Following the events of the last couple of weeks it was great to get a day away in the peace and quiet of the Cotswolds - even if I was unable even to find at least on eof the villages I was looking for!
First and foremost was the village of Elkstone, where the Church had an upper storey built over the sanctuary as at Compton (see earlier post) and Melbourne. Whereas Compton is still intact and Melbourne totally disappeared, at Elkstone perhaps the people who lived here forgot the purpose of this upper room, for at some point during the Middle Ages it was converted into a dovecote, or columbarium.
The interior of the Church shows a very low vault built over the sanctuary, in order to carry the weight of what was above it. The Norman arches are highly decorated both with geometric and figurative carvings. Climbing the stairs to the upper storey one finds oneself inside the dovecote and can only wonder what the Church would have been like as completed.
In the church today a columbarium is a place used for the bestowal of ashes of those who have been cremated. This view of the dovecote shows why the word is used. 
The niches for the urns are reminiscent of the niches in which the doves would originally have rested.
The niches for the urns are reminiscent of the niches in which the doves would originally have rested.In this part of the Cotswolds is a whole string of truly ancient Churches stretching from North Cerney away to Daglingworth, where the church (dedicated to the Holy Rood) has some old Saxon carvings including one of the crucifixion itself. Like all Saxon the Churches the nave is high and narrow. The carvings themselves are simple - even crude - but nonetheless posess a certain dignity.
The main problem in this part of the country is finding the villages you are looking for. There are huge numbers of roads - some of w
hich are unsuitable for motor vehicles. And to cap it all the villages do not have signposts as you enter them as is the case in most of the country. On arrival at a village you need to look for some indication that it is in fact the place you are seeking! And while I readily found Duntibourne Abbots, Duntisbourne Lees and Middle Duntisbourne, I failed to find any trace of Duntisbourne Rous, which I was looking for! Never mind - it is, as Chesterton might have said, all an adventure. And here's a picture of the Holy Rood at Daglingworth.
hich are unsuitable for motor vehicles. And to cap it all the villages do not have signposts as you enter them as is the case in most of the country. On arrival at a village you need to look for some indication that it is in fact the place you are seeking! And while I readily found Duntibourne Abbots, Duntisbourne Lees and Middle Duntisbourne, I failed to find any trace of Duntisbourne Rous, which I was looking for! Never mind - it is, as Chesterton might have said, all an adventure. And here's a picture of the Holy Rood at Daglingworth.
No comments:
Post a Comment