Cambs/Hunts Gallery 4
GREAT GIDDING. CHURCH : ST MICHAEL
I visited the church of St Michael, Great Gidding on Easter Monday 2008. Lots of gargoyles and grotesques to be seen, but sadly a large percentage had been damaged. Some minus heads and some just looking as if they had succumbed to age....it comes to us all I suppose! I photographed about a dozen, but I have only included the six here as some were too damaged to upload! I find something curiously appealing about the fella pictured top left. Gargoyle immediately below left appears to have retired...no spout and appearing to have a grey beard! Love the wide eyes and the flaring nostrils on the picture bottom left.
HAMERTON. CHURCH : all sAInts
After leaving Great Gidding I headed to nearby Hamerton. Some exceptionally high quality gargoyles to be found here...but sadly, as with Great Gidding before, there were some very badly damaged gargoyles. Sad this, as some of the damaged ones looked to have been of the highest quality.
The three pictured here all come from the South wall of the church. Particularly fond of the grotesque pictured above left. Not exactly sure what the creature is supposed to be, but like the stubble above the top lip very much. Saw similar just a few miles away at Hemington.
Personally, I would have thought that these were not terribly old, with the damaged and eroded ones on the north wall being quite a lot older. However, a plaque just to the side of one of these three is dated 1707...could these three really date from that time??!
HADDON. CHURCH : ST MARY
Lovely friendly, welcoming, church this. Always open and a note on the door saying that tea and coffee is left out for visitors! Two pretty ancient looking gargoyles here, one on the North wall and one on the South wall. A superb looking third, with wicked looking claws but sadly minus head, so not included here.
FOLKSWORTH. CHURCH : ST HELEN
MAXEY. CHURCH : ST PETER
Just one gargoyle here, and a nice one as well. Repositioned I suspect from where it originally stood and now to be found to the right of the porch.
Lovely rural setting for this church, the the harvest well underway when I arrived on a warm and heavy Saturday afternoon at the end of August. Several gargoyles here but the ones on top of the tower fell foul of some poor lighting conditions. The fella above was lower down and useable.
HELPSTON. CHURCH : ST BOTOLPH
A beautiful village, home of the Peasant Poet John Clare, who is buried in the grounds at St Botolph. Gargoyles surround the tower, sadly several of these are very worn. The two best examples are included. Photographed on the same day as Maxey above, and suffered from the same indifferent light quality.
