit we have made this year and yet it is one of our favourite places!

I would have really liked to walk along The Dingle or Fishpool Valley walk as the autumn colours would have looked lovely and there is a lot of fungi down there but my feet and ankles were still swollen from cellulitis and as there are steep slopes and uneven walking we decided a wander round the Walled Garden was an easier option.

Autumn colours by the car park.

Croft Castle (now in the care of the National Trust) has been lived in by the Croft family since the Norman Conquest, apart from a period of ~177 years. The estate covers 644 hectares (1591 acres).

The original castle was a motte and bailey located west of the castle we see today.  The castle was rebuilt as a walled stone manor and was transformed by Sir James Croft in Tudor times. It was badly damaged in the Civil War.  In 1746, due to bankruptcy in the Croft family, the castle was taken over by the Knight family who turned the castle into the current Gothic castle.

We have visited the estate so many times but I still haven't looked round the house although when we visited this time it was closed I believe so it could be decorated for Christmas.

The lion is emblatic of the Croft family's Coat of Arms.

Wyvern

St Michael and All Angels predates the present castle.  The first church was built in the C12th  and the present church dates back to the C14th, it was enlarged in the C15th and re-modelled in the C18th.  The bell turret with ogee shaped cupola was added in the C17th.

Although I was tempted I didn't look inside but if you wish to see the interior please see here St Michael and All Angels Interior

There are wonderful views from the Castle and a super Ancient Tree Trail you can follow which we have walked several times in the past.

Oontitoomps!

Into the Walled Garden which covers 3.5 acres and was restored in the 1950's.

After we'd visited the Walled Garden I had a quick look round the second handbookshop which is located in the old stables.

I was going to take a photo of Timothy when we had tea and cake but B took one look at the prices and frankly small pieces of cake that he refused to buy any!  In recompense, I think!, he bought a reduced white pot rose from B and Q on the way back to Hatfield.

Friday - we popped into Leominster (I put the photos in the first post of this visit) and Saturday we came home.  We shall probably make just one more visit to shut the caravan down for the winter.  I would really like to continue going in December (3 months is a long time not to visit a place I love and escape to!) but after last year's experience with the frozen pipe when we had temperatures of around minus 6 or lower! we have decided it is not worth the risk! I just hope everything is ok after last week's cold spell!

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 of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).