St. Nicholas, Great Hormead.
Away south from the centre of the little village, this church sits closer to the local patron's house. As so often in rural N.E. Hertfordshire, the local lordling's ease comes before that of his tenants.This church was much restored in the 1870s; its chancel and porch are Victorian and the late fourteenth century tower and late mediaeval nave and aisles were renewed with crisp nineteenth century ashlar. However, this C19th skin covers an earlier body, mostly of dates between 1300 to 1400, but retaining Norman details here and there. The font may have been tidied up but dates from around 1200. Damage left on the edge of the bowl where a lock once fitted often helps prove a mediaeval date when a font has lost its patina of age to Victorian chisels.
Away south from the centre of the little village, this church sits closer to the local patron's house. As so often in rural N.E. Hertfordshire, the local lordling's ease comes before that of his tenants.This church was much restored in the 1870s; its chancel and porch are Victorian and the late fourteenth century tower and late mediaeval nave and aisles were renewed with crisp nineteenth century ashlar. However, this C19th skin covers an earlier body, mostly of dates between 1300 to 1400, but retaining Norman details here and there. The font may have been tidied up but dates from around 1200. Damage left on the edge of the bowl where a lock once fitted often helps prove a mediaeval date when a font has lost its patina of age to Victorian chisels.
 C12th feline mask
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 C14th roof corbel
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Inside, this was a dark church even on a bright summer's day; partly the result of the 1870s stained glass that fills most of the windows, some of which is Clayton and Bell's work just as they hover on the edge of their fall from early grace into later mass production .Photography was not helped by the power being off: no lighting, nor power for my builders' floodlights. Even so, it was possible to make out what looked like reused twelfth century corbels in the south aisle, and two sets of fourteenth and fifteenth century roof corbels in the nave over the fourteenth century arcades.
 C15th head
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 C14th roof corbel
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 Man pulling faces
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This is a pleasant enough church, with fresh flowers helping a somewhat tired interior; despite its heavy handed restoration there was nothing outstandingly out of place, and a few items of interest, if nothing worth going far out of your way for. Perhaps the fact that we can say that just shows how spoiled for choice we are; plenty of the corbels here would find an easy home in many museums around the world, yet just because they are not presented as sculptures they often don't get a second glance.
The church is I believe always open in daylight - though it would help if any reached the interior to brighten the Stygian gloom. Full marks for being open, anyway.
The church is I believe always open in daylight - though it would help if any reached the interior to brighten the Stygian gloom. Full marks for being open, anyway.
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