Lierne vaulting, Tewkesbury Abbey

The complex lierne vaulting  above the choir of Tewkesbury Abbey dates from the 1330s. It features unusually bright red and blue paintwork alongside more traditional cream. The bosses are gilded. The central ring of suns were the emblems of the Yorkists and are said to have been added by Edward IV after the defeat of the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. This was the last important battle of the Wars of the Roses.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Poppyhead, Tewkesbury Abbey choir stalls

The choir stalls at Tewkesbury Abbey were extensively restored in 1879, with new additions, by John Oldrid Scott. He incorporated some medieval misericords and other old work with his own designs. The photograph shows one of the "poppyheads" on the north side, two winged creatures below with grapes, leaves and tendrils above. Poppyhead is a word derived from the French "poupee" meaning doll or puppet, and describes the 3-part finial carving of the end of a wooden bench or stall.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Earth in the abbey

A quick trip to Tewkesbury found us in the abbey confronted by a surprise - a massive model of the earth as seen from space filled the nave. It was part of the touring artwork called "Gaia", a multimedia installation by the U.K. artist Luke Jerram. The seating of the nave had been removed to allow the public to walk underneath and around the slowly rotating model.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Circular stained glass window

This circular Gothic window is in the east wall of the north transept of Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire. I recently posted a photograph of its "partner", a window on the east wall of the south transept, that is a spherical triangle. Today's window comprises a large circle within which are six smaller circles each containing a quatrefoil. In the centre is a smaller still circle containing a sexfoil. Unusually, I haven't been able to find out much about the designer or maker of the stained glass, nor do I know its date. It's not medieval and is probably from the late C19 or first half of the C20. The main, central subject is the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). It is surrounded by angels, one in each quatrefoil swinging a censer. The text that runs around two circles is derived from Revelations 5:12 “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

A spherical triangle

I've read architectural historians who describe the shape of this kind of Gothic window as a "spherical triangle". It is a three-sided window with each side a part of a circle. The first example of the design that I recall seeing is in the south aisle of Gaddesby church in Leicestershire. This dates from the period c.1325-1350. Interestingly, the tracery of that particular window includes four "spherical quadrangles" i.e. squares, but with four curved sides all of the same circumference. The spherical triangle shown above can be seen at Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire. The subject depicted in the glass is a favourite of Victorian artists, the Three Graces" (Faith, Hope and Charity). Incidentally, I can understand the need for a word or phrase to describe the shape of this kind of window, but whether the chosen one makes sense is open to argument.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Tewkesbury Abbey decorative metalwork

In the medieval past the cost of the upkeep of the nave of a church usually fell to the lay congregation. However, the chancel and everything therein was funded by the church i.e the clergy, since it was their private domain in which they worked. But, since much of the money of the clergy derived from tithes paid by the laity, the congregation's pockets were hit twice. This pattern of cost sharing was true of many cathedrals and greater churches too. Consequently beautiful embellishments were made in the chancel, less so in the nave. And these embellishments were hidden from the congregation in the nave by rood screens, gates etc. This gate, which looks to be of Victorian origin, separates the choir from the crossing and nave at Tewkesbury Abbey. Today, in keeping with the times, it is usually open.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Medieval stained glass, Tewkesbury Abbey

The medieval stained glass above can be seen in Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire, and is believed to date from 1340-4. It was sensitively restored by Kempe & Co in 1923-4. The full length figures depict: in the centre Christ displaying the stigmata, to his left Mary, to the right, St Michael, and in the left and right outer panels, the Apostles. At the bottom right corner of the photograph is the kneeling, naked, monochrome, figure of the donor of the window, Lady Eleanor de Clare, who died in 1337.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Natural rim lighting

One of the photographic effects that photographers seized on in the early days of photography was rim lighting. This was achieved by placing a light behind a figure or object such that it lit the edge of the subject leaving the rest in deep shade. Rim lighting continues to be a popular technique today. I don't do portrait photography other than for the family album, so it's not part of my repertoire. However, when we were near St Faith's Chapel in Tewkesbury Abbey, I noticed this rim lit recumbent tomb effigy of Archdeacon Hemming Robeson d.1912, a former cleric of the abbey, and seized the moment. The lighting was mainly natural, supplemented a little by spotlights.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Peregrine falcon, Tewkesbury Abbey

On a recent visit to Tewkesbury Abbey accompanied by one of our sons and his daughter we walked round the outside of the building hoping to see a peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) on its specially provided perching point. And, what do you know? It was there! Of course, being at the height of the bell louvres on the crossing tower the bird was pretty much an elongated dark dot and certainly not identifiable by a non-birdwatcher at ground level. So I did what any good photography grandfather would do: I photographed the bird then showed my companions the image. A pair of peregrines are encouraged to nest at this position each year and they seem to oblige. For a peregrine the Romanesque and Gothic masterpiece is no more than cliff faces with suitable vantage points for catching pigeons and locations for nesting places.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Fonts, ballflowers and chancels

Medieval builders almost always started building a church at the east end of the chancel, the place that housed the high altar, the necessary prerequisite for worship. Consequently this is often the oldest part of a remaining medieval church. However, rebuilding in a more modern style, or expansion of the church, often meant building anew, and in such cases the area around the high altar may not be the oldest. Sometimes a font, the necessary prerequisite for admission to the faith, is the oldest part of the church. And, many churches kept a venerated old font even when rebuilding took place. But a font, though usually made of stone, is easily moved, and many were replaced, or even moved elsewhere. The font stem at Tewkesbury Abbey (above) has ballflower decoration that dates it to the fourteenth century (the bowl is newer), similar to the age of the chancel, but a couple of hundred years more recent than the nave. 

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

A cloistered chat

Tewkesbury Abbey, like almost all monastic buildings in England, suffered the depredations of Henry VIII. In the case of Tewkesbury, however, the main church remained largely intact because the town purchased the monks' part of the structure from the king for £453 and it became the parish church. The Lady Chapel, a detached bell tower, and the cloisters, along with a few other buildings, were pulled down. On a recent late afternoon we visited the grounds of the Abbey and during our circumnavigation of the church we came upon two ladies engaged in conversationon on a bench caught in the last sunlight of the day. They were having a literal and metaphorical cloistered chat (evidence of the site of the cloisters remain on the abbey walls around them).

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Choir, Tewkesbury Abbey

Photographing the interiors of large churches is often easier in winter than in the lighter months of the year. In summer the light streams in through the south windows and makes the exposure of the darkest and lightest areas difficult. However, in winter the natural light is often supplemented by artificial lighting that is placed to show off the structure to its best advantage. That is the case with Tewkesbury Abbey. Here the lights emphasise the arches, vaulting and the tile work of the floor to great effect, and contribute to the impression of richness that is a feature of most major churches.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

River Avon at Tewkesbury

There are several River Avons in Britain. This isn't surprising when you know that "avon" is Celtic for "river". Appending the word "River" is a relatively recent construction so in the past the name would not be the tautology that it is today. The Welsh "Afon" has the same meaning. The River Avon that flows through Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, is well-known as the Avon that flows through Stratford in Warwickshire, the birthplace of Shakespeare. At Tewkesbury is its confluence with the River Severn, and in this area it is a place of leisure boating. My photograph shows the final navigable stretch before the weir at the water mill. In the distance Tewkesbury Abbey can be seen. I liked the effect that sepia toning added to my black and white view.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M1