ST PETER. The church lies away from the village, grey, broad, and of irregular blocks of varying age and shape. Broad Norman W tower. Flat, thin buttresses strengthened in the C14, when a pretty ogee-headed stair doorway was inserted inside. Corbel-table and above it tall two-light bell-openings flanked by pairs of blank arches.* The top is Perp. The arch to the nave makes an early C12 date certain. Shafted responds with demi-column. Steep bases with a flat zigzag (cf. Castor). Decorated capitals. The arch was remodelled later. The original church was aisleless, see the W angles. Norman also and not much later (cf. Peterborough) the N arcade of two bays. Big circular piers with many-scalloped capitals and heavy square abaci. Arches with thick rolls. The S arcade is Norman too, but later, say c.1175-95 (cf. Peterborough). Circular piers and square abaci, less heavy. More busily scalloped capitals, nicked at the corners. Arches with two chamfers and a big outer nailhead. The Norman church had a clerestory. Its small windows can be seen from inside the aisles. Of the C13 the chancel arch; the chancel windows seem later, about 1290. Y-tracery cusped, also two lights with a foiled circle over. Perp E window. Attached to the chancel on the S side a treasury of the late C13 or a somewhat later date. It is a small chamber with lancet windows, some of them still with iron grilles, and has a vault. This has diagonal and ridge ribs (sunk wave moulding). Finally the ambitious N chancel chapel, founded as a chantry in 1367. Two bays, four-light E and three-light N windows, with transoms; Perp. Battlements. Arch to the chancel with two sunk quadrant mouldings. The E respond shows that a C13 chapel had existed before. Tall arch to the aisle, splendidly cusped and subcusped in pierced work. SEDILIA and PISCINA with ogee arches and crocketed gables. In the chancel a Perp EASTER SEPULCHRE, ogee-arched, with much quatrefoiling, etc. - PLATE. Cup, 1570; Cup and shallow Bowl on baluster stem, silver-gilt, secular, 1601.
* (Blank arcading inside this stage. VCH)
MAXEY. We come to it across wide expanses of reclaimed marshland where alders and willows stand in lines by low-lying streams and dykes. On this low-lying land are the ruins of arches called Lolham Bridges, all that is left of a causeway originally built by the Romans to carry King Street, a branch of Ermine Street, across the marshes of the Welland Valley; this causeway was re-built in the 17th century. Now the Fens have been drained and there is little water under the arches, but they remain in their solitude a link with those far-off days.
The church stands solitary away from the village, and has a Norman tower with splendid arcades above a corbel table of stone heads. The tower was built about the time William Rufus was slain in the New Forest, and the belfry was added 500 years ago. There is a sundial on a buttress of the south wall, and the massive iron-studded south door has been here 600 years.
The nave is Norman and has graceful arcades, all the arches with fine capitals carved by the axe. The capitals of the tower arch are more elaborate, but the arch the Normans set on these capitals was replaced by the fine pointed arch of the English builders. One of the capitals has a head with foliage coming from the mouth. The nave has medieval windows, and the ancient clerestories light up the 500-year-old timbers of the roof.
The chancel arch is as high as the roof and is 700 years old. The earliest of the three windows in the chancel is framed by columns with flowered capitals; the other two windows are lancets with good modern glass of Gabriel with a Madonna lily and Michael with sword and scales, a tribute to the vicar’s youngest son, Gerard Sweeting, who fell in Belgium in 1915. The three stone seats for the priests are delicate examples of 14th century carving and have a continuous garland of trefoil moulding and three fine finials. In the north wall of the sanctuary is a richly decorated recess with a carved arch, the back of the recess panelled and traceried, the spandrels filled with carving, and the front below the recess enriched with panelled tracery. On the uprights of this elegant structure are the busts of a man and woman holding shields.
One of the rarest things here is a tiny room built about 1280 with a stone-vaulted roof carved with a four-leaved boss; it is at the south-east corner of the chancel and only six feet square. It has double doors leading to it from the sanctuary, one very old with three locks, suggesting that the chamber was a sacristy.
The north chapel is entered from the chancel by a fine plain arch, and from the aisle under hanging open tracery which has been here 600 years. The chapel has a piscina in the corner and some poppy-head benches, but its main interest is in the gravestones on the floor, and one or two coffins with carved lids. In the east window of this chapel are two small figures of saints in brown and yellow glass 500 years old; it is thought they are Peter and Paul, one carrying a sword over his shoulder. There are other fragments of old glass in the east window of the south aisle.
To students of medieval worship there is much interest in a piscina high up on the south wall of the nave between the top of a Norman arch and a doorway. Through this doorway can be seen the stairs to the old roodloft, and the piscina indicates that mass was celebrated at this high spot 500 years ago.
The exterior of the church is interesting for its examples of 15th century work added to the Norman, as in the top storey of the tower, the west window pierced in the Norman masonry, and the wheel-cross and battlements outside the north chapel.
Over the east window outside is a huge gargoyle with grinning mouth and outstretched claws, and we are not likely to forget our surprise as we stood looking at this strange sight with a solemn owl perched upon it, as still as stone until in an instant he flew away, leaving us alone with the monster in the unbroken stillness of this lonely spot.
The church stands solitary away from the village, and has a Norman tower with splendid arcades above a corbel table of stone heads. The tower was built about the time William Rufus was slain in the New Forest, and the belfry was added 500 years ago. There is a sundial on a buttress of the south wall, and the massive iron-studded south door has been here 600 years.
The nave is Norman and has graceful arcades, all the arches with fine capitals carved by the axe. The capitals of the tower arch are more elaborate, but the arch the Normans set on these capitals was replaced by the fine pointed arch of the English builders. One of the capitals has a head with foliage coming from the mouth. The nave has medieval windows, and the ancient clerestories light up the 500-year-old timbers of the roof.
The chancel arch is as high as the roof and is 700 years old. The earliest of the three windows in the chancel is framed by columns with flowered capitals; the other two windows are lancets with good modern glass of Gabriel with a Madonna lily and Michael with sword and scales, a tribute to the vicar’s youngest son, Gerard Sweeting, who fell in Belgium in 1915. The three stone seats for the priests are delicate examples of 14th century carving and have a continuous garland of trefoil moulding and three fine finials. In the north wall of the sanctuary is a richly decorated recess with a carved arch, the back of the recess panelled and traceried, the spandrels filled with carving, and the front below the recess enriched with panelled tracery. On the uprights of this elegant structure are the busts of a man and woman holding shields.
One of the rarest things here is a tiny room built about 1280 with a stone-vaulted roof carved with a four-leaved boss; it is at the south-east corner of the chancel and only six feet square. It has double doors leading to it from the sanctuary, one very old with three locks, suggesting that the chamber was a sacristy.
The north chapel is entered from the chancel by a fine plain arch, and from the aisle under hanging open tracery which has been here 600 years. The chapel has a piscina in the corner and some poppy-head benches, but its main interest is in the gravestones on the floor, and one or two coffins with carved lids. In the east window of this chapel are two small figures of saints in brown and yellow glass 500 years old; it is thought they are Peter and Paul, one carrying a sword over his shoulder. There are other fragments of old glass in the east window of the south aisle.
To students of medieval worship there is much interest in a piscina high up on the south wall of the nave between the top of a Norman arch and a doorway. Through this doorway can be seen the stairs to the old roodloft, and the piscina indicates that mass was celebrated at this high spot 500 years ago.
The exterior of the church is interesting for its examples of 15th century work added to the Norman, as in the top storey of the tower, the west window pierced in the Norman masonry, and the wheel-cross and battlements outside the north chapel.
Over the east window outside is a huge gargoyle with grinning mouth and outstretched claws, and we are not likely to forget our surprise as we stood looking at this strange sight with a solemn owl perched upon it, as still as stone until in an instant he flew away, leaving us alone with the monster in the unbroken stillness of this lonely spot.
No comments:
Post a Comment