Just a load of old Gargoyles

GARGOYLE:1. a grotesquely carved figure of a human or animal.
2. a spout, terminating in a grotesque representation of a human or animal figure with open mouth, projecting from the gutter of a building for throwing rain water clear of a building.

I have always been fascinated by the inventiveness of stonemasons in creating Gargoyles - especially from when I visited Notre Damme as a child.

I am not religious, but find mediaeval churches and cathedrals places of serene beauty and peace and the architecture is wonderful. I also love old country churchyards.

Now I have my digital camera, I have made it my quest to find and photo as many different Gargoyles as I can. I also would love to collect images of other stonemason work such as 'Jack-in-the-Green' etc which I have surprisingly seen in a few Christian churches despite its earlier Pagan associations of fertility and suchlike.

It would be fantastic if any of G.C. members who have old churches near to them with Gargoyles or other interesting carvings in stone, could post them here on this thread too - I would love to see what you can come up with.

I'll start us off - visited Wells Cathedral in Somerset this week and saw a few examples, although there is an awful lot of restoration work going on with restricted access to the Cathedral grounds at the moment, so I probably missed some good examples, but here goes...









Thanks for looking!

 

Nice pictures Cookie nothing better than a little stroll around churchyards although I'm not brave enough to go there at night! :eek: Hel.xxx.

 

Visiting Cookie Mum - alias Compost Corner and decided to look in on our local church - St John's in Keynsham. I am ashamed to say that all the years I lived with mum I never actually bothered to look properly at the church although I must have walked past it hundreds of times.

I am delighted to find that it has a small selection of Gargoyles, although being made out of the local Bath stone they are incredibly eroded as the stone is so soft. A nice restoration job on them would be great but unfortunaltely, the church is constantly battling against vandals who believe that putting out the stained glass window with stones is a life improving occupation....

It is also sad to see that the church path is made out of old tombstones - some of which are still legible ... just. For those that are worn away, it seems very sad to me that someone's memory of their time here has been rubbed out by years of tramping feet.

Anyway - here are a few photos - hope you like them.



The main church tower





From the North side - the path of tomb stones and a magnificent yew tree.

 

An Amenite built in to the walls - these fossil shells were incredibly numerous in Keynsham and are built into many old stone buildings and walls for decoration.

 

The North side of the church has all of these stone carvings of what look like Mediaeval Kings - not certain who they are meant to be - will have to do some detective work.

Hope I can inspire some of you to take a closer look at your old churches to see if there are any unusual or local interest in the stonework - or any good local legends about the church itself!

 

That's a fascinating hobby cookie monster.
I was surprised to find a company that reproduced gargolyles as gifts and that one of them had my family name! I got one for my dad to grace his house with.

 

WOW FAB! Can we see a picture of it!

Great idea for a prezzie! :thumb:

 

It was from a company called Past Times that do mail order but I don't know if it is still in their range. There online catalogue is down atm:rolleyes:

 

Very pleased to hear that WOO - and I guess Canterbury Cathedral isn't too far away..... . I have very much become interested in Churches and Cathedrals since reading all of the Ghost stories of M.R.James - he was a scholar and antiquarian and set a lot of his spooky tales in the environs of old acedemia and clergy. I long to go to East Anglia to see the landscapes he most lovingly described in his famous stories. Not bad birding to be had in that area too!

It is amazing the things you notice and appreciate through a camera lens that may otherwise pass you by - I have found this - I am much more observant since I got my camera!

FMay - I guess I am partial to the original Gargs because of the history behind them - I like garden ornament Gargs and I bet yours was a real novelty to have one in your own name... but give me a 600 -700 year old one any day!

 

C M. Have another look at your photograph number 4. That isn't Fred Dibnah on the right is it ???? :D.

Keynsham Church! Well I never...I spent several hours repairing broken panes in the Leaded windows around 1994. I wish I had had a Digi camera when I travelled all over the South during the 90's working on many Churches.
Didn't happen to go into the Bank in Wells market square by chance and admire the new windows I surveyed for and fitted?

Nice thread:thumb:

 

Small world eh Paladin! What an interesting job - you must have worked in many historical sites then?

Were there any standout churches for you? Broadway can't be too far away from here then?

Actually - I thought it looked a bit like the bloke on Channel 4 Horseracing who talks about the betting in a deerstalker! Some stonemason 'avin a larf!

 

Perhaps the most interesting church I rebuilt the windows in was 'Kelmscot' near Faringdon. William Morris is buried there,and investigating him opened up a whole new world of discoveries.
And I think I have been working in almost all of the Colleges in Oxford. In Brasenose Chapel I had a coffee with John Thaw when he was filming 'Morse' . I've even driven the red Jag around the 'Camera' quad too:thumb:...But I won't name drop if you don't mind:D.........Guess who fitted Noel Edmonds windows ......:rolleyes::D

 

I too like gargoyles And have always chuckled at the churches using the green man images

I snapped these two when visiting St. Vitrus Cathedral in Prague Castle last October



I love the gothic architecture in the cathedral and would love to have hosted a banquet in this hall

 

:eek::eek::eek:

YOU JAMMY GIT !!!!!

Ochhh .... Morse is my favourite program and John Thaw was an actor I rated and still rate so highly..... The architecture combined with the music and the quality of John Thaw's presence made it the quintessential program for me - I know every episode inside out and back to front!!!! I visited Oxford to see the locations and ended up in the Trout at Wolvercote. YOU DROVE THE CAR...... hands shaking with envy now!!!:D

You lucky, lucky, ...person!!!!