Visit to St Mary’s Church and Manor House, 15 October 2022
After three attempts we succeeded! The pandemic and lockdowns frustrated two of those attempts and the Queen’s period of mourning meant we had to postpone it again. However, third time lucky and we were treated to a different sort of day out. Our thanks to the tenacity of David Warr who ensured this long-awaited visit took place and to our hosts for being so accommodating.
Instead of four church tours wrapped round lunch we had a half day visit to St Mary the Virgin (Grade I listed) for a fascinating presentation by Robert Heath-Whyte focusing on the wonderful 14th century wall paintings in that church now beautifully restored as part of a major refurbishment project. Robert guided us through the ‘decoding’ of the images left intact with explanations of their origins by reference and comparison to works elsewhere in mediaeval European church art. The story of Christ and the Virgin from the Jesse Tree through to the Resurrection are touchingly depicted round the three walls of the chancel.
The other half of the day was non-ecclesiastical by contrast. We were invited by Rachel Jacques and her son to tour the 15th century Manor House (Grade I listed) at the other end of the village. Rachel and her husband Paul acquired the Manor in the early 1970’s and the time since has been a veritable voyage of discovery. The Victorian external render was stripped off to reveal a 15th to 16th century oak frame. Several internal secondary walls hid areas of wood grain and frame trompe l’oeuil painted walls. The Manor originally had a triple height Hall and evidence of smoke rising from the central fireplace is still visible in the roof space.
Although different from each other the two venues illustrated the fascinating journey of discovery often concealed in ancient buildings.
Needless to say, the lunch at the Red Lion offered a great opportunity for members to catch up with one another after a long spell away.