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Sunday, 21 May 2023

Church Of The Unexpected

Some churches survive much as their architects first visualised them, nicely weathered but otherwise unaltered by the passage of time. Others might be worth visiting for some rare survival, something you won't see elsewhere. But most have just evolved slowly over the centuries with each generation adding a layer of history, eventually producing a harmonious whole. Then there's St Peter's at Theberton.



Like an eager shopper in a bazaar, St Peter's has collected all kinds of queer things along the way. None of it quite fits together, but it's all worth investigating. You'll have already noticed that it has a thatched roof; most churches in this part of the world must have been thatched at some stage, but it's unusual to still see it on such a large building. Thatched roofs have to have a steeper pitch than tile or slate roofs, which always makes the tower look a bit small and out of scale.



And it's a round tower. You rarely find these outside of Norfolk and Suffolk and it seems to be a result of the type of building stone available. We just don't have anything other than flint or field stones, neither of which is any good for making corners, and it's expensive to bring stone in from elsewhere. So, a round tower it is! What's that sticking out on either side, up at the top?



Gargoyles! This one is lower down but it's much the same as those on the tower. The "giant cigar" is just a piece of lead piping to protect the stonework while ejecting rainwater away from the building. The odd name comes from the Latin gargula, meaning "throat" (the same root as the English verb to gargle). Ugly faces on buildings which are not water spouts are officially not "gargoyles", but "grotesques".



Once inside we find an almost barn-like space which is at first glance rather disappointing. Then your eye is drawn to a splash of colour on your right-hand side.



Whatever kind of psychedelic substances inspired decoration like this? 

In the nineteenth century the Doughty family paid for a lot of work on the church and decided that the south aisle should be a memorial to the doughty Doughty's, echoing the grandeur of medieval family chapels. A few scraps of old medieval paintwork were uncovered and from these the original decoration was re-envisioned. How accurate it is must be in some doubt, but the general effect has been achieved. Maybe.



It's certainly memorable, anyway.



As the previous picture hinted, they didn't stop with the arcade, but carried on across the ceiling.



Even more astonishing is this extravagant memorial to one of the Doughty's. Interestingly, nearby there's a very simple plaque to "Charles Montagu Doughty, poet and explorer". His book Travels in Arabia Deserta was highly praised by Lawrence of Arabia, no less.



Looking back into the nave, you can see that the organ has also been brightly decorated. We need to drag ourselves away from the Technicolor glory of the south aisle and see what else is here.



The font, sitting in the bell tower, is from the fifteenth century and is decorated with lions and other fabulous beasts.



Up in the chancel I found this carving on one of the bench ends. I think it's Victorian as it all looks a bit too crisp to be earlier - it's hard to resist putting your hand on the head of the angel when entering or leaving the pew and they are usually worn smooth, if not actually battered, by the passing years.



I rather liked the big east window - very colourful and detailed. That's Victorian too. But just how old is this church? Unless you are particularly nosey, or have read about it beforehand, you might miss the oldest feature. To see that you have to try a rather plain wooden door and step into the vestry.



On turning around you'll find a rounded arch decorated with carved chevrons. And that is definitely Norman, so around 900 years old. Time to go outside again, I think.



But whatever's this, in a case on the wall of the porch? 

On the morning of June 17th, 1917 a German Zeppelin airship was shot down over the village. It burst into flames and the crew plunged to earth. Remarkably two of the crew of nineteen survived. A fragment of the ill-fated airship is preserved here and the dead were buried in the cemetery opposite the church - "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant." Rom. XIV-IV. 



Just outside the church door there's this tomb. It has an inscription on top:

HERE IS A STONE TO SITT UPON
UNDER WHICH LIES IN HOPES TO RISE TO Y DAY OF BLISSE AND HAPPINESSE
 HONEST JOHN FENN, THE SONNE OF WILLIAM FENN, 
CLARKE AND LATE RECTOR OF THIS PARISH. 
BEING TURNED OUT OF THIS LIVING AND SEQUESTERED
FOR HIS LOYALTY TO THE LATE KING CHARLES THE FIRST 
HEE DEPARTED THIS LIFE ON THE 22 DAY OF OCTOBER ANNO DOMINI 1678.

Rev John Fenn lived to see the return of the monarchy and with a final thumbing of the nose to his Puritan persecutors he invites you to "sitt upon" his stone, something aimed to really make their pious blood boil. Priceless.



You just never know what to expect when you set out to explore one of the nearly 9,000 village churches in England.


Take care.


26 comments:

  1. The gargoyles caught my attention the most. Great images.

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  2. 'You never know what to expect' The huge Joy of exploring churches, even vicariously. This one a real delight. Thank you

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  3. Wonderful photographic record of a church weathering the storms of centuries of refurbishment.

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  4. Colour me fascinated. Thank you.

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  5. Absolutely priceless John. Being housebound more or less you will never know how much joy your posts bring me . This church tour is so interesting. The farmer and I had a holiday at Blakeney(lovely hotel) and another at Southwold. The churches in that area are all fascinating aren't they?

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  6. This reminds me a little, in a perverse sort of way, of a commentary I once read about the Italian actress, Sophia Loren. The writer said that her nose was too big, her hips too broad.....and so on. None of the parts seemed to match but put together they created unforgettable beauty. The human body cannot be refurbished like the church, however, and that's doubtless a good thing!

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  7. What a wonderful church, full of the diversity of it's patrons. Loved the touch of Moores, or perhaps more likely any Muslim mosques in the south aisle. I know nothing of Anglican rites, so perhaps you can give me correct use of the 6 tiger tails, or snakes, above the baptismal...sort of attached to the window?

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    1. You had me baffled for a few minutes there, Barbara. Those are the bell-ropes which have been looped up out of the way. I probably should have mentioned what they were.

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    2. Thanks...simple things can be imagined to be anything...

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  8. You are a perfect tour guide, John!

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  9. Certainly colourful. You must go and see the re-sited and restored church at St Ffagan national history museum outside Cardiff...

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  10. That is quite a marvelous specimen. Is it still an active church? It's a wonder with the thatched roof that it hasn't caught fire.

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    1. Yes, it's still a very active church in the heart of a fairly large village.

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  11. Esa vieja iglesia, es una joya arquitectónica y por lo que veo también tiene una zona de enterramiento en el exterior.
    Feliz domingo

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  12. The old church is very fascinating to see. Lots of history and details. Thanks for the tour, John.

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  13. So many varied things within. How fascinating:)

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  14. Such an unusual place, John.

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  15. encore une église bien originale * merci pour vos articles instructifs !

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  16. The towers! The smoking dog! (😂)
    It is all magnificent. The painted arches look Moroccan.

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  17. Hi John - what an amazing little church ... I do love the art work - but I'd happily sit there in contemplation for a while and go often if I lived nearby. Delightful with excellent photos - thank you - cheers Hilary

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  18. A fascinating tour. Had never given a thought as to why a tower had been built in the round. Thanks for enlightening me.

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  19. Thanks ever so much for the tour of this charming & fascinating church! Lovely to read that it remains an active village church. Your posts are always so informative and the photography top notch!

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  20. Thank you, John, for showing us another beautiful church. I just love that it is over 900 years old, and still useful.

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  21. Thank you, John, for this tour of a wonderful Church. The photos, as always, are great but without your commentary I would have missed a lot.

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  22. I would have not understood a thing about what I was looking at in this church. I certainly learned a lot from this post, John.

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Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'll try to answer any questions via a comment or e-mail within the next day or two (no hard questions, please!).