Rood Screen Stair Door - Church of St.Ippolyts, St.Ippolyts, Hertfordshire. SG4 7PE
Posted by: 
greysman
N 51° 55.781 W 000° 15.553
30U E 688433 N 5756766
The remains of a C14th doorway to the roodloft are in the north chancel arch.
Waymark Code: WMXJ12
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/17/2018
Views: 0
This parish church is Grade I listed. The traditional date of its foundation is 1087 in the fabric of the nave and chancel; north and south aisles were added and chancel remodelled in early C14th; in the C14th the west tower built; C15th north and south porches added and chancel arch widened; base of cross-like spire is dated '1636'; considerable repairs in 1839; new east window inserted in the chancel 1874-5. The restoration of the nave in 1877-8 was by Joseph Clarke, Diocesan Architect (builder Mr. Gregory of Clapham Junction) and involved carefully rebuilding three walls up from the foundations re-incorporating older features with new roof over nave and aisles, and building an organ chamber and north vestry. The old tower was releaded in 1880; organ rebuilt in 1891; choir vestry at the north of the earlier vestry added in 1913-14; new altar rails 1939; spire releaded in 1940. Built of flint rubble faced in coursed pebbles with stone dressings, tufa C11th dressings at the junction of the nave and narrower chancel on the south side and to a blocked south window and at the south-east angle of the nave, clunch or limestone for later work. Timber framed south porch with C17th red brick later infill to the sides. Steep old red tile roofs with lead to the north aisle.
High up in the angle of the north-east corner of the nave, between the chancel arch and the first arch of the north arcade there is a narrow four-centre headed arch which is the upper doorway for the former roodloft, now sealed off. The bottom of the staircase is also blocked off.
The rood screen, which is also no longer in existence, was part of the church furnishings that ran the full width of the church, enclosing chapels at the east ends of both north and south aisles as well as separating the nave from the chancel. In Medieval times the rood loft was where the Great Rood or 'Christ Crucified', a large carved figure of Christ on the cross, was placed, normally supported by statues of saints, the Virgin Mary and St.John were favourites. The word rood is derived from the Saxon word rood or rode, meaning "cross" or "crucifix".