A true treasure in wood... the Wenhaston Doom, a 16th century (pre-Reformation) panel painting which depicts the Last Day of Judgment. Perhaps the most significant medieval art object in the county exists by a supreme irony. The Victorians have been blamed for destroying many medieval features in churches, but in this case had it not been for an act of gross 19th Century carelessness, this artefact might not have survived at all.
"In its present position you see the Wenhaston Doom against the opposite wall on entering St.Peter's church. This remarkable painting would have originally been affixed at the Chancel Arch, between the chancel and nave, where the drama of its story would have been appreciated by the congregation. You can see the outline of where the three wooden figures of the Rood group were fixed (Christ between St.John and the Blessed Virgin Mary). Where the Rood, a wooden cross, was also fixed can also be seen. (Note the nail holes). This explains why the painted Christ, seated on a rainbow, is off-centre, although still above all other figures.
Nationally, other surviving Doom (or Day of Judgement) paintings of similar age, have been painted directly on to the walls at their church. This Doom however is notable because it is painted on to wooden boards. The fact that the Doom can be seen today is due to those boards being whitewashed over, as long ago as the mid 1500s. So the painting remained hidden to view for generations, and, most importantly, hidden from the attentions of the church despoilers of Cromwell's Commonwealth in 1644.
Wenhaston once had angels on the beams of the church roof, but these despised items, along with much else, were destroyed at this time.
One day in 1892, during church alterations, these boards were removed from the church and taken out to the churchyard. (Was there a plan to light a bonfire?). Imagine the astonishment when overnight rain revealed the glorious long-forgotten painting from under its covering.
Experts differ on the date the Doom was painted, by whom it was painted, and whether this involved one artist or more than one. It is understood that the added Bible text is Elizabethan and reads, in English, from Romans, chapter 13, verses 1-4. The text is separate from the Doom.
For sure we today are viewing a Doom painting which is about 500 years old. It is placed by most experts within the 'Top 10' of such paintings nationally, and even ranked by some at Number 1."
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"Due to the position of the Rood and the figures of Mary and John, the narrative of the Doom has been broken up by the painter into individual scenes around the shadow of these lost figures. In the top left hand quadrant formed by the Rood is Christ appearing in Majesty, sat on a rainbow, the judge the earth. Just below him and near the cross beam is an angel blowing a trumpet, the Last Trump.
On top right quadrant are the Virgin and Mary and St John the Baptist kneeling in prayer. They are praying for the souls of the faithful departed. Behind them you can see the departed rising naked from their graves, though one chap is still wearing his winding sheet.
Below this scene in the bottom right quadrant, St Michael is shown weighing souls in a pair of scales, trying to decide if a soul should go to heaven or to hell. The devil is trying to bargain with St Michael for the soul of the man in the pan and has in his hands a list of the man’s sins and has popped a couple of demons in the other pan to try and outweigh the soul. It’s not working at the moment!
In the bottom left hand quadrant we begin to see what happens to those who are judged worthy of heaven. St Peter, recognisable because he is dressed as a pope and has the key to the gate of heaven, is having a chat with four of the saved before letting them in. These four naked figures are a somewhat unlikely crowd: a king, a bishop, a cardinal and queen. A clear message here, if they can be saved, there is potential for anyone. Further to the left is the gate of heaven and a couple of lucky souls entering to enjoy their eternal reward.
Now if we go to the far right hand side of the Tympanum, we look upon the fate of the damned. A group of naked souls are being dragged by demons, with grappling hooks and a red hot chain into hell, where as Jesus says in Matthew’s Gospel there is ‘wailing and gnashing of teeth’. Literally gnashing of teeth here, for hell is portrayed as a great consuming monster, its mouth wide its teeth and fangs bare. Inside the great mouth of hell are the faces of tortured souls pleading for mercy."
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