THE CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS LANGLEY Norfolk

Transcription

1 THE CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS LANGLEY Norfolk Fig 1. West tower from south west Conservation Based Analysis Civil Parish: Langley with Hardley NHER No Stephen Heywood FSA Heritage and Landscape Norfolk County Council September 2009

2 The church of St Michael, Langley Introduction This report is in response to the grant aided repairs to take place to the chancel roof and ceiling. It seeks to elucidate the architectural history of the church with special reference to alterations and embellishments made by the Beauchamp-Proctor family of Langley Hall and estate in the late 18 th century and early 19th. The church consists of an aisleless nave with a contemporary chancel of the same width as the nave. There is a west tower with diagonal buttresses and there are diagonal buttresses to the west end of the nave also. There is a medieval porch to the north and a 19 th -century vestry corresponding to the south door. To the east of this there is a smaller boiler room. The roofs are of slate replacing lead for which a faculty was obtained in The tower has a pair of lean-to pantile roofs. Fig. 2 North porch Fig. 3 Detail of north doorway The principal entrance to the church is via the north porch (fig 2). This is a simple late medieval adjunct with an entrance arch of two plain chamfered orders onto plain jambs. The end is rendered in cement and has parapet gables on moulded stone kneeler corbels. There are single loops in the side walls. There is a holy water stoup next to the entrance to the nave and the entrance itself has a hood mould decorated with dogtooth ornament whilst the two orders of the arch are hollow- chamfered and double ogee moulded. The dogtooth ornament is essentially a 13th-century form whilst the double ogee is later. Thus a date around 1300 is reasonable for the doorway and also probably for the rest of the surviving medieval masonry (fig 3). The vestry on the south side has a striking large stone-dressed oculus in its gable-end (fig. 4). The nave walls have three staged buttresses to the south and a single plain buttress to the north. Each side has a large central blocked window flanked by odd timber three-light openings in brick-dressed reveals (figs. 4 & 5). They are installed beneath three-centred arches and the timber frames have arched heads in a very Gothick manner. These insertions probably belong to the repairs, remodelling and re-decoration of 1803 referred to in the trade directories 1 and they were certainly in position before 1821 which is the date of Robert Ladbrooke s lithograph (fig. 17). The position of the former medieval chancel arch is marked by a further large buttress on the south (fig. 4) and that to the north has been taken down and patched with brick and rubble. 2

3 Fig. 4 South elevation of nave Fig window in south wall of nave The chancel has been altered quite extensively but the side walls are essentially medieval and early 14 th -century in date. On the south side there is a blocked cusped Y traceried window of two lights with only stubs of tracery remaining. Beneath it there is a blocked low window (fig.6). The original priest s door is off centre and the two-centred arch has a hood mould. 3

4 Fig. 6 south elevation of chancel Above the doorway is a delicately incised sundial with the date 1595 (fig. 7). Fig.7 Sundial on south chancel wall 4

5 Further east is a two-light cusped Y -traceried window with an arch formed of brick directly above. The window is medieval but the arch was formed more recently as part of extensive repairs to the wall tops probably as part of the re-roofing which may have taken place with the faculty for slating of 1815 or as part of the remodelling of The latter is probably the date for the remodelling of the east window (fig.8). The gable rebuilding may belong to the later date. Fig. 8. East wall The corners of the east wall have medieval angle buttresses with tops of finely formed ashlar. The gable and the east window reveal have been replaced with brick. The window has a raised reveal and forms a semicircular arch with raised imposts and key. The window is divided into two lights by stone tracery. Although the geometry of the window is correct, the mixing of the classical arch with medieval tracery makes an arrangement typical of the Gothick of the late 18 th century and early 19 th. The brick work of the raised reveal was rendered over, as revealed by the few traces remaining; and the contrast would not have been as great as it is now (fig. 9). Fig. 9 Detail of east window The north wall of the chancel has a blocked priest s doorway directly opposite the south one. It is identical to its counterpart and thus contemporary with it. It is worthy of comment that it is very unusual to have two priest s doors. Apart from this there is a pair of cusped Y - traceried windows at each end of the chancel and unlike the south side has no central buttress. 2 The position of the 5

6 Fig.10. North side of chancel Fig. 11. North wall of Nave former chancel arch buttress, however, can be seen in figure 10. The north nave wall has a pair of the Gothick 1803 timber windows and a single plain buttress (fig. 11). There is an indistinct but definite blocked window just to the east of the buttress. Overall the wall retains a lot of plaster most of which probably belonging to the early 19 th -century refurbishment. Evidence of the use of external plaster at this period can be seen clearly on the easternmost Y traceried window on the north side (fig. 12). In the desire to have an outer straight edge to the dressings of this window a stone-coloured plaster was applied up to a clearly incised line 6

7 Fig. 12. Detail of north east chancel window dividing it from a rougher buff-coloured plaster beside. This is clearly an attempt to tidy up the medieval window according to Georgian sensibilities. The tower is of three storeys and has staged diagonal buttresses. There is a panel traceried west window of three lights accommodated beneath a shallow segmental arch. There is a single loop to the storey above and the bell chamber is set back above a stringcourse. The 4 bell openings are simple, each of two Y -traceried lights. The very tall parapet is clearly of a different fabric and has obelisk pinnacles at the corners. It is a post-medieval addition and on the south side of the parapet are the arms of the Berney family who, at the Dissolution, were granted the manor, granges and village which belonged to Langley Abbey (fig. 13). The church came with this as it was appropriated to the abbey. Fig. 13. Berney Arms on tower parapet 7

8 The parapet itself was probably built in the 17 th century while the Berneys still held manor. In the church is the brass of Robert Berney who died in 1628 (fig. 14). Fig 14. Robert Berney Fig. 14.Robert Berney Fig. 15. Tower roof looking north north west. He was very probably responsible for installing the parapets which are so tall because they hide a most unusual roof consisting of lean-to roofs to east and west and a central valley discharging to the north (fig. 15). The east face of the tower has the marks of an earlier more steeply pitched roof (fig. 16) Fig. 16. east side of tower 8

9 Fig. 17. Ladbrooke s lithograph Interior To continue with the tower it has a lofty tower arch of 3 chamfered orders facing the nave and five to the west. The arch is supported on large half-column responds. The first floor has a small crawling hatch which lead into the very uppermost section of the former roof (fig.16). The bell chamber has a fine 3-bay frame of timber of fairly recent date supported on the floor beams and corbelled out brickwork. Five bells are in the chamber but they are ex situ. The nave, although not covered with its original 14 th -century roof, has a very fine one of about a century later (fig. 18). It is of ten bays with arch braced principals onto short wall posts The principals and three sets of purlins are deeply roll-moulded and the ridge purlin is decorated with carved roses. 3 The very shallow pitch of the roof avoids the need for ashlaring and there are just simple embattled cornices. 9

10 Fig. 18. The nave roof looking west Opposite the entrance are the remains of a painted giant St Christopher. At present very little is discernible. Towards the cornice above and to the east of the St Christopher some painted blind arcading can be seen which follows the contours of the roof. It was clearly part of a decorative scheme which would have articulated the nave wall surfaces with blind Fig. 19. Wall painting. Nave at west end, south side 10

11 arcading painted in trompe l oeil (fig. 19). The lower edge of the painted area forms an arch shape perhaps in order to imitate the shape of a window head. Traces of the continuation of this scheme have been found by the painting conservator Andrea Kirkham during recent examinations. It is a very accurate representation of medieval tracery probably undertaken on behalf of the Beauchamp Proctors as part of the 1803 extensive restoration referred to. It is a remarkable survival of the Gothick. Directly below this painting is a very curious decorative iron grill for which one is at a loss to know its function (fig. 19). The recess has a fine Victorian Gothic revival hood mould with characterful head label stops. The iron grill is similarly in a Gothic style of quatrefoils etc. Immediately behind the grill there is boarding sealing off the back of the niche. It seems unlikely that in Protestant England in the mid 19 th century there would be any call for a relic chamber. The only possibility which comes to mind is that the niche is directly above the boiler room and that it is connected to it in some way by a flue in the thickness of the wall. It clearly deserves further investigation. Fig. 20 Iron grill on north side of nave The chancel underwent a major remodelling probably at the time of the extensive restoration of This involved the rebuilding of the chancel roof which entailed the reconstruction of the east gable and also the removal of the medieval chancel arch and its gable. The transition is marked by miniature bunched shafts in Georgian Gothic(fig. 21). The roof was rebuilt in such a way as to incorporate provision for bold coving along the north and south walls connected by a flat ceiling. An early photograph belonging to Langley School shows that where the coving meets the ceiling there was a pair of moulded beams dividing the ceiled area into 3 zones(fig. 22). The photograph also shows, rather indistinctly, a painted composition arranged in these 3 zones. The central flat section appears to contain a heraldic achievement supposedly relating to the Beauchamp Proctors 4. The coved area appears to have a repeating tracery pattern and the cornice, of which a small area has been revealed by Andrea Kirkham, contains a painted gothick arched corbel table with cusping skilfully rendered in trompe l oeil (fig. 23). It seems clear that this painted scheme was a pre-conceived design with the rebuilding of the roof and ceiling. It appears that the chancel was treated almost as a family mausoleum with arms on the ceiling and the walls covered with memorial tablets of the late 18 th and 19 th centuries. The tympanum or gable at the entrance to the chancel had the royal arms attached to it. This is barely visible on the photograph but it is mentioned in print 5. 11

12 Fig 21. Chancel looking east. Fig. 22. Interior photograph of c

13 Fig. 23. revealed painted corbel table. North side A second scheme of embellishment for the chancel was a typical product of the Gothic Revival belonging to the third quarter of the 19 th century. It consists of commandment boards framed in elaborate ogee arches and a bold stringcourse continued along the north and south walls of the chancel (fig.21). Part of the late 19 th century works was the replacement of the box pews (fig. 22) with the present open pews. The dowager Lady Beauchamp was responsible for the glazing of the windows again as part of the 1803 refurbishment. The east window was apparently brought from Rouen Cathedral at the time of the first French Revolution 6 (fig. 24). Fig.24. Part of the east window recovered from Rouen Cathedral 13

14 The other nave windows contain a lot of heraldic and several fragments of Renaissance glass possibly recovered from French churches as well. Some of the glass was from the church and has been re-set. Parkin 7 mentions the distinctive rebus of an embattled wall above a barrel (fig. 25) Fig. 25. Rebus in nave window. Conclusion Parts of the chancel ceiling have fallen towards the eastern end. It is understood that the fallen plaster was already a badly executed plaster repair 8. The evidence suggests that the chancel roof was rebuilt in order to incorporate the bold coving perhaps to give the impression of a vault. Part of the scheme was the painting and it is clear that it was not an afterthought and that the ceiling and its decoration were conceived as a single scheme. The revealed parts indicate trompe l oiel painting of very high quality and of very special interest owing to their rarity as well quality. Wall painting at such a scale of Georgian Gothic is a rare sight and if conservation is viable it would be worthwhile seeking to reveal more of it. Although the chancel was the most spectacular, the painted arcading in the nave is in the same vein and very much worthy of further investigation. Stephen Heywood FSA. October NOTES 1 See Wiliam White of 1836 and Ladbrooke s lithograph omits the north west chancel window. 3 A detailed report on the nave roof has been produced by Robert Smith. 4 Munro Cautley mentions that the Beauchamp arms were on the chancel ceiling. Norfolk Churches, Ipswich, 1949, p Ibid. 6 See White s trade directory for Parkin completed Blomefield s history of Norfolk between 1753 and Simon Swann has made a record of the areas of repaired plaster.