Fonts.
Fonts are often the oldest object in the church, retained when all else was renewed. There are several of the simplest Norman pattern, those of Purbeck marble carved with arches on the sides, but much more fun is the stone font at Anstey carved with mermen holding up their tails. In the thirteenth century, octagonal fonts came in, with that as Standon carved with foliage. The fourteenth century saw tracery patterns appear on the sides, and at Ware each side is carved with a saint under an ogee canopy. In the fifteenth century, symbols of the evangelists and angels were popular, with the shape becoming more simplified: Abbots Langley has a good example. After the Reformation, few fonts were made anew until the eighteenth century, when the fashion for marble baluster fonts spread from London to Cottered and Redbourn. A particularly rare font is that made by Wedgewood in the late eighteenth for Essendon in black basalt ware set on a wooden base. Many churches replaced their battered old fonts during Victorian restorations, leaving strong neo-gothic examples at Christ Church, Ware and Chipping Barnet.
Fonts are often the oldest object in the church, retained when all else was renewed. There are several of the simplest Norman pattern, those of Purbeck marble carved with arches on the sides, but much more fun is the stone font at Anstey carved with mermen holding up their tails. In the thirteenth century, octagonal fonts came in, with that as Standon carved with foliage. The fourteenth century saw tracery patterns appear on the sides, and at Ware each side is carved with a saint under an ogee canopy. In the fifteenth century, symbols of the evangelists and angels were popular, with the shape becoming more simplified: Abbots Langley has a good example. After the Reformation, few fonts were made anew until the eighteenth century, when the fashion for marble baluster fonts spread from London to Cottered and Redbourn. A particularly rare font is that made by Wedgewood in the late eighteenth for Essendon in black basalt ware set on a wooden base. Many churches replaced their battered old fonts during Victorian restorations, leaving strong neo-gothic examples at Christ Church, Ware and Chipping Barnet.
Stained glass.
Stained glass suffered badly over the years since the Reformation, as much from the weather and carelessness as from Puritan destruction. Odd fragments survived from the deeply coloured glass of the early fourteenth century; apart from the mother and child at St.Paul’s Walden mostly shields of arms, but from the end of the century there are several kings from a Jesse tree at Barkway, next to several interesting later saints. From the next century several churches have examples in their tracery of finely drawn figures lightly coloured in silver stain, and Clothall has a large number of quarries of decorative and amusing birds. Much glass was imported from the continent for antiquarians during the early Gothick revival, and some has found its way into Hertfordshire churches. Wyddial has several panes of seventeenth century glass showing scenes from the Passion, and glass from the collection at Ashridge went to nearby churches. After the destruction of French factories that produced pot metal glass, craftsmen moved to using enamels painted onto clear glass, and leading was reduced to merely holding the squares together rather than being used to clarify the design. At Offley there is some foreign glass, but the rarity here is the large panel in the east window of the Gothick chancel, a painting in enamels of the High Priest Aaron by Peckitt. When the Gothic Revival really got going in the middle of the nineteenth century, stained glass was an important part of it, and Hertfordshire has good examples of all of its phases. The earliest work is very pictorial and colourful; Clutterbuck’s east windows at Watton at Stone and Datchworth being two of the best. Firms such as Wailes of Newcastle with their medallions set on a mosaic of colours based their designs on thirteenth century work, whereas Clayton and Bell at Ippollitts and Heaton, Butler and Bayne at Kelshall evolved from early strong colour and line towards a more Arts and Crafts style, influenced by the ideas of William Morris and his pre-Raphaelite friends. The best of this is to be seen at Waterford, where Burne-Jones designs can be seen alongside work by early twentieth century artists such as Selwyn Image, Douglas Strachan and Karl Parsons, taking us up to work of modern times at Cuffley, where there are windows of fused glass by Alfred Fisher from the 1970s. A number of Millenium windows were bespoken, but the general standard of design is poor, with childish drawing and unimaginative imagery.
Stained glass suffered badly over the years since the Reformation, as much from the weather and carelessness as from Puritan destruction. Odd fragments survived from the deeply coloured glass of the early fourteenth century; apart from the mother and child at St.Paul’s Walden mostly shields of arms, but from the end of the century there are several kings from a Jesse tree at Barkway, next to several interesting later saints. From the next century several churches have examples in their tracery of finely drawn figures lightly coloured in silver stain, and Clothall has a large number of quarries of decorative and amusing birds. Much glass was imported from the continent for antiquarians during the early Gothick revival, and some has found its way into Hertfordshire churches. Wyddial has several panes of seventeenth century glass showing scenes from the Passion, and glass from the collection at Ashridge went to nearby churches. After the destruction of French factories that produced pot metal glass, craftsmen moved to using enamels painted onto clear glass, and leading was reduced to merely holding the squares together rather than being used to clarify the design. At Offley there is some foreign glass, but the rarity here is the large panel in the east window of the Gothick chancel, a painting in enamels of the High Priest Aaron by Peckitt. When the Gothic Revival really got going in the middle of the nineteenth century, stained glass was an important part of it, and Hertfordshire has good examples of all of its phases. The earliest work is very pictorial and colourful; Clutterbuck’s east windows at Watton at Stone and Datchworth being two of the best. Firms such as Wailes of Newcastle with their medallions set on a mosaic of colours based their designs on thirteenth century work, whereas Clayton and Bell at Ippollitts and Heaton, Butler and Bayne at Kelshall evolved from early strong colour and line towards a more Arts and Crafts style, influenced by the ideas of William Morris and his pre-Raphaelite friends. The best of this is to be seen at Waterford, where Burne-Jones designs can be seen alongside work by early twentieth century artists such as Selwyn Image, Douglas Strachan and Karl Parsons, taking us up to work of modern times at Cuffley, where there are windows of fused glass by Alfred Fisher from the 1970s. A number of Millenium windows were bespoken, but the general standard of design is poor, with childish drawing and unimaginative imagery.
Woodwork.
There are good examples of fittings of every style in Hertfordshire churches, covering everything from roofs and doors to pews and screens. Amongst the most important early items is the splendid door of Norman times covered with intricate ironwork decoration which remains in the small church at Little Hormead, At Gilston there is rare screen of the late thirteenth century, and many remain from the fifteenth century, including one of stone at Aldbury. Amongst the great many screens at Hitchin is what must be one of the most beautiful in the country, with big angels carved along the top. Jacobean screens can be seen at Wyddial, and an elegant and unusual Georgian rococo one at St.Paul’s Walden, which boasts ornate plasterwork of that date in the chancel. Several Victorian screens remain, but none outstanding.
Pews with simple bench ends as well as poppy headed stalls date from the fourteenth century onwards, with rustic misericords at Anstey and more sophisticated fifteenth century carving at Bishops Stortford on both misericords and elbow rests, with the stalls part of the screen. Box pews were mostly ripped out by restorers, but examples of two centuries remain at Stansted Abbots, still facing the triple decker pulpit that Reformed religion required. Many carved pulpits remain, from Much Hadham’s pre reformation gothic, through Jacobean splendour at Kings Langley to Puritan Sawbridgeworth,, and on through neo-classical Ayot St.Lawrence to neo-gothic Chipping Barnet.
Overhead, a wide range of open timber roofs remain all over the county, from simple Norman to complex Tudor roofs boasting life size angels with outspread wings and individual expressions. Those at Braughing and Hitchin are the equal of any of their more famous cousins in East Anglia. Jacobean and Georgian ceilings show the skill of plasterers, with the unusual addition of heraldic elephants’ heads at Watton at Stone. A successful surprise covers the chancel at Weston, a Victorian gilded hammerbeam roof.
There are good examples of fittings of every style in Hertfordshire churches, covering everything from roofs and doors to pews and screens. Amongst the most important early items is the splendid door of Norman times covered with intricate ironwork decoration which remains in the small church at Little Hormead, At Gilston there is rare screen of the late thirteenth century, and many remain from the fifteenth century, including one of stone at Aldbury. Amongst the great many screens at Hitchin is what must be one of the most beautiful in the country, with big angels carved along the top. Jacobean screens can be seen at Wyddial, and an elegant and unusual Georgian rococo one at St.Paul’s Walden, which boasts ornate plasterwork of that date in the chancel. Several Victorian screens remain, but none outstanding.
Pews with simple bench ends as well as poppy headed stalls date from the fourteenth century onwards, with rustic misericords at Anstey and more sophisticated fifteenth century carving at Bishops Stortford on both misericords and elbow rests, with the stalls part of the screen. Box pews were mostly ripped out by restorers, but examples of two centuries remain at Stansted Abbots, still facing the triple decker pulpit that Reformed religion required. Many carved pulpits remain, from Much Hadham’s pre reformation gothic, through Jacobean splendour at Kings Langley to Puritan Sawbridgeworth,, and on through neo-classical Ayot St.Lawrence to neo-gothic Chipping Barnet.
Overhead, a wide range of open timber roofs remain all over the county, from simple Norman to complex Tudor roofs boasting life size angels with outspread wings and individual expressions. Those at Braughing and Hitchin are the equal of any of their more famous cousins in East Anglia. Jacobean and Georgian ceilings show the skill of plasterers, with the unusual addition of heraldic elephants’ heads at Watton at Stone. A successful surprise covers the chancel at Weston, a Victorian gilded hammerbeam roof.
Tiles.
Whilst the earliest churches probably boasted Roman mosaics, big relief patterned tiles made for St.Albans Abbey in Norman times by German craftsmen are the earliest to be found. A design made up of pseudo mosaic style tiles of about 1300 covers a floor at Meesden, and a few simpler late fourteenth century examples remain here and there. Many existing floors of encaustic tiles seem to have been relaid from monastic sites, with hares, birds and flowers decorating those from Kings Langley priory, and a large number from around ending up at Aldbury from Ashridge, Tiles of the Tudor period at Ashwell feature raised patterning for grip. Victorian tiles remain on walls and floors in several churches, with particularly good lions and a Butterfield tiled reredos at Chipping Barnet, and glittering Powells mosaics of the early twentieth century cover the chancel walls at Waterford.
Whilst the earliest churches probably boasted Roman mosaics, big relief patterned tiles made for St.Albans Abbey in Norman times by German craftsmen are the earliest to be found. A design made up of pseudo mosaic style tiles of about 1300 covers a floor at Meesden, and a few simpler late fourteenth century examples remain here and there. Many existing floors of encaustic tiles seem to have been relaid from monastic sites, with hares, birds and flowers decorating those from Kings Langley priory, and a large number from around ending up at Aldbury from Ashridge, Tiles of the Tudor period at Ashwell feature raised patterning for grip. Victorian tiles remain on walls and floors in several churches, with particularly good lions and a Butterfield tiled reredos at Chipping Barnet, and glittering Powells mosaics of the early twentieth century cover the chancel walls at Waterford.
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