Conisbrough Revisited

A Robert Thompson mouse

At the indoor meeting of the Sheffield U3A Geology Group, in January 2020, I suggested a few places that might be suitable for day trips, including an exploration of the area around Conisbrough, where the River Don breaches the Magnesian Limestone escarpment and flows along the Don Gorge to Sprotbrough and beyond.

Conisbrough Library

In the end, this wasn’t included in the programme of field trips for the year ahead but, a couple of days after my walk from Edensor to Rowsley, I took advantage of a sunny day in early March to go and talk to a few members of Conisbrough & Denaby Main Heritage Group, who regularly meet at the Heritage Landing in Conisbrough Library.

A model of Conisbrough Castle

Having obtained some useful information and exchanged contact details, for possible illustrated talks in the future, I walked the short distance down to St. Peter’s church and had another good look at its interior.

St. Peter's church

Even though I have visited the church several times over the years, there are certain features that I have never seen before or the light was not suitable to get a good view of them and others that I like to photograph time and time again.

Side alternate quoins

Entering by the south porch, the very large side alternate quoins at the west end of the nave, which were clearly seen in the good natural light at the time, are considered to be good evidence for a Saxon date to the church, as well as the remains of various openings that can be seen above the north arcade.

The north arcade

Also, there is a series of grooves in the stonework here, which are reputedly made by the sharpening of tools and weapons – as I have seen at various other churches in South Yorkshire - when the masonry still formed part of the external wall.

Grooves in the masonry

I always take a couple of photographs of the capitals in the north arcade, one of which was damaged by Puritan iconoclasts during the English Civil War, but was more interested to see that the Romanesque tomb chest, c.1140-60, was also well lit and I could see some of the fine details.

A capital in the north arcade

The lid bears a series of medallions enclosing mounted knights in combat, winged beasts and signs of the zodiac and, on the visible side, a depiction of a warrior fighting a dragon, with a bishop holding a crozier standing behind him.

The lid of the Romanesque tomb chest

The chancel of St. Peter’s church is a Norman addition, c.1200, with decorated scalloped capitals to the imposts to the chancel arch, although much of the tooling now seen may be Victorian work.

A detail of a capital on the chancel arch

Returning to the tower to photograph the C15 font, which quite unusually was not covered in flowers, I then went looking for the signature mice that were carved into the pews by Robert Thompson, the 'Mouseman of Kilburn' and took a couple of photos of an inscribed C15 slab, which is set into the south porch wall, before leaving to catch my bus.

An inscribed C15 stone slab