Saturday 22 October 2022
St Cyriac & St Julitta, Swaffham Prior
St Cyriac & St Julitta is one of two churches in the churchyard of Swaffham Prior, the two towers standing just yards apart. Whereas the mediaeval St Mary's continues as the parish church, St Cyriac & St Julitta is now in the care of the Churches Conservation trust.
The churches were originally in separate parishes, probably reflecting separate lordships of the area. It is thought that St Cyriac is the older of the two, but by the early mediaeval period – just after the Domesday survey – it is likely that the population in the neighbouring parish of St Mary's was the larger, although St Cyriac was the better endowed church. However, the two churches continued to function, with separate patronage: after the dissolution of the priory of Ely in 1539, the Bishop held St Mary's, and the Cathedral Dean St Cyriac. Moreover, worship in St Mary's tended towards a Puritan tradition, with St Cyriac in the more conservative Laudian style, with vestments, ornament and candles. This was to lead to some unrest between the two, and resulted in the destruction of images, carvings, altar rails and stained glass in the Commonwealth period.
The arrangement ended in 1667 when the parishes were combined. By the early 19th century, St Cyriac's had become ruinous, but an attempt to remove the spire of St Mary resulted in that church's nave roof being damaged. In 1809, it therefore was decided to restore St Cyriac's as the parish church. A new nave was built, abutting the mediaeval tower, in a spare Georgian Gothic style, with timber window tracery. In 1903, changing taste in architectural and liturgical fashions resulted in the situation being reversed, with St Mary's being restored and St Cyriac falling into ruin. After passing into the care of the CCT, St Cyriac was restored as a concert and performance venue.
The 15th century tower is in the Perpendicular style, with a large square base surmounted by an octagonal bell chamber. This leads into the austere Georgian nave - almost square, with the roof held on four quatrefoil columns - the absence of arches means they can hardly be called arcades. There is a small organ gallery over the entrance from the tower porch, and a south chapel. With whitewashed walls and a bare stone floor, and with almost all the furnishings and monuments being transferred to St Mary's, it now presents a slightly barren appearance, in the absence of events and exhibitions.
St Cyriac & St Julitta, High Street, Swaffham Prior CB25 0LD
Friday 21 October 2022
Saturday 8 October 2022
St Thomas, Lymington
St Thomas is a prominent landmark on Lymington's High Street, with its gothic chancel and south-west tower, topped by a pretty 17th century cupola. Substantially rebuilt in the 18th century, the interior is a happy blend of Gothic and Neo-Classical.
The earliest parts of the church date from the mid-13th century, and the chancel and north chapel (14th century) have a mix of Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic windows. More early Gothic windows can be found in the west wall, now inside the narthex. The battlemented south-west tower was added in 1670 (its cupola later, possibly in the early 18th century); the nave, with its wide aisles and galleries, was rebuilt in the late 18th and early 19th century; and a narthex was erected at the west end in 1811.
The nave is a curious mix of architectural styles: the south windows date from the 19th century and have Geometric tracery, which at least gives the exterior some architectural harmony. But the galleries are supported on two tiers of paired Tuscan columns, which also function as arcades, giving the interior a thoroughly Classical feel. The panels of the gallery fronts record benefactors of the church through the ages. The west gallery contains an impressive, substantial organ - originally built in 1831, but modified in 1847, 1862, and most substantially in 1911, when it was enlarged to its present size.
Most of the furnishings are from the 19th century, though it has a an elegant 18th century baluster font and the Royal Arms of George I, dated 1716. The chancel walls - unplastered but whitewashed - are crowded with wall monuments. One of these - commemorating Captain Josias Roger (d. 1795) - is of a female figure against an urn: she gets rare praise from Pevsner, as "exquisitely elegant".
The church today has a regular roster of church services, reflecting both traditional choral traditions and modern, informal worship styles and a Messy Church for children, alongside regular concerts, talks, and other events. On my visit, it was set up for a choral concert in aid of a local hospice.
St Thomas, High Street, Lymington SO41 9ND
Sunday 2 October 2022
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