Frome, Nunney and Pen Selwood

St John the Baptist church in Frome holds an unexpected delight in the shape of a Saxon carving set in the wall, with the now familiar intertwining lines (foliage? who knows?) and a serpent-like creature. It reminded me of those at Colerne and Ramsbury, our last trip. The pattern is worn at one end so it is hard to make out what is going on but the serpent creature had the same zig-zag markings as the ones in Ramsbury. A challenge to draw. Underneath they had set a seemingly Norman beast with four legs and the characteristic tail coming up from beneath. This one was like one in Ditteridge. We are now beginning to see simiarities and recognise distinctive features of both Saxon and Norman work. Oddly, the organist in this church was also practising, but not as uplifting a set of tunes, and we were glad to leave the gloomy atmosphere, although not glad to be leaving the jaunty creature.

Our second stop, Nunney, held two surprises. One good and one bad. There are the remains of a large, solid castle, which everyone had decided to visit on the same day, but it was fun to look up and imagine the rooms as they might have been. Just over a small bridge was the church and it was inside that the horrible surprise occurred. Hoping to find some fragments of Saxon carvings, we looked around in anticipation, but it was only when we consulted their leaflet that we discovered some bastard (let's not beat about the bush) had stolen three Saxon fragments in 2002.

We were quite appalled. There were drawings of them in the leaflet so we could at least see a sketch of how they were. One has a creature biting its own tail which would have been fabulous to see and draw. We drove on to our next village in utter disbelief, trying in vain to work out who would steal such things and why. It can only be for money and presumably these stones are now in some ignorant person's back garden, to make it "look nice." Those people who appreciate Saxon carving would not steal them, for they would appreciate their value as an object and their historical worth. They would want everyone to be able to enjoy them. So if you do not appreciate them for what they really are, why would you want them in your possession? It makes no sense to me. My sister investigated on the web and discovered that many carvings have been stolen and that one was up for auction for a ludicrous figure. I think that the more we publicise stolen artifacts, then perhaps there is the tiniest chance that one day someone will see them and realise what they are. It is really sad that people think their own wealth is more important than respecting what has been there for over a thousand years, which everyone should be free to enjoy. Luckily the majority of things we have seen have been too heavy to move (such as fonts) or fixed into the wall. If I was religious I would wish that Jesus would strike them down for taking it, but it is not to be. So keep your eyes peeled...

Happily nothing had been stolen from Pen Selwood, and try stealing a door lintel if you can, this one was a beauty. Two long bodied creatures facing each other with a dear lamb of God in the centre, in its own circle, carrying its own bag or notepad, who knows - it might be an artist too. The creatures were reminiscent of others with long claws, long bodies and curling tails, namely Ampney St Mary and Ditteridge. There were two human faces facing inwards over the door which were almost identical in style to the ones at Ditteridge - surely the same person. The Lamb of God was similar to that at Berwick St Leonard, which was not so far away.

Ramsbury and Hinton Parva

Wanderings recently took us to the beautiful village of Ramsbury, near Swindon, with narrow streets and old buildings. This was quite an unusual visit, as in contrast to the normal peace and quiet of the church, we were treated to the conversation of the cleaner and her friend, followed by the whine of the vacuum. However, this did not detract too much from the fine display of Saxon carving proudly displayed in one corner of the church. There were coffin lids and stones, with some very intricate patterns on all sides. The lines weaved under and over each other, and two sides also had a snakey or dragonesque creature. It was reminiscent of Colerne and the dragon carvings. The vacuuming ceased but was replaced by more melodic sounds, when the organist came to do his practice. This was quite enjoyable background music as we drew. You have to concentrate quite a lot to draw the lines accurately as they weave over and under. All the carvings were worn so in places you end up guessing what is going on, so that you can create a finished drawing. Above the knotwork and serpent, were three creatures in circles, all biting their own tales.

Our next stop was a little village called Hinton Parva, which was a much quieter spot. The church itself was smaller and lighter and suffered a little from damp. But it holds the most appealing font, with some delightful creatures and patterns. One half of the decoration is a series of figures of eight that intertwine. These are uniform until one end, where the pattern goes pleasingly wrong and completely out of line with the rest of it. We were joined by a member of the church who told us a bit more about it and also found the carver's "mistake" quite endearing. The other half of the decoration is really very entertaining. It is as you or I might draw creatures, which is why I like it so much. At one end is a snake, in the shape of a pretzel, with two birds and two fish. All of them have tiny dots for eyes. Around the side, after some foliage, is a four legged creature, on its side, resting its bottom on another bird. It is biting the end of some foliage. It is all very appealing.

Colerne and Ditteridge

Having been far in our recent travels, into Gloucestershire, we stayed local this weekend by visiting nearby Colerne and Ditteridge. (We still had to stock up on lunch snacks. Drawing requires energy).  We had visited these churches together last year but I was not into drawing things then so this time it was more memorable.
Colerne church has two parts of a Saxon cross, associated with St Aldhem's burial in Malmesbury abbey in 709AD. They are set into the wall of the church, having been found in the 1800s. It means they could be 1200 years old, which is astonishing. Both were well worn. It was hard to see what was shown on one of them, but both had interlacing figures or designs, which were quite complex. The one we chose to draw was clearer to see: it depicts two dragons, with ridged bodies and long legs that inter-weave. They appear to be biting tails as well, and I thought I could see a hint of a wing at the end of one body - but a few of the details had to be imagined, particularly for the drawing. I enjoyed drawing something quite challenging, trying to show accurately how the legs crossed over and under each other. That forced me to look properly before applying pen to paper and we stood there for quite some time (as swifts screamed outside.) Once we were home, we both realised that if we turned the dragons on their side, the drawing was symmetrical and it was much easier to see what was in the picture. We decided that it would make more sense if the stone was on its side and that originally it was probably ninety degrees to how it is currently presented.

Dragons on their side in Colerne

Dragons at 90 degrees

  Then we went on to nearby Ditteridge, which continued the recurring dragon theme. Here were two dragons on the top of columns either side of the door. Facing inwards, between the door posts, were two faces, one with a curly beard. I drew both dragons, and am thinking I would quite like to do a larger piece of art with dragons as the theme.  The one on the left reminded me of the one at Harnhill, as neither of them seem to have back legs. I particularly liked how this one curved and I am pleased with my drawing.

Ditteridge dragon

font, Ditteridge

We had to shelter inside the church as the heavens opened (there I go again with the biblical language), and there is a lovely Norman font with circles and lines on it which I rather liked. My sister also liked the thin Norman window which had bright colours and criss crossing patterns. She has taken inspiration from our previous trip to Steeple Langford to produce a large piece of artwork, based on the designs around the Norman font there. I am impressed by its boldness and how well it evokes the sturdiness of the original stone.