Norman Chancel Arch - St Peter - Tickencote, Rutland
Posted by: SMacB
N 52° 40.448 W 000° 32.192
30U E 666553 N 5838869
Norman chancel arch and font in St Peter's church, Tickencote.
Waymark Code: WM10FZ0
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/01/2019
Views: 2
Norman chancel arch and font in St Peter's church, Tickencote.
"The most import and impressive feature of the church is the round-headed chancel arch. This arch has six elaborately decorated orders on ornamental capitals. The inner order is roll-moulded, the second has beak-heads, the third has zig-zags and continuous crenellation, the fourth various heads including those of a king and queen, figures, animals, a green man and foliage and the fifth with zig-zags and the sixth an abstract version of beak mouldings. The outermost edge of the arch is decorated with billet moulding.
The Nave, which was later medieval, was rebuilt in the 1791 restoration on the old foundations, and on the same plan doubtless as the old Norman nave. The font is a fine specimen of 13th century work, seventy or eighty years later than the chancel arch. It is enriched with dog-tooth ornament and arcading of interlacing round arches. It will be noticed that on the stone at the top there is a hold cut where in former times a bar and staple had been inserted. The reason for this was that in 1236, Edmund Rich, Archbishop of Canterbury, ordered that all fonts were to be kept locked under seal because the hallowed water was apt to be taken away. For this reason the Parish had to provide a cover, and this cover was fastened down with a bar and staple, and the hole where the staple used to be is still to be seen. The font currently is positioned close to the arch, but an 18th century plan shows that it was originally closer to the west end on the north side."
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