With a map of North East and North Somerset to hand, and new villages ringed in green, we found a small cluster south west of Bath. In true fonting style, the first one took us up the path to a farm, but it wasn't my terrible navigating, it was actually the home of a small family church that had belonged to the Bampfyldes, and was now being cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust. We were thrilled to find it is open every day and that the visitor book showed regular visitors. The church walls are at pleasing angles and there is much of interest: Georgian box pews, an old organ, a wall painting and just inside the door, a beautiful Norman font. A deceptively simple design, with a scallop shape on each side, but once you start looking you see it is not so simple after all and in fact very pleasing. It was a peaceful spot to sit and draw with sparrows chirping outside and the possibility that Charles I himself might once have been there.
After a satisfactory pencil sketch of the font, our next stop was Hemingford, just nearby, which had another scalloped font but this time with many scallops. We were both cautious at first as it looked a bit too uniform and neat to be authentically Norman, but on inspection and after discussion, we agreed it was, as it wasn't completely uniform. The stone is not what we are used to in Wiltshire and it reminded us both of concrete. I drew the scallops with much artistic licence. There were also some Norman capitals and an unusual little face at the foot of a column. Just outside Hemingford we spotted a fast flowing spring.Our third church in Kilmersdon was also the spot for a picnic. Disappointingly, the church (place of sanctuary for some) was locked but there were some pleasing corbels on the outside and some large, later-than-Norman creatures (grotesques) which were quite unusual and very amusingly carved. Several had cloven feet and were twisted around, with teeth and snouts not unlike our beloved dragon heads. The one I tried to draw looked like a frog ready to leap from its perch down onto your head.
We drove on until we came to Radstock, again, disappointingly shut. But on to Priston, where an enormous golden cockerel tops the tower. Inside the porch were two Norman capitals. The design of one had been used as inspiration for the arches inside - which we soon figured out were too neat and too unworn looking to be Norman. We also realised that Norman carvings tend to vary but these people had repeated the design from outside with no variation. But it was sensitive of them to take the original design and use it again.
Our last stop was Stratton-on-Fosse, where there is a peaceful spring with watercress (keep away) and water parsnip (again, avoid). Sadly the church was shut, but it rounded off what had been a very pleasing day with much drawing, mindfulness, tranquillity and fun. The best thing is we now have many more villages circled in green to visit.
