Hovingham
(North Yorkshire)
OS Grid Ref: SE 66655 75705
54º10’22.09”N 000º58’49.51”W
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Hovingham (North Yorkshire) |
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OS Grid Ref: SE 66655 75705 |
The village of Hovingham is dominated by Hovingham Hall, which was built in the eighteenth century. If you turn off the main road that passes the village onto the impressive driveway that approaches the Hall, you will notice on your left, a little way off, the parish church of All Saints. The church has stood there at least four times as long as the hall, with the tower known to have been erected before the Norman Conquest, and being designed to a typically Saxon plan. This church is home to a collection of pre-Norman artefacts of extremely high quality, including a carved slab now used as a reredos and a Viking cross which has recently been mounted in a specially-commissioned wrought-iron frame to function as the altar cross.
When I visited this church in October 2002, a notice on the door said it was closed until further notice (presumably for repairs). It might be worth checking that it is open before setting off on a journey, if you want to see inside.
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One of the pre-Norman crosses has been built into the tower of the church, near the top of the face that doesn't have the clock on it. (August 2001) The picture on the right shows the detail of this cross, which is notable both for its wheel head and also for the two figures who appear on the lower part of the face - perhaps this scene represents the deposition of Christ's body from the cross. (October 2002) |
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| On the west end of the tower, somewhat above the Saxon doorway, the stone slab shown in the picture on the right has been built into the wall. This is a much more difficult piece to interpret, Clearly, its presence in a Saxon tower suggests that it is of Saxon or older age, but even that is speculative (it could, for instance, be a mediaeval insertion taking the place of one or more stones that had weathered badly), and little else can be said about it with any certainty. (Oct 2002) |  |
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| The carved Saxon slab is displayed on a
wall at the end of the south aisle, where it functions as an altar
screen. The picture above shows the table in front of it which is
usually adorned with candles. Although some of the eight panels are now
quite weathered (well, it is over a thousand years old!) even so, there
are parts of this slab where the intricate detail still testifies to the
master craftsmanship that created it. The first two panels on the left
(shown here to the right) are interpreted as a depiction of the
annunciation, when Gabriel came to Mary to tell her that she would give
birth to Jesus. The detail in the recesses of this area is all still
there, presumably having been protected from the elements by its
position.
There is a debate about the original function of this artefact, since Saxon churches were not designed for altar screens, because the apse (or chancel end, if you prefer) was generally semi-circular in order to aid with the projection of the priest's voice to the assembled congregation. My personal opinion is that it may originally have been the side of the coffin or tomb of a prominent early church leader - perhaps even the founder of this church, though this is not a suggestion I have seen anyone else make. A notice on a side windowsill describes this monument and goes on to assert that it is among the finest in the land - which of course it is - and makes comparison with a number of other similar artefacts. One that is not mentioned is the Wirksworth Stone, an artefact of greater antiquity but similar dimensions, which was most defnitely a designed to be a grave lid. (August 2001) |
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| Several pre-Norman cross fragments are built into the fabric of the church, but one which used to be has recently been extracted and is now displayed on its own wrought-iron stand in the chancel, where it acts as a backdrop to all the main worship services. This particular cross has been restored to enable the clear sculptures on three of its four faces to be seen almost as they would have been a thousand years ago when the cross was newly carved. (August 2001) | ||
| One of several splendid modern stained-glass windows in the church.
This one was inspired by the book of Revelation, and depicts Christ, the
one who speaks the messages to each of the seven churches of Asia.
Surrounding him are seven golden lamp stands, each one carrying a candle
representing one of the churches.
Elsewhere in the church, another window depicts a scene from later in the book of Revelation, where the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ride out. |
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All things considered, the members of this church have managed to bring together elements of new and old art and architecture in a way that makes them relevant and important to the life of faith that these people lead. Anyone entering the door will be aware that they are in a special place - indeed in a place that has been special to people of faith for more than a thousand years.
All Saints' Church is set back a little from the main B1257 road.
There are many places in Ryedale with pre-Norman remains.
Click on this map to see the pages for the places other than Hovingham.
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Related locations |
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The sites detailed below are places where one can find related
artefacts.
In some cases, these artefacts are from the same cultural period(s)/group(s) as in this location; in others, these artefacts are of the same or related form(s). |
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Anglian or Saxon sites |
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Aberford, Addingham (Wharfedale), Ashbourne, Bakewell, Bradbourne, Brailsford, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Cheadle, Checkley, Cleulow, Escomb, Eyam, Gressingham, Guiseley, Hartshead Moor, Hope (Derbyshire), Hornby, Hovingham, Iken, Ilam, Ilkley, Leek, Melling, Otley, Prestbury, Rastrick, Rolleston-on-Dove, Rothley, Sandbach, Stapleford (Nottinghamshire), Taddington, Thornton Watlass, Urswick, Whaley Bridge, Whalley, Winwick, Wirksworth |
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Viking ("Anglo-Norse") sites |
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Aspatria, Burnsall, Dearham, Dyserth, Gosforth, Halton, Hovingham, Lastingham, Maen Achwyfan, Muncaster, Oswaldkirk, Penmon, Penrith, Staveley (North Yorkshire), Sinnington, Stonegrave, Urswick, Waberthwaite |
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Sites with miscellaneous artefacts |
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CHRISTIAN Bakewell (various items), Escomb (?door jamb, piscina), Hovingham (altar screen), Lastingham (door jambs), Wirksworth (various items) |
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NON-CHRISTIAN Escomb (fragment of Mithraic altar reused as building stone), Ilkley (Roman altar stones) |
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There are many other kinds of carved stone remains that have survived to our
day, such as fragments of architectural features (door-jambs, window frames,
columns etc) and indeed whole doorways and windows, or even whole buildings.
Occasionally, these shed some light on the Christian thinking of the people who
created them (like the altar screen at Hovingham), but more often than not, they
speak of other aspects of the culture of the time (like, for example the
representation of a King and his consort at Wirksworth), if indeed they carry
any message at all.
The second group above, labelled "non-Christian" include various artefacts that happen to be at the sites mentioned, but have no demonstrable connection to the Christian history of those places. Such items are only noted if the locations already feature at this site for other reasons. A mention of them here does not indicate they are necessarily illustrated or even mentioned otherwise at the relevant pages. |
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Click here if you would like to see a bibliography Click here
if you would like to download the freeware "Mordred" font (in
True-type for Windows)
Locality maps at this web-site have been developed using Microsoft AutoRoute Express 2000 (and later editions). |
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This page is a part of Chris Tolley's web-site. Latest update: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 12:00 |
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