St. Cuthbert's Church Fishlake - Part 3

A detail of stone carving to the south door

An investigation of the exterior of St. Cuthbert’s church in Fishlake reveals a few features that are of interest to the architectural historian or archaeologist and, as a geologist, I was particularly pleased to see some glaciofluvial cobbles used in the masonry surronding the C12 doorway. 

The porch

Stopping to briefly examine the surround to the porch, which is made of a Jurassic oolitic limestone and not Permian dolomitic limestone, which is found in the rest of the church. Although I have seen no reference to any restoration having taken place, I have encountered many examples of porches and other elements that were restored with oolitic limestone in the C19, including those in Treeton, Conisbrough and Kirk Sandall. 

A detail of oolitic limestone to the porch

Victorian architects still had plenty of sources of dolomitic limestone in South Yorkshire, but I have often suspected that the rapid deterioration of the Anston stone at the Palace of Westminster may have influenced their choice of material for restoring carved masonry. 

Headstops on the porch

Oolitic limestone is susceptible to sulphurous pollutants in the atmosphere when located downwind of industrial areas and, although not so advanced as at St. Oswald’s church in Kirk Sandall, the carved headstops to the porch are starting to delaminate and decay. 

A general view of the south door

Once inside the porch, the Norman origins of the church become quite clear in the magnificent south door, which Pevsner describes as “perhaps the most lavishly decorated in Yorkshire”. 

A close up view

I have only seen a better example of late Norman stone carving on the west door of Rochester Cathedral, where the Caen stone used is very suited to this purpose, and the beakheads carved in sandstone at St. John the Baptist’s church in Adel are of similar quality. 

Orders with capitals to the left of the door

The arch is laid out in four orders, with elaborately decorated capitals to the columns with various carvings of seated figures, human heads, animals and leaves to the voussoirs – some of which have been eroded beyond recognition. 

A detail of carved capitals

I only spent the time to take a few general record photos, although it would make a good project to photograph each carving with appropriate artificial lighting, but a thorough account of this has been written by Rita Wood for the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture of Britain and Ireland. 

A detail of a lion

Unlike very many churches that have notable examples of Norman sculpture forming part of their south doorways, St. Cuthbert’s church is always open during the daytime for visitors, and it is worth making the effort to get to see this wonderful work of art.

A detail of figurative sculpture