Apr 22, 2022
When studying the columns of Trajan (113 AD) and Marcus Aurelius (c. 190 AD), I cannot help thinking of them as the inspiration for the Bayeux Tapestry. Although, there is no record to my knowledge of Bishop Odo visiting Rome. The spiralling upwards bas relief reads...
Feb 13, 2022
The term ‘Caernarfon lintel or arch’ comes from the use at Edward I’s Caernarfon Castle of the frequent use of passage doorways with shouldered lintels sitting on convex corbels. Edward’s castle at Caernarfon was started in 1283. These doorways also at exist at Wells...
Dec 24, 2021
According to popular myth it was on the 31st of October 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses disputing the Roman Catholic Church’s practice on indulgences to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral. Whether this act was true or not does not dispute the fact...
Nov 7, 2021
On the Somerset Levels is the medieval parish church of Isle Abbots. The village gets its name from its position on the river Isle and its former connection with Muchelney Abbey.[i] The tower contains niches within which are a rare collection of medieval statuary....
Oct 27, 2021
A feature that occurs on many churches in Somerset is the Hunky Punk. The grotesque carvings are particularly numerous in the county and the term comes from Somerset dialect. The term derives from 2 old English words – ‘hunkers’, which is squatting on haunches, and...
May 23, 2021
‘The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.’ Aristotle (384-322 BC) Anyone with an interest in architectural history cannot get away from the importance of classical temples, classical architecture and...
