Piscinae & Sedilia - St Peter - Empingham, Rutland - Stone Church Artefacts on Waymarking.com

"Remains of medieval arrangements are plentiful [in this church]. In the chancel are a triple sedile and a double piscina, and the piscinae of two altars in each transept remain; there is also a piscina belonging to a former chapel at the west end of the south aisle. Traces of a rood-loft are to be seen, but not of a staircase to the loft.

The beautiful 13th-century piscina and sedilia, though distinct in design, form approximately a single architectural composition. The two fluted bowls of the piscina are under trefoiled arches on jambshafts with moulded capitals and bases, the hood-mould stop over the dividing shaft consisting of a boldly carved eight-leaf flower. The triple sedilia have trefoiled rounded arches on detached shafts and shafted jambs, with moulded capitals and bases; the seats are on the same level and the hoods have foliated stops, the arches ranging with those of the piscina.

The transepts project 13 ft. beyond the aisles and are of two bays, each of which contained an altar, with pairs of buttresses at the angles, and are lighted by two windows in the east wall and one in the west and end walls. The south transept is without plinth or string, and retains most of its original architectural features; the windows are all grouped lancets like those in the chancel, that in the end wall being of three graded lights, the others of two lights. Internally the splayed jambs of the east windows are cut away at the bottom in order to admit the altar reredoses, and the two piscinae, one in the east and the other in the south wall, are trefoil-headed, but only one of the bowls remains. Below the end window is an empty square-headed chamfered tomb recess. The transept now contains the organ, its south end being used as a choir vestry. [The piscinae being inaccessible]

All the windows of the north transept are of the 15th century, and the gable has a large curved crocketed finial similar to those at Langham and Oakham, flanked by large pinnacles. The end window is of five cinquefoiled lights with Perpendicular tracery and hood with flower-stops, the two east windows of four lights and that on the west of three, all different in design. The northern of the two east windows has a rounded head and vertical tracery; the others are pointed. The two piscinae are in the east wall, one with a low ogee-headed recess, and the other, at the south end, much larger, with cinquefoiled head; in each the bowl is fluted. There is a plain chamfered tomb recess in the end wall beneath the window, with low two-centred arch, containing a 13th-century coffin lid.

The aisle piscina, already alluded to, is about 4 ft. west of the south doorway; it has a pointed moulded recess with orifice at the back."

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Approximate Age of Artefact: Not listed Relevant Website: Not listed

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