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| A centaur fighting a dragon |
Once inside St. John the Baptist’s church, I was greeted by a volunteer and then bought the comprehensive illustrated church guide, which is essential for viewing its principal attraction – the elaborately carved chancel arch.
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| A view west along the nave |
Before having a good look at this, I quickly walked around the rest of the church, which is plain and without features, except for a row of corbels high on the west wall, and possesses a single small marble wall memorial.
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| Old roof lines above the chancel arch |
Its thick walls, which are typical of Norman churches, are well exposed by the splays that surround the slit windows and there are variations in the colour and pattern of the masonry above the chancel arch, which indicate previous roof lines.
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| The chancel arch |
The font, which may be original, is best known for its wooden cover, thought to be by Eric Gill, but it is the spectacular chancel arch, with semi-circular responds and two orders of shafts to the west side, which is the highlight of the church.
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| A detail of the beakheads |
The arch, from its centre outwards, is described by Pevsner and Historic England as being composed of intricate chevrons, billets and beakheads – with only the official church guide by Val Compton attempting to describe the gruesome depictions seen in the latter, which include babies being devoured by various figures that are interpreted as devils.
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| A detail of the beakheads |
On the capitals, there are further carvings that represent the Baptism and Crucifixion of Christ, with figurative sculpture including a centaur with a bow fighting dragons, a horseman with a lance and various beasts.
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| The Baptism and Crucifixion of Christ |
The east side of the chancel arch is not decorated, except for two beakheads which can be seen on the springing to the south side. These are cited by Pevsner as proof that the sculptural decoration was applied in situ.
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| A detail of a capital |
As a photographer, I would like to spend more time taking photos of the beakheads with a tripod and dedicated lighting to bring out the detail of the stone carvings although, using my Canon PowerShot G16, I did manage to take a set of photos that suits my immediate purposes.
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| A detail of a capital |
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