This is a church that has been on my radar for a while now since I noticed the entrance while driving past to another church. The main problem was when it was open which are only at cretin times during the year which is between April and September on Friday Sat & Sunday 2-6pm but I might add is well worth making the effort to visit
"Richard and Sybil Quartermayne, lord and lady of the manor of Rycote, founded Saint Michael's chapel as a chantry in 1449. It is a Perpendicular Gothic building with a chancel, nave and west tower. It retains original 15th-century wooden fittings including pews, stalls and a screen In the 17th century the chapel was ornamented with a west gallery, altar rails, a reredos and other fittings. The first reredos, dated 1610, is now damaged and in 1974 was kept under the tower. It has been replaced by a second reredos dated 1682. Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys is buried here. The chapel is both a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument."
When I got to the entrance the gate was shut and there was a car stopped just in front of the gates. There was a little old lady in the car I assumed was waiting like me for the place to open but she got out of her car went to the sign and pushed it to open then typed a number in the gate pad and the gates opened. She drove through and stopped by then I had just started to move off through the gates when they started shutting. The lady just walked back over to a box and opened them again. From there I drove down a long drive to carpark which was full of expensive cars but I managed to park on the end. I had just stopped when the lady looked through my window and scared the life out of me. She asked if I was going to the church then told me she was the custodian and it would be a few moment before it opened. I could hear shooting in the distance so knew they were shooting pheasants which accounted for the cars in the carpark. Wile waiting I took the photos of the outside
Not much to see of the place really but you get a good view of the south side
the East end looking west along the south
View of the tower and finals on the chapel
One of the greyhound figures on the East end of the chapel
Both of them have bee recently replaced with new ones
With old eroded headstops
either side
Above the coat of arms of the family, I did think it had moved but looking behind it is supposed to be like this
Either side a couple more eroded coats of arms
one slightly better that the other
The west end tower
which has a statue of St Michael subduing the dragon or satin
The churchyard has a few headstones in it, mostly old sinking in the ground
This is the most recent
You can see a huge Yew beside the church
and when I say huge I mean it, must be going on a couple of thousand years old
Inside which is through the south doorway, Turning left towards the organ loft
And right looking towards the altar
This looked typical of the 1700's
Turning around and looking back
Organ loft
The pulpit with the sounding board and box pew, I could not really get a shot form the pulpit this time
One of the private pews with a balcony for a choir
The other one is interesting as it was for visiting royalty and Elizabeth 1st sat in here
The domed roof of the royal box pew
The other box pew opposite where the door leads to the loft above
The ceiling of the box pew
I used another camera for these where you can see the painted panels
This is the detail on one complete with woodworm holes
Now remember Elizabeth 1st used the box pew well this is her banner, the flag has not been changed since though I doubt this is the original one
The font with cover
This contains the exodus from the Bible
Hamersley memorial
This one is impressive though not easy to read
Written in Latin so lost on me
Memorial in the floor
Connop memorial
Elizabeth Goddard
Margaret Tilly who is buried underneath
The strip of wood here was part of the old rood screen
Banner so some of the past owners of the manor
Pew final
This I bound out was small bread oven used by the monks who lived in the chaple
The Organ in the organ loft
The monks lived in the room to the right where the door is and the window above it
12 comments:
Quite a beautiful church!
What a little gem you discovered there, the wood working is particularly impressive.
Beautiful. Love the turret.
Very and one I really liked seeing
There are some really nice gems like this around, This is one of the best
Yes quite different to others I've seen
gosh, what amazing details. very cool. such a fan. glad to link up this weekend. hope u r well. take care. ( ;
"which has a statue of St George subduing the dragon"
It's not St. George, it's St. Michael. Notice the wings.
Thank you Beth.
Point taken I'll change it but it also makes sense being as the church is called St Michael
This is a treasure trove of photos. Imagine Elizabeth I sat in the pew, and the covered private pew is impressive, plus the restored/replica hounds outside, and how they kept the original hound in the chapel.
It is hard to imagine people from Royalty sitting in the pews especially when you remember them from history
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