Читать книгу Betjeman’s Best British Churches - Richard Surman - Страница 9
ОглавлениеGREAT SHEFFORD: ST MARY – beautifully set on the slope of a shallow valley, the round tower as charming as it is rare in the county
Berkshire has several types of scenery. In the east of the county, on the London side, is much wild heath and pine-wood, the sort of country which, almost uninhabited until the 19th century, now grows public institutions like schools, prisons and barracks, and small modern villas along the main roads and by railways. The Thames forms the northern border, and here is orchard-land extending several miles south until the downs are reached. The south-west and west of the county are mostly chalk downs, and the scenery is similar to the Wiltshire downland into which it merges.
The older houses and farm buildings of these districts are timber, brick and cob, and generally thatched or red-tiled. The towns are all built of brick and are all, except for Reading, comparatively small.
Until the end of the 19th century, when transport from London turned half of the county into a semi-suburb, Berkshire was thinly populated. There the churches were cottage-like with wooden belfries, thatched barns, farms and houses of downland hamlets. A few small flint towers arose from pleasant red-brick towns beside the Thames and Kennet, and there still are a great many commons and heaths, such as were so beautifully described in the 1820s by Mary Russell Mitford in Our Village. The brickwork in Berkshire was never so impressive as that of Kent and Sussex. The eastern and London half of the county was transformed first by railways and again by buses, bringing more monied people from London, who settled down in detached residences wherever the train service was convenient. These people built themselves new churches, and rebuilt old ones.
Berkshire is not a great county for ancient churches. The only grand example is St George’s Chapel at Windsor (Perpendicular). Avington and Padworth have complete and small Norman churches. The best old churches will be found not in the Kennet valley, where these two are, but along the north slopes of the downs, to which stone for building could be brought fairly easily by river and then by trackway. The few big medieval churches of Berkshire, with the exception of Lambourn and Newbury, are in the northern half of the county. The churches on the downs and commons were nearly all small cottage-like buildings. One may see aquatints of some of them in Views of Reading Abbey and the Principal Churches Connected Therewith (1805), and in Buckler’s drawings in the British Museum. They had flint and rubble walls, rendered (or plastered) outside (the flint Norman tower of Great Shefford) were built circular, like many church towers in East Anglia, because of the lack of stone for the corners); the roofs were of tile with dormer windows, and there was usually a wooden belfry at the west end, and a 17th- or 18th-century porch in brick. Such buildings must have seemed very unecclesiastical to rich and pious landowners long or newly settled in Berkshire, which by the 19th century had become a ‘home county’ influenced by the prosperity of the metropolis. So they were pulled down or else vigorously restored, stripped of their external and internal plaster, retaining perhaps only an arcade or a window of the original building. Some churches of this small cottage type survive, as at Avington, East Shefford and Padworth.
The great Victorian architects left their mark on Berkshire. But because the county was not much industrialized until the 20th century, there is less Victorian building than in old Middlesex, Surrey or Kent. The architect G. E. Street, who lived at Wantage at the beginning of his successful career, designed many charming church schools and vicarages in the area and a bold new church and adjoining buildings at Boyne Hill, Maidenhead. Butterfield beautifully and conservatively restored Shottesbrooke and published a monograph about it. The best work of Victorian architects, together with that of the 18th and 19th centuries, is noted in the entries that follow. On the whole Berkshire has not been well served by those who rebuilt its churches. They had more money at their disposal than sensibility. But at least they built churches.
EAST SHEFFORD: ST THOMAS – a barn-like church, alone in a field between a farmhouse and a manor house, it holds within it the remnants of some fine wall-paintings
ALDERMASTON † St Mary the Virgin
8m/12km E. of Newbury
OS SU596649 GPS 51.3807N, 1.1442W
The church has Norman details, and there are 13th-century painted glass roundels of the Annunciation and the Coronation of the Virgin in the N. windows, as well as 14th- and 15th-century wall-paintings.
ALDWORTH † St Mary the Virgin
10m/16km N.W. of Reading
OS SU554793 GPS 51.5107N, 1.2030W
Huge 14th-century stone effigies of the De La Beche family occupy the interior, set beneath wonderfully carved cusped canopies along the N. and S. walls and under the arcade in the nave.
ASHAMPSTEAD † St Clement
8m/13km N.E. of Newbury
OS SU564767 GPS 51.4873N, 1.1888W
Originally a chapel of ease to St Bartholomew’s in Basildon, St Clement’s main interest is in its extensive 13th-century wall-paintings, including the Annunciation and Christ in Majesty. In a county not noted for medieval wall-paintings, these are very good – possibly of the ‘Windsor School’.
AVINGTON † St Mark & St Luke
2m/3km E. of Hungerford
OS SU372679 GPS 51.4095N, 1.4654W
A delightful small church of the 12th century, with nave and aisle, all unspoiled. The S. doorway and chancel arch are decorated with zigzags and beak heads, and there is a fine Norman font with blind arcading and carved figures.
BISHAM † All Saints
3m/5km N.W. of Maidenhead
OS SU848854 GPS 51.5612N, 0.7779W
The church setting is superb, best seen from the other side of the River Thames. It was heavily restored by Benjamin Ferrey, 1849. The tower is 12th-century, embellished in the 15th century with a parapet and brick quoins. The Hoby Chapel contains family monuments of the 16th and early 17th century, and and a 1609 heraldic window of enamelled glass. In the churchyard are several burial stones of interest.
BRADFIELD † St Andrew
3m/4km S.W. of Pangbourne
OS SU603725 GPS 51.4490N, 1.1332W
In a brick and timber village and public school in a high, gravelly district, the church was almost wholly rebuilt by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1847–8, and turned into something which, inside, is long-drawn, mysterious and vast in his transitional style, known as ‘square abacus’.
BUCKLEBURY † St Mary
6m/10km N.E. of Newbury
OS SU553708 GPS 51.4341N, 1.2058W
The church is mostly 15th-century flint and chalkwork, with an early 18th-century interior, high box pews and hatchments, and good Stuart Royal Arms over the chancel arch. The S. doorway is Norman – well and interestingly carved – and on the tower are more carvings, of the 15th century. The glass in the chancel windows (1912) and N. aisle (1917) is by Frank Brangwyn.
EASTHAMPSTEAD
† St Michael and St Mary Magdalene
S. district of Bracknell
OS SU863676 GPS 51.4013N, 0.7601W
J. W. Hugall rebuilt the church in 1867, at the behest of the incumbent, Osbourne Gordon, who was a keen follower of the Anglo-Catholic revival. It has exceptional Burne-Jones windows, some produced jointly with William Morris. The largest and finest of them, the E. window, depicts the Last Judgement and was installed in 1876. There are 15th- and 16th-century brasses and ledger stones, and a very verbose monument to Sir William Trumbull, d. 1716.
EAST SHEFFORD † St Thomas
By East Shefford Farm, 1m/2km S.E.
of Great Shefford
OS SU390746 GPS 51.4697N, 1.4391W
Churches Conservation Trust
A small, simple rustic church with wooden bell-turret, the church is set well in meadows by the River Lambourn. A fine wall-painting over the chancel arch was discovered by Eve Baker, and there are good 14th- and 15th-century monuments to members of the Fettiplace family. Now almost clear of pews, it has a lovely and peaceful atmosphere.
FAWLEY † St Mary
4m/6km S. of Wantage
OS SU391813 GPS 51.5300N, 1.4374W
Well set on the Berkshire Downs, this is a fine church by G. E. Street, 1865–6. Sombre in rock-faced ashlar, the high apse and offset S. tower are reminiscent of France. It has excellent contemporary furnishings, and the stained glass in the W. window is by Morris & Co.
GREAT SHEFFORD † St Mary
5m/8km N.E. of Hungerford
OS SU380753 Gps 51.4761N, 1.4540W
This is a Norman church with a round tower, rare in Berkshire, with a tub-shaped font of the 12th century on a 19th-century base. Lovely setting in the North Wessex Downs.
HAMSTEAD MARSHALL † St Mary
4m/6km W. of Newbury
OS SU420667 GPS 51.3982N, 1.3977W
An adjunct of a vanished country house, whose large brick-walled garden and sculptured piers remain, this is a little rustic and medieval church, mostly Jacobean and Georgian inside with some old high pews, three-decker pulpit and brick floors.
HURST † St Nicholas
5m/8km E. of Reading
OS SU794729 GPS 51.4502N, 0.8575W
Set among trees and old brick and timber cottages, the church is Norman and later; the brick tower was added in 1612. The interior is full of 17th-century woodwork – of note being the painted and gilded chancel screen – and there are many grand 17th- and 18th-century monuments.
LAMBOURN † St Michael and All Angels
12m/19km N.W. of Newbury
OS 51.5086N, 1.5316W
Set in a small downland town of racing stables, this is a grand cruciform medieval church of various dates, starting with late Norman, to which were added the 15th- and 16th-century chapels. Running around the chamfer of an arch in the S. transept is a small but lively carving of hounds coursing a hare. There is a fine memorial to Thomas and Anne Garrard on the N. Chancel wall. Street’s chancel restoration of 1861 destroyed the 15th-century oak beam ceiling and raised the floor (now restored to its original level).
LANGLEY MARISH: ST MARY THE VIRGIN – a very private pew, leading through to the Kederminster Library; the door to the right leads into the main body of the church
LANGLEY MARISH
† St Mary the Virgin
E. district of Slough
OS TQ004795 GPS 51.5058N, 0.5536W
The church is sandwiched between two lovely groups of brick and plaster almshouses – the old on the S. built by Sir John Kederminster in 1617; the new on the N. by Sir Henry Seymour about 1670. It is not far beyond the tentacles of Slough but packed with interest. The 17th-century tower is brick; there are remains of a nave arcade, c. 1200, replaced by a timber one dated 1630 and a spacious and rich 14th-century chancel. Above all, though, is the Kederminster and Seymour transept, pew and library, all of the first half of the 17th century and largely unaltered, with books on their shelves, painted panelling and grille, and heraldic overmantel over the fireplace. There are hatchments, glass, carved Royal Arms, monuments and everything a church should have.
LECKHAMPSTEAD † St James
6m/10km N. of Newbury
OS SU439759 GPS 51.4809N, 1.3687W
A church by S. S. Teulon, 1859, it is cruciform, of flint with red-brick dressings and bands. The interior is rich in polychromatic brick, and the well-crafted timber roof has huge cusped trusses.
MAIDENHEAD † All Saints
Boyn Hill, 5m/8km W. of Slough
OS SU877808 GPS 51.5199N, 0.7366W
A Tractarian grouping, all by G. E. Street, 1854–7, of vicarage, school, church buildings and church. The separate tower and spire (1865) is in local red brick. The buildings look well from all directions. The interior of the church is vast, violently coloured, richly dark with, as in all Street buildings, careful detail in ironwork, wood and coloured decoration.
NEWBURY † St Nicholas
West Mills, 16m/25km W. of Reading
OS SU470670 GPS 51.4010N, 1.3249W
The church is an imposing example of town Perpendicular, much restored, with Gothic archways in the churchyard. The fine carved pulpit is of 1607 and there are some good 16th-century brasses. The Caen stone reredos is by Comper, and shows Christ and the four Evangelists.
PADWORTH † St John the Baptist
8m/12km S.W. of Reading
OS SU613661 GPS 51.3912N, 1.1199W
A simple and charming Norman church, with windows and roof replaced in Tudor times and a porch added in 1890. The exterior is still plastered and with charming limewash on the tracery of the five Perpendicular windows. The interior is impressive, with a Norman chancel arch and a semi-domed apse, now thankfully free of the overbearing Brightwell and Derby-Griffiths monuments that once cluttered it. The remains of a 13th-century wall-painting of St Nicholas are discernable by the chancel arch.
READING † Christ Church
Christchurch Road
OS SU722721 GPS 51.4440N, 0.9623W
H. Woodyer designed this spirited High Victorian essay, 1861–2, with rich reredos by Birnie Philip and Hardman glass. The upper part of the chancel arch is filled with Reticulated tracery in carved chalk, possibly symbolizing the Lifting of the Veil of the Temple. The church was originally a chapel of ease to cater for an expanding parish.
SHOTTESBROOKE
† St John the Baptist
3m/5km S.W. of Maidenhead
OS SU841771 GPS 51.4867N, 0.7895W
One of the grand medieval churches of the county, St John’s is surrounded by parkland in flat country near Maidenhead. From a distance it is like a miniature Salisbury. Externally and internally it is a singularly complete cruciform Decorated design with central tower and lofty, elegant spire, all after 1337, with deeply moulded Curvilinear window tracery. The church is clearly the work of one man, and he an architect with an outstanding sense of proportion. The white interior is tall and light and full of delicately carved 14th-century details, particularly the founder’s tomb (hard white chalk) in the N. transept, and the sedilia in the chancel. This complete church is just the sort of thing the more medievalist Victorians tried to copy and could not quite manage. The Victorian restoration by G. E. Street, 1854, did little harm.
SHOTTESBROOKE: ST JOHN THE BAPTIST – north transept, with the elegantly carved canopy in Decorated Gothic over the tomb of the founder, Sir William Trussell, and his wife
TIDMARSH † St Laurence
1m/2km S. of Pangbourne
OS SU634745 GPS 51.4664N, 1.0875W
The main features of note are the Norman S. doorway of two carved orders (chain and chevron patterns) and the rare 13th-century polygonal apse. The intriguing timber bell-turret arch bears wood carving by a former incumbent’s wife. A series of medieval wall-paintings has been restored.
WARFIELD † St Michael the Archangel
2m/3km N. of Bracknell
OS SU880722 GPS 51.4420N, 0.7351W
This is large and fine for Berkshire, mostly 14th-century Decorated, with a light, spacious and stately chancel, E. window with beautiful tracery and much carved chalk. There are remains of 14th-century glass, a 15th-century wooden screen and a loft in the N. aisle. The graceful 19th-century stone screen is by G. E. Street, who restored the whole church most carefully.
WICKHAM † St Swithun
6m/10km N.W. of Newbury
OS SU394715 GPS 51.4413N, 1.4335W
On a hill above the village stands an 11th-century tower to which has been added a church rebuilt in expensive knapped flint with stone dressings, by Benjamin Ferrey, 1854–9. The sumptuous interior is a mid-Victorian extravaganza. Lifesize elephants’ heads in papier mache decorate the N. aisle roof, and there are lime-wood angels in the nave roof; the windows are of mid-Victorian purple and red stained glass. The only inharmonious note is the later E. window.
