Fit for purpose
I'm continuously humbled and astounded by the beauties to be found in English churches, especially those that are off the tourist trail and off the radar of all but the most assiduous and specialised art historians. Buckland, in the marshy area not far from Faringdon, is a case in point. You could spend a day or more in this building, which has evolved steadily over the centuries and incorporates the work of artists and craftworkers from every period from Norman to Victorian, and still not see everything. For now, I'll limit myself to a couple of details from either end of this vast historical span.
The first you see before you even get properly inside the building. This door dates to the 12th century, making its simple ironwork among the earliest one is likely to find. The metal has been cut quite crudely, but the broad horizontals, the great rounded forms, and the more tightly circling scrolls with which they terminate have been made with a certainty of purpose that no doubt made them as easy to admire in the Middle Ages as they are today. This ironwork has been fulfilling that purpose – multiple purposes rather, to provide hinges, to bind together and reinforce the timbers of the door, and to decorate its surface – for some 800 years. Standing near the beginning of a long craft tradition, it deserves to be far better known than it is.
*Buckland is now in Oxfordshire, but I use the traditional English counties because they reflect the usage in Pevsner's invaluable Buildings of England books – and because I like them.
11 comments:
Remarkable that ironwork should survive well over so many centuries: also remarkable that the wood seems sound down to ground level. I presume that it has been protected by a (south) porch for most of its life. I have noticed (I can't recall where) the remains of a door visible at the bottom of the stonework used to fill up a former doorway, perhaps in the 13th century. The edge was a big jagged, but it was by no means rotten wood. Question: Was there some form of treatment in the 12th century to help preserve oak?
Love your blog! I lived in Wantage when it was Berkshire and cannot get used to the "new" county appellation! esp. the "shrinking" of Royal Berkshire! I am putting this door on my list for the next visit!
Cheers! Meredith
Joseph: Interesting about those door remains. I don't recall reading anything about whether oak was treated back then.
Meredith: Thank you. I was in Wantage a few days ago and have a post about a Wantage building coming up - probably in ten days or two weeks' time.
I think I have been here--it's a bit hard to tell from just a doorway. is this the church where the arms have clearly been reversed on one of the stone carvings?
I absolutely agree Philip, English churches are a constant source of delight. Whilst out walking in Devon I rarely pass a church without entering and find the time is usually well rewarded. This is a splendid door, the likes of which I've not seen before. It intrigues me that function and design were so completely integrated at such an early date. This door from Buckland brought to mind the door of St Saviour's Church, Dartmouth, Devon. Although a good deal later (date very thoughtfully provided), it does also illustrate the combination of function and design, even if the design in this case is somewhat bizarre, especially the hairpin tails. Sadly no longer used as a door, but thankfully well preserved.
JudyBG: I'm not sure about the arms, and I'm away from my reference books at the moment so can't look it up. It's a church with a central tower and a transept that was elaborately redecorated in the Victorian period. I hope to post about the Victorian transept at the weekend.
Robert: Yes that Dartmouth door is stunning. I've not been there, but I have seen the ironwork reproduced in books as a fine and memorable example of popular art.
What a gorgeous door - thanks for posting. :)
Fascinating, as always, Phil. The functional needs of this metalwork are fulfilled with such elegance. It's moving to be brought close to a craftsman so many centuries dead.
Joe: Agreed. It's the combination of age and simple purposefulness that touches me. I've stared fascinated at gilded Carolingian reliquaries (or Byzantine ivories, or whatever) and marvelled at their complexity, but the sort of directness in this door metalwork moves me more.
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