2014

SK7368 : Church of Our Lady of Egmanton, Egmanton

taken 10 years ago, near to Egmanton, Nottinghamshire, England

Church of Our Lady of Egmanton, Egmanton
Church of Our Lady of Egmanton, Egmanton
Detail of the rood loft.
Church of Our Lady of Egmanton, Egmanton

The church dates back to the pre-conquest period - the south door possibly dates back to this period - and during the middle ages was a pilgrimage shrine of Our Lady of Egmanton, to whom the church is dedicated.

The church consists of nave, chancel, north aisle, south transept and tower. The north aisle arcade is late 12th century, in Early English transitional style, with circular columns, and the chancel arch is of similar date. The north aisle is largely 14th century work, as is the south transept. The chancel was rebuilt in the 15th century and the west tower added at around the same time. The east window has been reconstructed at some time in earlier 14th century style with reticulated tracery.

The interior of the church is dominated by the late 19th century restoration/revival work. The patron of the living, the 7th Duke of Newcastle was an ardent Anglo-Catholic and was determined to return the Marian shrine of the mediaeval period. To this end he employed the young architect Ninian Comper. Comper had already started to make a mark as a restorer and decorator in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, and at Egmanton he created a lavishly decorated rood screen and loft, and a new organ case, equally lavishly decorated.

From the nave, the screen almost completely obscures the chancel arch. Above the lowest panels, in alternating red and cream, the screen consists of 4 lights either side of the doorway. On each side, the two nearest the doorway are open, the outer pair contain elaborate paintings. To the left of the doorway are Moses and Isaiah, to the right Ezekiel and St John. Above this a series of radiating fan traceries support the loft itself. The bressumer to the loft is intricately carved with vine scrolls, and the face of the loft is a series of 12 panels, each containing a gilded crocketed and traceried ogee against alternating red and cream panels. Alternate panels contain shields inscribed 'maria' or jhesus' in Gothic script. The upper front supports the rood itself, consisting of the crucified figure of Christ with to his right his mother Mary and to his left the Apostle John, his 'beloved disciple'. The arms of the crucifix terminate with panels displaying the symbols of the four evangelists. Behind the rood a large canopy, reaching almost to roof level, curves out from the chancel wall over the rood. This is ornately decorated with gilded ribbing between a series of square panels of dark blue. The whole screen is lavishly gilded.

On the south side of the nave is the organ case, which is based on the one in Freiburg cathedral in Germany, and which is decorated to match the screen. Centrally placed at the top of the case is a large figure of the Virgin and Child with a radiating sunburst behind. A similar figure stands on the north wall of the chancel to provide a focus of the Marian shrine.

Of note in the interior are the Norman font, dating from around 1075. The south chancel has a semi-elliptic tomb recess of the 14th century, alongside which is a small piscina of similar date. The figure of a medieval knight in the recess is however a rather crude 20th century addition.The responds of the chancel arch have carved faces, with that on the north side having delicate foliage carving above the face. The tower arch responds have finely carved tracery work. The columns of the north aisle have foliate capitals style showing Norman influence. The roof of the nave contains original 15th century timber work from the date of the addition of the clerestory.

The tradition of pilgrimage was reintroduced in the 1920s and the church continues in the Anglo-Catholic forms of worship.

The church is Listed Grade I. For information see LinkExternal link

Listed Buildings and Structures

Listed buildings and structures are officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. There are over half a million listed structures in the United Kingdom, covered by around 375,000 listings.
Listed status is more commonly associated with buildings or groups of buildings, however it can cover many other structures, including bridges, headstones, steps, ponds, monuments, walls, phone boxes, wrecks, parks, and heritage sites, and in more recent times a road crossing (Abbey Road) and graffiti art (Banksy 'Spy-booth') have been included.

In England and Wales there are three main listing designations;
Grade I (2.5%) - exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important.
Grade II* (5.5%) - particularly important buildings of more than special interest.
Grade II (92%) - nationally important and of special interest.

There are also locally listed structures (at the discretion of local authorities) using A, B and C designations.

In Scotland three classifications are also used but the criteria are different. There are around 47,500 Listed buildings.
Category A (8%)- generally equivalent to Grade I and II* in England and Wales
Category B (51%)- this appears generally to cover the ground of Grade II, recognising national importance.
Category C (41%)- buildings of local importance, probably with some overlap with English Grade II.

In Northern Ireland the criteria are similar to Scotland, but the classifications are:
Grade A (2.3%)
Grade B+ (4.7%)
Grade B (93%)

Read more at Wikipedia LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Alan Murray-Rust and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Historic sites and artefacts Village, Rural settlement Religious sites Architect: Ninian Comper Period: Late 19th Century Primary Subject: Church Detail other tags: Rood Screen Grade I Listed Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Church of Our Lady of Egmanton [34] · Rood Loft [3] Title Clusters: · Church of Our Lady of Egmanton, Egmanton [24] ·
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SK7368, 124 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Alan Murray-Rust   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Friday, 1 August, 2014   (more nearby)
Submitted
Tuesday, 5 August, 2014
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SK 7359 6891 [10m precision]
WGS84: 53:12.7300N 0:53.9706W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SK 7359 6891
View Direction
EAST (about 90 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Supplemental image
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