St. Augustine, Broxbourne.
From Roman road to Tarmac.
Broxbourne sits on an ancient route out of London; the Romans built Ermine Street along its path next to the river Lea, the Jacobeans wrapped their New River canal around the churchyard, and the Victorian railway to Cambridge passes within sight of the church. Travellers passed by, services sprang up, and merchants carved out estates within a day’s ride of town. Ribbon development here dates from the 1600s, stretching almost from London to Ware. Such a site must have had a church in early times, but nothing remains of this as it was rebuilt around 1500, paid for by men who worked in London around the Court, the commuters of the late middle ages.
From Roman road to Tarmac.
Broxbourne sits on an ancient route out of London; the Romans built Ermine Street along its path next to the river Lea, the Jacobeans wrapped their New River canal around the churchyard, and the Victorian railway to Cambridge passes within sight of the church. Travellers passed by, services sprang up, and merchants carved out estates within a day’s ride of town. Ribbon development here dates from the 1600s, stretching almost from London to Ware. Such a site must have had a church in early times, but nothing remains of this as it was rebuilt around 1500, paid for by men who worked in London around the Court, the commuters of the late middle ages.
The tall tower with its higher stair turret looks out over Churchfields: geese, ducks and swans battle over breadcrumbs in the New River which runs across the west front before turning sharply to enclose the churchyard to the north. Every part of the church is embattled except the north chancel chapel, for which is reserved the unusual ornament of an intricately carved parapet decorated with stags’ heads, the name and heraldry of the Saye family and the date, 1522, the last part of the mediaeval church expansion. The parapet continues around the two storey attached vestry. This chapel and the southern chapel of 1476 are stone faced, unlike the rest which is of flint. Robert Stowell, a metropolitan mason who worked for the abbey of Westminster, built the south chapel. The unusual south porch has an artisan mannerist doorway of around 1650 with a lamb’s head on the keystone, indeed the entire porch is of that date, with tiny pediments to the lancet windows; it fulfilled the functions of a lych gate, with memento mori mottos inside extorting the dead to rise and come to judgement. Inside, the arcades run straight through from one end to the other: there is no chancel arch, only some poor royal arms above the chancel entrance which conceal a painted doom[13]. The roofs are original, with crown posts springing from tie beams in the nave, and boss-studded panelling in the chancel bearing heraldry.
The font is late Norman, an octagonal bowl on nine short shafts, one of those made of Purbeck marble in such numbers and found throughout much of the country, a precocious example of factory production. Early Victorian stained glass by Thomas Willement remains in the Saye chapel, with brightly coloured medallions of 1857: the rest of the glass is unmemorable. There are several chest tombs with brasses, the mode of memorial most popular in the county, that of Sir John Say[14] and wife of 1474 being perhaps the best, with an interesting one to a sergeant at arms at Henry VIII’s court portraying a Tudor knight holding a mace. Others have disappeared, metal theft from churches not being just a modern problem. The most spectacular monument here is that to Sir Henry Cock of 1609, shown in effigy reclining somewhat stiffly in his ornate armour above and behind his wife, who lies in prayer dressed up to the nines, whilst his sons and daughters appear in relief below. Those holding skulls died young; in this case only one child survived. The daughters are very well portrayed, with memorable faces and amazing costumes, particularly the spectacular headdresses jutting above their backcombed hair. With these up-dos and their farthingales and ruffs it must have taken hours to dress and have involved a lot of starch and hair irons
Further west in the same aisle the bewigged bust of William Monson sits next to that of his wife Laetitia on the memorial of 1727, with charnel house trophies below the epitaphs. Laetitia built and endowed the Monson almshouses on the High Road nearby: the school mentioned seems to be that at South Carlton founded by Sir John Monson in 1678.
Whilst these forgotten courtiers may have the most splendid memorials, a more modest epitaph can be found to the east of the south nave door to someone whose name has passed into the language: John McAdam, inventor of tarmacadam, the road surface we call tarmac: his life may have been less glorious than the aediculated dead around him here, but it is he who after all has the greater memorial.
Before you leave Broxbourne, take time to wander down past the remains of the old mill ponds to the watery landscape of the Lea Valley Park to the east. Once past the railway, there are lakes full of fowl and miles of meandering river to explore where you can hire a boat or take a cruise.
Check the attached church office for access between 9.00 and 1.00 on Mon., Tues., Wed., or Fri. or ring 01992 444117.
Whilst these forgotten courtiers may have the most splendid memorials, a more modest epitaph can be found to the east of the south nave door to someone whose name has passed into the language: John McAdam, inventor of tarmacadam, the road surface we call tarmac: his life may have been less glorious than the aediculated dead around him here, but it is he who after all has the greater memorial.
Before you leave Broxbourne, take time to wander down past the remains of the old mill ponds to the watery landscape of the Lea Valley Park to the east. Once past the railway, there are lakes full of fowl and miles of meandering river to explore where you can hire a boat or take a cruise.
Check the attached church office for access between 9.00 and 1.00 on Mon., Tues., Wed., or Fri. or ring 01992 444117.
[13] Murals of the Last Judgement were commonly painted over the chancel arch.
[14] (sic) People in the past were cavalier in the spelling of their names, and even on tombs they often took a few generations to settle down.
[14] (sic) People in the past were cavalier in the spelling of their names, and even on tombs they often took a few generations to settle down.
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