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A tiny church for a tiny village, with a surprising C19 painted interior upon Norman stonework
A tiny church for a tiny village, with a surprising C19 painted interior upon Norman stonework
Quick Facts & Contents
Quick Facts & Contents
Location: Hampnett, Gloucestershire
Dedication: St. George
Denomination: Church of England
Features of Interest: C12 stonework, C19 wall paintings
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The church viewed form the south, showing the tower and south porch. | Taken 24/07/24
Introduction
Introduction
Hampnett is a miniscule and quaint village situated just beyond the busy A40 in Gloucestershire. The modest River Leach has its humble source here, and the village is a place frozen in time, at peace. The parish church of St. George is situated pride of place in the centre of the village, and quite rightly too, as the interior of St. George's is a truly wonderous sight to behold. The 12th century stonework is exquisitely painted, all thanks to the efforts of one keen Victorian vicar, and the sight of his work is even more impactful knowing that it was almost lost forever.
A Broad Historical Overview
A Broad Historical Overview
Few churches can be said to boast quite as much Norman fabric as St. George's does; the building was first built in around 1125, and the plan has changed very little since, although the church was originally dedicated to St. Matthew, only being changed to St. George around 1743. The nave and chancel both owe their broad layout to this period and it almost couldn't be more obvious, especially in the chancel with its round, moulded choir arch of many orders, its quadripartite ribbed sanctuary vault, and its deeply splayed, small window openings. The north doorway's patterned tympanum also dates from this time, although the doorway itself was rebuilt late in the 19th century.
The only additional major stage of building work was carried out in the 15th century, after which the church's fabric remains little altered to this day. The lovely, picture-book tower was added at this time, as well as its high and bright tower arch, which seems at odds with the low, dark chancel at the opposite end of the building. Additionally, the south nave wall was rebuilt (slightly to the south, widening the building), and the south porch added, all additions being in a plain, no-nonsense Perpendicular style. The rectangular two-light window to the east of the porch and its hood mould date from the 17th century.
Next comes the dreaded Victorian period; often when a church reaches this stage in its history, its story becomes a sorry narrative of inept blunders and diabolical aesthetic decisions, but, all too unusually, Hampnett's experience of the Victorian era tells a remarkably different tale. The church was, as is standard, restored in 1868 by George Edmund Street, most famous for designing the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. Despite this claim to fame, Street also has the unfortunate track record of completing a restoration in Burford church so woefully heavy-handed that it forced William Morris into such a state of panicked despair that he felt the need to found the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Well, you can't win them all. Thankfully, Street does not seem to have made such a meal of Hampnett, with the extent of his work seeming to mostly cover adding new doors, roofs, glass, and gutters, and the most drastic action being the insertion of another Norman-style window in the north wall of the nave (gratifyingly well-executed). The church was also reordered, with the bland but homely pews dating from this time.
However, the Victorian era's impact on the church doesn't end there. The most remarkable and ubiquitous feature of Hampnett's church is, of course, the spectacular (yet controversial), medieval-inspired wall paintings which adorn the chancel and many of the window and door surrounds in the rest of the church (see the Treasures segment on it below). St. George's stands as a rare example of Victorian hands bettering a church interior in a meaningful aesthetic way, and as much as it pains me to commend a Victorian, credit where credit is due, Hampnett's paintings are exquisite.
The information here has been taken variously from the church's information guide and the Historic England listing.
Upon Entering
Upon Entering
Hampnett sits at the heart of the Cotswolds, and the village is typically picturesque, a window into a different era of life. Of course, the idea of these idyllic historic Cotswold villages stems from utterly romanticised and rose-tinted fiction, but what fiction it makes! Whilst the privacy of Hampnett feels exclusive, the historic setting almost could not be finer. The aspect of the church is excellent, and its situation serves to crown the village with what is undoubtedly its most precious and remarkable building.
Initially entering through the south porch is to step into a world of gloom; as is expected in a Norman church, St. George's is a dim affair on the inside, with the Norman windows being small and few in number. Of course, the architectural technology at the time did not particularly allow for larger openings to be made without destabilising the wall around them, other than by the most illustrious of engineers working in England's finest major places of worship, a world apart from the rustic and rural Hampnett. Nevertheless, this darkness is a sacred one, and can be battled against with some artificial lighting on a timer. Upon lighting the church is when it reveals its truest crowning glory, with the wall paintings springing to life from the darkness and drawing the eye with a spritely ease. The chancel paintings and the beautiful organ pipes lit by the west window battle for your attention, and it is a sight to behold whichever wins. The furnishings of the church are mostly dull and invite your attention to remain with the main affair, although it must be said that the pulpit and its coloured figure of St. George are something of an unwelcome distraction. To step into Hampnett's church is to step into a Victorian reconstruction of the medieval world, and when it produces such a feast for the eyes, perhaps you might be able to forgive them for making the past their own, even if just in this humble village.
Treasures
Treasures
Hampnett is undoubtedly a single-treasure church. The gorgeous decorative chancel wall paintings of the late 19th century are the primary attraction of St. George's, with no other feature coming close. There are of course other items of moderate interest within and without the walls of the church, but as for what I would define as a 'treasure,' this is the only one I will privilege with its own dedicated segment.
- The Victorian Wall Paintings
This detailed and most attractive work was undertaken around the time of Street's restoration and finished by 1871 at the behest of incumbent vicar, Rev. William Wiggin. The work was almost certainly completed by the firm Clayton & Bell of Bristol (mainly known for their stained glass), but Wiggin later tried to claim that he himself executed the decoration, this claim being made in the April 1892 edition of the delightfully quaint Cotswold Church Monthly. No matter which attribution is correct, Wiggin's parishioners were firmly not amused by this addition which had been completed without their consultation and went so far as to attempt to raise money to have the walls whitewashed and obliterate the rogue vicar's work. Fortunately for the modern visitor, this proto-GoFundMe failed to receive enough support and the paintings survived.
As for the paintings themselves, they are mainly to be found in the chancel where no inch is left without decoration, but can be found elsewhere in the church too in a more restrained form on the window and door surrounds. The predominantly russet and ochre-hued stencil work is intricate and eccentric, combining floral motifs, masonry patterns, Byzantine-reminiscent figures, religious iconography, and accentuations of the fine Norman stonework underneath. Whilst the work is identifiably composite and inauthentic, it serves to provide a reinterpreted glimpse into the world of the medieval painted church. That our historic churches were once adorned with rich and beautiful polychromatic artwork on their walls is easily forgettable, such is the prevalence of whitewash and scraped, bare masonry given to us by the centuries separating us in the present day from the medieval world. This markedly Victorian reimagination of medieval art is a common and often unwelcome addition to our churches, especially when it involved 'correcting' medieval work which was already present in order to make it fit better with narrow and romanticised perceptions of the past, but in Hampnett's case, the 19th century paintings are what make the church as notable as it is, and add great visual and artistic interest in their own right.
Facing into the chancel through the choir arch. There is incredible contrast between the plain void that is the whitewashed nave east wall surrounding the arch and the world of dark colour and sanctity calling from beyond. | Taken 24/07/24
The chancel vault, with its quadripartite ribs providing an excellent opportunity to depict what are thought to be the four Evangelists. The figures are reminiscent of Byzantine art in style, and are perhaps the most telling aspect which betray the paintings as modern. | Taken 24/07/24
The sanctuary, showing the characteristically tiny east window and altar. The wall behind is an intricate elaboration on the traditional red-stencilled masonry pattern, taken to an extreme regarding the detailed infill and roundels. | Taken 24/07/24
Detail of the southern set of capitals of the sanctuary arch. The stencilling cleverly and effectively accentuates the Norman stonework beneath. | Taken 24/07/24
Carved birds on the north capital of the choir arch taking a drink together. This capital, along with the matching one on the south side of the arch, are fantastic pieces of C12 stonework and invite the viewer to look beyond the veil of the C19 painting. | Taken 24/07/24
The second pair of carved birds on the south capital of the choir arch, this time facing away from each other and perhaps preening their feathers. The birds, though wide-eyed and gaunt, give a pleasant and personal feel to the arch. | Taken 24/07/24
A closer look at one of the chancel windows, with the glass depicting St. Andrew; presumably this is what the 'A' medallions either side of the window refer to. The randomly inserted stars in the top of the recess remind me distinctly of IKEA glow-in-the-dark stickers! | Taken 24/07/24
Detail of the north jamb of the sanctuary arch and its abounding wild patterns, with larger motifs including a Star of David just cut off to the right and an IHS monogram to the left. Not a single inch of the stonework is left out of the artistic composition, with skilled C12 stonemasons and skilled C19 painters working in harmony across a gap of seven centuries. | Taken 24/07/24
The north doorway, an example of where the painting (albeit in a more prosaic form) can be found elsewhere in the church. | Taken 24/07/24
Another example of painting outside the chancel, this time surrounding what I believe to be Street's 1868 window in the north wall of the nave. | Taken 24/07/24
Gallery
Gallery
The exterior from the south. I think the glum weather actually suits the church well. In the foreground in front of the south window of the nave is the fragmentary stump of a C14 cross shaft, which I frustratingly did not notice until looking back at this picture! The tower rises grandly at the west, but mainly draws attention to how rather oversized the crenellated parapet is. | Taken 24/07/24
The simple, yet pleasantly attractive diapered C12 tympanum reset above the north doorway in the C19. The modern existence of a north doorway is unusual, as they lost their liturgical function after the Reformation and acquired superstition due to the lack of sun on the north side of buildings so were often blocked up, but Hampnett's is a pleasant survival. | Taken 24/07/24
The interior facing east, with the font in the foreground. Here one can clearly see the extent to which the nave was widened to the south in the C15, leaving the view to the chancel off-centred. | Taken 24/07/24
The C15 octagonal font is a pleasantly executed, yet anonymous affair, decorated with quatrefoils on each face. | Taken 24/07/24
The surviving stairway to the long-vanished rood loft. Imagine what a spectacle it would have been had Wiggin had a rood screen and loft to decorate at his disposal as well! | Taken 24/07/24
A cheeky photo taken from the top of the rood loft stairway, facing west. One can see the huge difference in style and spatial enclosure of the C14 tower arch and west window in comparison to the rest of the C12 church. | Taken 24/07/24
The attractively painted C19 organ sits under the tower at the west end of the church and eagerly complements the chancel paintings with its intricate pipe decoration. | Taken 24/07/24
The C17 south window of the nave. The uneven plastering invites the possibility that the entire splay was once covered in painted patterns; perhaps this is as far as Wiggin's parishioners got? | Taken 24/07/24
The C20 pulpit is something of a poor addition. The coloured image of St. George is quietly garish and even slightly disturbing, and does not sit kindly in the presence of the surrounding wall paintings. | Taken 24/07/24
The pulpit's saving grace; these C17 carved panels have been reused in the construction of the modern pulpit on the interior. Quite why they couldn't have taken the place of the action figure St. George on the front I am not sure! | Taken 24/07/24
The C15 south porch has an unusually round-headed opening for its date. | Taken 24/07/24
The C15 south doorway, with delightful scrolled stops on its hood. | Taken 24/07/24
The exterior from the east, putting into perspective the miniscule proportions of the east window. | Taken 24/07/24
The wooden doorway to the C18 barn opposite the church, included for no other reason than that I think it is absolutely beautiful. | Taken 24/07/24
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