Worcestershire and Herefordshire Churches

Last Thursday we took a day trip up north to Worcestershire and Herefordshire, English counties not too far from the Welsh border.

Pershore Abbey

Our first stop was Pershore Abbey, because it was on the way and I had an article on it that needed pictures. We didn't stay long, but it was pretty cool on the outside and had some interesting features on the inside.

It looks rather stubby because it was once a huge abbey church, but then the nave and one of the transepts were demolished at the Reformation. What's left is now used as a parish church. The west side where the nave used to be is supported by modern struts to keep it from toppling over.

The inside is very Gothic and swoopy, with very nice vaults:

And the ceiling has a few surprises for those with good eyesight and/or a zoom lens:

Of the dozen or so roof bosses in the nave, we spotted Green Men in three of them. There may be more!

Worcester

Next stop was Worcester Cathedral. Unfortunately I don't know much about it since I haven't written an article for it yet, but it was large and impressive. It also had a very nice riverside location.

When we arrived, there was a degree ceremony happening in the cathedral and we enjoyed watching a procession of robed dignitaries on their way:

Note the beard on the right!

Before checking out the cathedral we went in search of lunch. And we ended up eating it in a church! It had been converted into a restaurant with the funny name of The Slug and the Lettuce. It's actually part of a chain and I'd been wanting to try it anyway, so it worked out great!

(David had a southern-fried chicken wrap and I had a BBQ baguette. They were good.)

Bellies full and happy, we set about our cathedral exploration. The degree ceremony was a bit of an inconvenience, but it did mean there were bleachers set up to give us a higher view on things.

View down the nave.

Part of the big west window, sadly with modern glass but pretty nevertheless.

A head-scratcher in a corner near the west window.

More interesting roof bosses - medieval, but recently repainted.

The tomb of King John - the one who was forced to sign the Magna Carta.

The lion chewing on his sword represents his loss of power.

This was probably my favorite feature in the cathedral - a large chantry chapel holding the tomb of a medieval prince named Arthur.

It is covered in lovely small sculptures, which were smashed by the hammers of Puritans at the Civil War.

And downstairs is a Norman crypt, the oldest part of the cathedral.

Kilpeck

Our daylight fading (it's sad how little of it there is these days), we headed for our next destination, which was over an hour further west. This is Kilpeck Church, which I have been wanting to visit for many, many months.

It doesn't look like much, but it's all about the details! Kilpeck is home to the biggest and best collection of Romanesque sculpture in Britain, and it all dates from about 1140. It seems to have been influenced by what a local man saw in southwest France while on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, but it also has lots of Celtic, Saxon and Viking influences. It is seriously cool, and it's something of a miracle that it survived completely intact through the Reformation and the Civil War, when so much church art was destroyed.

First of all, the entire roofline around the church is decorated with about 80 sculptured corbels. Some topics seem fairly random, a few have a theme connected with those around them, but the exact interpretations of most of them remain a mystery. They are so interesting! Below are a few of my favorites.

Aren't these cute? They look like something out of Disney. But honestly, they were carved 850 years ago.

These are all next to each other in this order, and are believed to be a visual summary of Christian salvation. From left: the Devil (with wicked smile); the Devil's effect on man (beastly and unhappy); Christ comes along (represented by the common *Agnus Dei* symbol, only here the lamb is replaced by a horse!); man is more human and happier.

These are part of another theme: the medieval fair. Records indicate that Kilpeck hosted weekly fairs (every Friday), plus two annual fairs. From left: A man playing an ancient stringed instrument called a rebec; two wrestlers, dancers, or maybe Siamese twins; a representation of a contest in which whoever could catch a greased pig could keep it; a tumbler.

Then there is the south door, which is beautifully carved with leaves, vines, mythical beasts and more.

In the center is the Tree of Life, which was used in both pagan and Christian contexts across Northern Europe.

This fearsome creature is a basilisk, a mythical beast described in the Bestiary. His stare was lethal if he saw you before you saw him.

Various other beasties of the south door.

The interior has also remained virtually unchanged since it was built in 1140. Nothing was added on later (such as the usual aisles, tower, etc.) because Kilpeck was hit by the Black Plague in the 1300s and lost all its prosperity.

The main attraction in here is the chancel arch, which has sculptures of unknown saints and priests.

The figures have different haircuts and hold their crosses differently, but no one knows the significance of this.

In the apse (round end where the altar is) there is some interesting stone vaulting, topped with four faces. Their significance is also a mystery.

And finally, this humble-looking flowerpot is the oldest artifact in the church. In fact, it is much older than the church, and may even be pre-Saxon! It was originally a holy water stoup, which stood by the entrance for purification upon entering the church. It is carved to look like arms around a pregnant belly and has snake feet. I've certainly never seen anything like it.

After exploring all this wonderful stuff, we wandered out into the adjacent field where we met some curious and very cute black sheep.

We watched the sun set over the church and trees...

...then debated whether to find a place to stay for the night so we could explore more of the area in the morning, or make the two-hour drive home in the dark. In the end, we chose the latter.

Abbey Dore

But on our way, we visited Abbey Dore, which was marked on our road atlas and wasn't too far out of the way. It ended up being one of the funnest experiences of the trip!

This is what's left of a Cistercian monastery founded in 1147. It was almost dark when we arrived, but it was still a beautiful place. In fact, it was rather magical in the fading light.

We tried the door and were astonished to find it open! It was very large, very quiet, and very dark in there. We immediately started our usual search for light switches. Normally we do this to get better pictures, but here it was necessary to see anything! By the dimmest light still coming through the high windows we investigated every nook and cranny, but came up with nothing.

Eventually David found a lighter and lit some tall candles along the choir aisle and at the pulpit. I can't tell you how cool it was to be in such an ancient place by candlelight!

It didn't make for very good pictures, though.

By the candlelight we were able to find some floor lamps that were plugged into the wall, so we at least got to explore the vaults and capitals along the outer wall.

Same view as above, with lights on and candles out.

There were also several roof bosses lying around on the floor, which was neat because we don't normally get to see them up close:

Eventually a lady arrived with her dog to lock up for the night and didn't seem at all alarmed to find us creeping around in the half-darkness. She even offered to leave us the keys so we could lock up ourselves. But we were ready to be done, and after a long day of fun, we finally called it a night and made our way home.