Today we motored down to Greensted juxta Ongar in Essex, together with our friend Heather who is interested in early building. The purpose of our journey was to add to our report on Stave Churches of a few weeks ago. This church is the only early stave church in England. The middle section of the above photo would have been the original church. This picture shows the South side of the church.
The above picture shows the north side of the church. The walls of this part are made of split oak treetrunks, with the round side outwards.
This shows the flat sides of the logs inside the church. They have been adzed smooth.
If you can imagine the middle section of the church standing alone, and without the dormer windows or the porch, and probably thatched instead of tiled, then you will have a fair idea of what the church looked like about a thousand years ago.
Been reading up on it on Google, and it is the only surviving example of a 'Palisade Church', which is thought to be the forerunner, or at least a very early type, of the Stave Church, some of which we saw in Norway in June, and of which I've been writing in the blog this month.
I should have said earlier that it has been dendrochonologically (there's a word for you!) dated to between 998 and 1060 A.D.
8 comments:
Hi Pa, lovely church, not sure if I like the newer additions or not...is the church still in use as a place of worship?
How did you go with the X word this week? I could do with a bit of help! Will try and call tomorrow
Stiggy
X
Where are the dragon heads ? ;)
Not quite as dramatic as some of the stave churches we saw, but very pretty, and somehow very English.
Have you seen this illustration of a stave church and bell tower from the 13th C?
Skogbonaden
A weave that was found in Skogs church in Halsingland, Sweden in 1912.
Hello Stig. Yes, the Church is still very much a village church, and is used regularly.
Yes, I've done most of the Prize Xword, but there are four undone ones in the top left hand corner. Give me a ring and we'll have a brainstorming session on it.
Hello Nea. Yes, it's a very English little church. The incredibly simple and early middle bit has been enlarged upon in Tudor times, early 17th century times (the bell tower - probably in 1618), and in Victorian days of course (the Victorians had to 'improve on' everything). The weave you illustrate is very interesting. There appear to be two church bells in the middle? The only one I know of is the one from Overhogdal, which is now in Yemptli.
By the way, the Pinns asked me to thank you very much for the information (and references)you sent- on the boots.
Warm regards to all - Pa and Granny.
Hello Nea. I fear I have misinformed you. I DO have an illustration of the Skog weave in Halsingland (although I've not seen it). I dug out the booklet from the Jamptlands Museum on the Overhogdal weaves. One page in that booklet deals with the Skog weave.
Just a thought - in the booklet a writer is quoted who compares the Apocalypse with the pagan story of Ragnarok (the end of the world). The lady's name is given as Ruth Horneij. Not you with a slightly Scandinavianised name, is it?
The belfry of the Skogbonden tapestry is very convincing with the rope and lever operated down-slung bells needing two ringers for the larger bell. The modern up-standing pulley operated system first came into use in the 17th century requiring a more substantial bell-frame to sustain the greater rotary forces generated. It enabled much finer timing control of when the bell was pealed and change-ringing became possible as opposed to the simple chiming of the medieval daily canonical hours.
PS just seen an article that clarifies my previous comment:- Many early medieval timber bell frames have been lost over the centuries. In Dorset, for example, there is only one surviving medieval timber bell frame (in the Church of St George, Langton Matravers). These early frames were finely crafted and usually consisted of massive oak short-headed king post framed trusses, with regional variations. These frames allowed the chiming bells to swing back and forth in a short arc but afforded very little control to the bell ringer. The bells usually hung in a line. A fine example of this type of timber bell frame can be found at the Church of St Thomas a Becket, Hill Croome, Worcestershire. Such chiming bells marked the medieval daily appointed prayer times until bell ringers discovered how to control bells more effectively.
‘Change’ bell ringing, the ringing of tuned bells in a pre-determined sequence, developed during the 17th and 18th centuries and spurred the modification and development of stronger bell frames that could cope with the forces generated by bells being swung full-circle. Although there are many variations, this group of timber frames, described as ‘long-headed’, form a box with top plates, sills, foundation beams and braces to contain the bells. Such frames were designed to hang the bells in different alignments with lighter bells counteracting the heavy ones. Full-circle ringing meant that bells could be held motionless for a second or two at the end of each full 360 degree swing to allow the ringers to generate ‘changes’ by altering the sequence in which bells are rung.
There are a number of frame types. These were first classified by bell historian George Elphick in 1945 and more recently updated by Christopher Pickford FSA.
Thank you, C'bard, that would explain why they don't ring the changes here. Many churches here still have the old bell-frames in their often separate bell towers. I miss the Sunday morning peals.
Ruth Horneij wrote a book about The Overhogdal Weaves, so we share an interest in history, but we are not one and the same.
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