Church of St Mary and St David, Kilpeck facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Church of St Mary and St David, Kilpeck
Kilpeck Church
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Location	Kilpeck, Herefordshire
Country	England (previously Wales)
Denomination	Church of England
History
Dedication	St Mary St David
Architecture
Years built	c. 1140
Administration
Parish	Parish of Kilpeck
Diocese	Hereford
Province	Canterbury

The Church of St Mary and St David is a very old and beautiful Church of England parish church located in Kilpeck, Herefordshire, England. It's about 5 miles from the border with Monmouthshire, Wales. Many people, including famous architectural experts, say Kilpeck is "one of the most perfect Norman churches in England." It's especially famous for its amazing stone carvings. This church is so important that it's a Grade I listed building, which means it's a very special historic place.

History of the Church

This church was built a long, long time ago, around the year 1140. It was definitely finished before 1143. That's when it was given to the Abbey of Gloucester. It might have replaced an even older Saxon church on the same spot. The oval shape of the churchyard is typical of very old Celtic churches.

The church's design, with a nave (main part), chancel (area around the altar), and a round apse (curved end), was common during the Norman period. It was first named after Saint David, who was probably a local Celtic holy man. Later, it also became dedicated to Mary. This happened after a chapel at Kilpeck Castle fell apart.

The area around Kilpeck was quite rich and important when the church was built. It was in the heart of the Welsh Marches, a border region. The area became less wealthy after the 1300s. This might have helped keep the church's special features safe. These features might have been removed in other places. The church has been carefully repaired several times. These repairs happened in 1864, 1898, and 1962. These efforts helped protect and maintain its unique carvings and structure.

Amazing Architecture and Carvings

The carvings at Kilpeck are truly special. They are made from local red sandstone. There are many of them, and they are in great condition. You can see them especially around the south door, the west window, and along a line of corbels. Corbels are stone supports that stick out from the wall under the roof. All the carvings are original and are still in their first places.

These carvings were likely made by a group of stonemasons called the Herefordshire School. They were probably local artists. However, they might have learned from master masons from France. These French masons were brought over by Oliver de Merlimond. He worked for Hugh Mortimer, a powerful lord. Hugh Mortimer went on a trip to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. When he came back, he built a church with similar carvings at Shobdon. Hugh de Kilpeck, a relative, hired the same builders for Kilpeck. Their work can also be seen at Leominster and Rowlestone.

The South Door

The south door has double columns. The outer columns show carvings of snakes. These snakes are swallowing their own tails. The meaning of these carvings isn't fully clear. They might represent new life, like a snake shedding its skin. The inner right column shows birds among plants. At the top of the right columns, there is a Green Man. This is a face made of leaves. The inner left column has two warriors. They are shown wearing loose trousers, which is unusual.

The outer parts of the arch above the doorway show strange creatures. These include a manticore (a creature with a human head, lion's body, and scorpion's tail) and a basilisk (a mythical reptile). There are also other mythical and real birds and animals. The semicircular space above the door, called the tympanum, shows a tree of life.

For many years, a wooden porch covered the south door. This porch was removed in 1868. This allowed visitors to see the carvings as they were meant to be seen. Even though the doorway is now open to the weather, the sandstone is very strong. Its condition is watched carefully. In 1968, a thin strip of lead was put into the mortar above the arch. This helps protect the carvings from water running down the wall.

Corbels and Other Carvings

There are 85 corbels still remaining on the church. Originally, there were 91. The meaning of most of them is a mystery. However, some probably come from a bestiary (a book about real and mythical animals). One famous corbel is a Sheela na Gig. This is a carving of a female figure.

Two Green Man faces appear on the decorated columns of the west window. In the middle of the corbel table below the window, and at each corner of the nave's west wall, are large dragon heads. They stick out and have coiled tongues. Each of the three mouths is open differently. This makes them look like an animated sequence across the front of the church.

Inside the church, the arch leading to the chancel is also richly carved. It's not as grand as the south doorway. Its carved figures might have been inspired by carvings in Spain or Italy. The center stone of the apse (the curved end) shows four lion heads. There is also a large baptismal font made of polished stone. A strange holy water stoup (a basin for holy water) looks like a fat, tightly dressed body. This stoup was brought from a chapel near Wormbridge. There is also a rare Romanesque font-stopper.

A simple belfry (bell tower) now rises from the roof. It looks like the rest of the church, but it was added in the 1800s. The church has been well-preserved through restoration and necessary updates. It remains a Grade I listed building.

Churchyard

The churchyard is the area around the church. It contains the war grave of an officer from World War II. He was part of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry. His grave is located west of the church.

In Literature

The church is featured in a short story called Sheela-na-Gig. This story was written by the British poet, novelist, and filmmaker B. S. Johnson.

Jeff Nuttall, a writer, studied the church for his university thesis in 1954. He wrote that the church was not just a building. He felt it was "a work of art, the timeless expression of a vision." He said it was an experience under the same sun that shone on him through the old yew tree.

Images for kids

• 

  An angel appears in the centre of the arch above the south door

• 

  Other details of the arch include serpents and dragons swallowing their tails (see Ouroboros)

• 

  The "green man" on the capital of the columns to the east side of the south door

• 

  One corbel shows a hound and hare

• 

  Two corbels, depicting a ram and a lion

• 

  The famous sheela na gig

• 

  The carved stoup, brought from Wormbridge